St. Mary Falls
St. Mary Falls
4.5
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
287 reviews
Excellent
206
Very good
68
Average
11
Poor
2
Terrible
0
UCFTia
Chicago, IL47 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
Just a warning not to mistake Gunsight Pass for St Mary's trail, which seemed a bit common since there were several people on this trail that EVENTUALLY takes you to St Mary falls...if you want to hike 3.8 miles! Sharing this so others don’t make the same mistake. THIS trail is actually ALL DOWNHILL, very overgrown, and very narrow, as in only one-person wide. With very little shade. And a current daily update of “bear frequenting”. Finally, at 1.6 miles, you do hit some small waterfalls, which is where most people turned around. But going back was miserable, all uphill, sometimes pretty steep...make sure you have a walking stick. And while you see other people occasionally, it’s not enough to ease your concern of bears. The proem with this trail is that if you DO see a bear, there is literally nowhere to go! It is so overgrown that it’s literally impossible to leave the trail. You spray that bear, and now you just have an angry bear and no escape. So if you see a sign that says Gunsight, you need to drive further up the road to find the St Mary falls trail.
Written September 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
solyluz
Boulder, CO160 contributions
Jun 2021
There are three waterfalls within reasonable hiking distance. Baring, St Mary and Virginia. We could not find space at St Mary parking (most popular) so we parked at Sun Point about 1.5 miles down the road.
Hiking from Sun Point towards St Mary falls is wonderful through a burnt forest area. There is no shade but the trail is easy and with great views. Baring falls was OK.
Continued hiking to St Mary falls which were more impressive. More folks join this trail hiking down from the St Mary parking area.
Continued hiking up to Virginia falls which were most impressive. Halfway back to St Mary falls we were swept up in a stampede of 20 hikers running down the trail all shouting bear, bear, bear. It was like the scene in Jaws as panic sets in as swimmers spot the shark. People were tripping and falling on the trail taking out other hikers trying to get out of the way (my wife). It was quite a dangerous environment (tourist panic, not the bear).
As we reached St Mary falls we could hear much shouting back on the trail. Arriving hikers were turning around heading back to the parking. As we crossed the bridge , the grizzly bear exited from the trail into the river. It was HUGE. Probably trying to get away from the screaming tourists.
A great hike culminating in an adrenaline rush!!
Hiking from Sun Point towards St Mary falls is wonderful through a burnt forest area. There is no shade but the trail is easy and with great views. Baring falls was OK.
Continued hiking to St Mary falls which were more impressive. More folks join this trail hiking down from the St Mary parking area.
Continued hiking up to Virginia falls which were most impressive. Halfway back to St Mary falls we were swept up in a stampede of 20 hikers running down the trail all shouting bear, bear, bear. It was like the scene in Jaws as panic sets in as swimmers spot the shark. People were tripping and falling on the trail taking out other hikers trying to get out of the way (my wife). It was quite a dangerous environment (tourist panic, not the bear).
As we reached St Mary falls we could hear much shouting back on the trail. Arriving hikers were turning around heading back to the parking. As we crossed the bridge , the grizzly bear exited from the trail into the river. It was HUGE. Probably trying to get away from the screaming tourists.
A great hike culminating in an adrenaline rush!!
Written October 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
patn03
Minneapolis, MN711 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
Beautiful hike! If you have time it's worth going past St Mary waterfall on the trail - there are several more falls on the way to Virginia Falls. Beautiful trail with lots of waterfalls for only a few miles of walking. You don't need any special gear (hiking sticks or boots) - the trail is well marked and doesn't have any slippery spots (unless maybe it had just rained). Would highly recommend, especially as a little off day hike to keep your muscles warm between more intense days!
Written September 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sender S
Cleveland, OH5 contributions
Aug 2022
The water in these falls is a beautiful greenish blue from the crushed stone in the melting glaciers. Powerful roaring falls. Hike to these falls is mostly downhill, keep in mind that the return will be uphill.
Written August 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Places Where We Go Podcast
Simi Valley, CA975 contributions
Jun 2021
One of three falls you can see on the main hiking trail into this area. Parking is limited around this attraction. At mid-morning, we found a space to pull our car over on the roadside, and then had to walk a bit to the trailhead. St. Mary Falls is the first of three falls you will come across in this area. We do recommend to continue on to the furthest of the falls (Virginia). An easy to moderate trail that most people can probably handle. If you want just a taste of what is here, St. Mary Falls will provide that for you. We sat just across from St. Mary Falls to enjoy our afternoon snack – can’t beat a setting like this.
Written July 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina B
Louisiana6,964 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Parking for St. Mary’s Falls in very small so it may take a few try’s to find parking. There are a few other small areas that you will have to walk a little ways. Have patience. The 1 mile (2 miles RT) is a fairly easy hike up to St. Mary’s. A little moderate on the way back. There were people Cliff jumping next to the bridge into the falls water. Water & Falls are stunning in color. Just a beautiful area. If you continue on 3/4 of a mile up you’ll run into another pretty fall (has no name) and then upward is Virginia Falls, has 100 foot drop. To go there is 3 1/2 miles RT. Worth it!! Since the fire of 2015 most of the trees lower up to St. Mary’s are burned. You see new growth, but there’s no shade. The last .02 back up to parking lot is truly the worst part of the whole hike!! A must see Fall(s) !!
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerri L
Johnston, IA4,777 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
The hike from Sun point to this falls (three falls hike) was beautiful and fun but very exposed to the sun and many areas were up high along the lake so be sure to have water and no fear of heights. The falls were very busy when we got there with many people jumping off the rocks into the pool below the bridge. We enjoyed relaxing and watching the water and cooling down before heading back out on the trail.
Written July 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashley C
Fort Mill, SC288 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
After seeing Two Medicine Twin Falls, these falls made a joke of the 2 combined! They were so pristine & beautiful in color, and powerful! The hike to them wasn’t bad at all, maybe 40 minutes , we continued on to Virginia Falls.
Worth a stop if looking for a fairly short & easy hike. Really the only hard part was hiking back up to the parking lot.
Worth a stop if looking for a fairly short & easy hike. Really the only hard part was hiking back up to the parking lot.
Written June 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy
Nebraska38 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
The hike to St. Mary’s Falls was our favorite short hike in Glacier. Very pretty hike, it is 1 mile each way, two miles round trip. You can keep going to make the hike longer. The parking lot for the hike along the Going-To-The-Sun road is extremely small for this popular hike, so if you are not their early, you may have to wait for others to leave to get a parking spot.
Written June 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DutchTX
The Woodlands, TX766 contributions
Jul 2021
We combined St. Mary Falls with continuation to Virginia Falls (separate review, but highly recommended). It is a moderate hike to St. Mary Falls, just a few hours. The view at the falls is nice (not spectacular) or special for kids. That's why I recommend to continue the hike (up!!) to Virginia Falls.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
do you need to have bear spray when you hike this trail? is this trail busy in July? I will just walk this trail and the trail of Cedars, and drive along the going to the sun road, so do I need to have a bear spray? Thanks
Written July 10, 2018
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