st. mary falls

This falls can be reached two ways: one by taking the NPS boat from Swiftcurrent and they will drop you off for 30 minutes to see it, or two, hike inform the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the East side of the park and about a 6 mile hike.

I gave it a score of 2 but it can very well be a 5 for those who are keen to having close encounters with predators.I'm not a hiker. So know that this is the opinion of a city girl who loves nature but knows nothing about hiking. The trail head for St. Mary Falls had a warning sign posted which indicated that the falls are within Grizzly country and to enter at your own risk. Apparently some Grizzlies had been sited by rangers. Well, I thought it was just that. A warning. After all, the falls must be teeming with visitors. At that moment, we were the only ones but we headed on in anyway. I was making lots of noise and singing loudly in case those "bears" we were forewarned about were around. And around they were! The lowest, deepest growl emerged from the bushes to my right in answer to my stupid singing. I felt it reverberating deep in my chest. They tell you to make noise and they also advise not to run. Yeah, right! Fight or flight, my friends. And flight I did. I ran. Up hill. Ran faster than I've ever run in my life. The shot of adrenaline was powerful. I ran all the way back to the car.So heed my warning. If you see signs alerting you to Grizzlies. It's not for giggles. It's for real. There will be bears! Right on the trail!

Caught these falls on our way out to see Virginia Falls. Nice moderate hike. Completed it in a few hours.

We often take this hike, especially with visitors to Montana, as it requires fairly easy exertion and has great reward for the effort. Because it is on the easier side of hikes, this is a well-traveled path and you will encounter others along the way. It's a little over two miles round trip to St. Mary Falls, a tiered waterfall well worth the steps to reach it and a lovely spot on a warm day. Going further, though, to Virginia Falls, where one can walk almost right up to the falls itself, is recommended and delightful. Virginia Falls is just about a half-mile or so farther, uphill. This hike doesn't take long, but why not make a half-day of it and pack in a lunch to eat by the water? (why I recommend > 3hours)Reaching the trail head: this spot fills up FAST with private cars. Go early or go late. OR, take the shuttle to .25 mi. west of the trail head and walk to the beginning of the trail.

Gorgeous. Parking fills up - so you may need to take the shuttle from St. Mary Lodge. Hike was longer than posted due to road construction. There was water to wade at one point on the trail. Trail is rocky - so take your time If you've gone that far, don't miss Virginia Falls - a close add on to the total hike. It was about 1.5 miles each way - farther than I usually hike but worth the effort.

Nice hike. Falls beautiful. Water color just amazing. Would highly recommend this hike. a few up and downs but nothing major.

I already commented on St. Mary Falls through another post but it is certainly a nice hike and beautiful falls.

I recommend hiknig to theses falls as the view is wonderful, but if you hike this far, I recommend continuing on to Virginia Falls as this falls is even better.

do not stop there I you don't mind going up on a go trail. The signs to Virginia Falls are not always clear, but if you take a map you can deal with it. There are cascades between St Mary falls and Virginia Falls, do not stop there. Virginia Falls are further up at the end of the trail.

How many waterfalls can you hike to? Well, this one is not a far hike and of course it is gorgeous. There is a wooden bridge across the river so you will be right in front of the water fall. The hike is not too strenuous. I looks like they are adding more parking areas here. The hike to the falls is nice, but the falls and the river... you must see.

I think it was a 2 mile round trip hike but the beautiful falls were well worth it. The blue water falling over the different brown ledges was as pretty as it gets. Worth it!

I would recommend St. Mary's falls - it is pretty with aqua colored water; the hike is easy. PARKINGThere is a parking lot on GTTS road at the trailhead. There is a sign at the lot but it is easy to miss (look for a lot of cars). If the lot is full, we found that you can park along the road just east of the main lot.PATHThe path is well marked. Gentle slope. Well traveled. Suitable for young kids. Some shade. Hot in the middle of the day in July.BEARSWe went without bear spray. I was a little nervous because one of the construction crew had just seen a bear crossing the road at the parking lot. We were advised to make noise as we walked. We did not see any bears.We did pass a ranger-led hike so they go to the falls (not sure who to contact for this info).BATHROOMSNone.WHAT YOU NEEDHat, water, bear spray, mosquito repellant, tennis shoes (although saw some in sandals)TIME NEEDEDAbout 60-90 minutes. We continued past the falls to Virginia Creek where we found a very pretty small falls with red rocks. We preferred these falls because you can sit at the edge of the water. The colored rocks make these falls extra beautiful. Total time for us was 2 hours.SUGGESTIONSt. Mary's falls would be a nice spot for a picnic lunch. There is a large rock at the bridge that would work well for a picnic.

We took in all of the falls on our hike - the only drawback was not knowing which one we were at since there are two unnamed falls. Plus we entered the trail at a alternate location due to road construction. At first, we thought Baring Falls was St. Mary Falls until we saw a trail sign. Many people turn around at one of the unnamed falls thinking they are at Virginia Falls. Just remember if you enter by Baring falls, you should see five waterfalls before you are to the end of the trail and you should be able to identify Virginia Falls by the significant height compared to the rest. All of the waterfalls seemed to have an area where you could take off your shoes and socks so soak you feet in the water. So refreshing!

Make sure you take this short hike to st.marys falls its so beautiful! About 10 miles from the st. marys entrance. Good hike for all ages.

The 4 water falls you see on the hike are incredible. And as an added bonus you can cliff dive 30 ft at the first falls to cool off.