St. Mary and Virginia Falls
3 / 10
For our third day in Glacier National Park, we opted for a down day. We had done some solid hiking the day before and wanted to save our legs for the next day's big outing in Many Glacier. So we picked the St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail, a 3 mile round trip hike with some serious waterfall payoff.
MacGillivray’s Warbler
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The trail starts through a section of forest still recovering from the 2015 fire. It’s eerie and beautiful all at once with views of St. Mary Lake through tree trunks. The first major stop was St. Mary Falls, a beautiful two-tiered waterfall that pours into a bright turquoise creek. Just as we arrived, we saw two guys jump off the bridge into the water, which was probably a 20 foot drop. It looked freezing. They climbed out just fine, grinning and shivering.
From there, the trail follows Virginia Creek, with a few smaller unnamed cascades along the way that are definitely worth stopping for. The final destination is Virginia Falls, a 50 foot stunner that was simply incredible. Mist in the air, lush greenery around it, and an outcrop at the base that gives a perfect view of the whole drop.
Just after leaving Virginia Falls, as I was walking down the trail, a guy said there's wildlife up there, a ground hog! I said nah...I think it's probably a marmot. I came up on the marmot with another couple admiring him from just a few feet away. I snapped a few pics, then Danny walked up, and we all started chatting for several minutes. The marmot just hung out there with us, standing still and quietly eavesdropping on the humans.
This was exactly the kind of hike we needed — not too long, full of beauty, and just enough action to keep it interesting. Turns out, even the easy days in Glacier have a way of being unforgettable.
From there, the trail follows Virginia Creek, with a few smaller unnamed cascades along the way that are definitely worth stopping for. The final destination is Virginia Falls, a 50 foot stunner that was simply incredible. Mist in the air, lush greenery around it, and an outcrop at the base that gives a perfect view of the whole drop.
Just after leaving Virginia Falls, as I was walking down the trail, a guy said there's wildlife up there, a ground hog! I said nah...I think it's probably a marmot. I came up on the marmot with another couple admiring him from just a few feet away. I snapped a few pics, then Danny walked up, and we all started chatting for several minutes. The marmot just hung out there with us, standing still and quietly eavesdropping on the humans.
This was exactly the kind of hike we needed — not too long, full of beauty, and just enough action to keep it interesting. Turns out, even the easy days in Glacier have a way of being unforgettable.