Glacier National Park

Designated the “Crown of the Continent” in 1910, Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana is a vast, glacier-carved wilderness crossing the Continental Divide. It features over 700 lakes, is a sanctuary for iconic wildlife (grizzly bears, moose, mountain goats), and is traversed by the Going-to-the-Sun Road and 700 miles of trails.

 

About the Hike

What began as a simple morning outing transformed into our longest and most rewarding hike in Glacier National Park, spontaneously linking three magnificent, unique waterfalls—Baring, Saint Mary, and Virginia Falls—along the beautiful St. Mary Valley.

Our initial objective for the morning was modest: hike to Baring Falls, then consider driving to the Saint Mary Falls trailhead to continue our hike. However, concerned about finding parking at the second lot, we chose to continue hiking and catch a shuttle back to our car later. Hiking all the way to Virginia Falls was not part of the original game plan, but we spontaneously added it to the route!

What started out as a hike to a single waterfall unexpectedly expanded into our longest hike of the entire trip, covering three spectacular falls. This extended hike ended up being one of our favorites.

 

Hike Overview
  • • Location: Baring Falls, Saint Mary Falls, and Virginia Falls in Glacier National Park
    • Start/Finish: Parking lot near the Baring Falls trailhead
    • Course Type: Two out and backs
    • Course Surface: Packed dirt, small rocks, and roots
    • Distance: 5.08 miles
    • Moving time: 1:53:22
    • Average Pace: 22:19 minute/mile
    • Elevation Gain: 776 feet
    • Elevation Range: 4,534 to 4,842 feet
    • Weather: 65°, sunny, and windy, climbing to 76°
    • Date of Hike: July 9, 2025
    • Start time: 11:27 AM

 

Baring Falls: The First Stop

After several attempts at finding parking, we managed to snag a spot when someone else pulled out. Once out of our SUV, we made our way from the parking lot toward the Saint Mary Lake Trail with the beautiful, turquoise lake spread out before us.

 

The trail immediately hugged the shore of Saint Mary Lake, giving us continuous beautiful vistas as we hiked along. A section of the path had skeletal remains of trees burned in a previous fire, providing a stark but dramatic view that contrasted with the vibrant lake and new growth.

 

We soon left the immediate shoreline trail and hiked a short distance inland as we made our way toward the waterfall.

 

As we approached Baring Falls, we could hear the satisfying roar of the water. We stayed for a little while, allowing my husband to set up his tripod for waterfall pictures—one of his favorite landscape subjects. I, too, played around with my phone, capturing both the water cascading down from the rocks in regular flow and with the soft view created by a long exposure effect.

 

After another family asked us to take their picture in front of the falls, they offered to return the favor and we were more than happy to let them.

 

St. Mary Falls: The Second Stop

After leaving Baring Falls, we hiked back down to the shoreline and continued along the Saint Mary Lake Trail toward our next destination, St. Mary Falls.

 

The trail continued to be beautiful, even with the skeletal remnants of trees resulting from the 2015 Reynolds Creek Fire, which burned about 5,000 acres on the north shore of St. Mary Lake.

 

For the most part, the trail was quite navigable, but had the occasional narrow and shallow water crossing.

 

After checking out the falls, we crossed the bridge, which offered much better photo opportunities. This picture is taken toward the direction we had just walked from, though.

 

St. Mary Falls was roaring, and we had to speak louder over the noise of the powerful cascade. It was also very popular, with many other visitors present, and I had to wait a few minutes to capture a shot without other tourists in it. Again, I captured the water flowing both regularly and in long exposure.

 

Virginia Falls: The Spontaneous Third Stop

Rather than turning back to hike toward our car, we decided to extend our adventure to Virginia Falls. The trail continued to wind away from the lake deeper into the woods. We had another wider water crossing with rocks strategically placed as stepping stones.

 

When we saw a waterfall along the river, we initially thought we had come upon Virginia Falls, but it seemed too soon. It ended up being one of three smaller, cascading falls on the St. Mary River below Virginia Falls.

 

We encountered a bit of elevation gain as we continued up toward the main falls and soon came upon a second falls and then a third falls.

 

For the first time during the hike, we encountered a rougher trail with roots, rocks, and mud, accompanied by more significant elevation gain as we continued up toward the main falls.

 

Approximately 30 minutes into our journey past St. Mary Falls, we turned off the main trail and onto the path specifically marked for Virginia Falls.

After a final turn, we could hear the roar of the falls and soon saw two bridges connecting us to the rock landings at the base of Virginia Falls.

 

I opted to hike to a slightly lower elevation for pictures of the falls, capturing both regular and long exposure shots.

 

A Distant Farewell and a Timely Shuttle Ride

Once back on the north side of St. Mary Lake, we paused and turned back, amazed to see Virginia Falls reduced to a tiny speck among the evergreen trees in the distance. Although we would have loved to hike the final two miles back to our SUV, we played it safe by opting for the shuttle, as we were out of water and would have been exposed to full sun the entire way.

 

Garmin Stats

Garmin map and elevation graph…

 

Final Thoughts on Our Hike

What began as a simple morning outing to Baring Falls and possibly St.Mary Falls quickly transformed into our longest and most rewarding hike in Glacier National Park, covering three magnificent waterfalls along the St. Mary Valley. The unexpected extension to Virginia Falls, while adding rewarding challenge with its steeper terrain, provided a stunning payoff, culminating in those final, breathtaking views of the massive cascade. Ultimately, the decision to rely on the park’s efficient shuttle service ensured a safe and comfortable end to a truly spontaneous and unforgettable adventure—a perfect example of how the best park experiences often happen when you go off-script.

 

Questions
  • • From the pictures, which falls do you think is prettiest? ~ St. Mary Falls was my favorite and just gorgeous with its beautiful turquoise color.
  • • For an adventure, are you a planner or a spontaneous go-with-the-flow type? ~ I usually prefer a well-planned agenda, but this change in plans was great!
  • • When photographing waterfalls, do you prefer capturing the raw, roaring power of the water in a fast shutter speed, or the soft, misty effect of a long exposure shot? ~ I like both, that’s why I shared one of each at each waterfalls.