St. Mary and Virgina Falls Trail

The Trail

This moderate trail is about 1.9 miles one way to reach both St. Mary and Virginia Falls with about a 300 foot elevation change. There will be more climbing than that during the course of this trail though if you return the way you came, since the trail first descends to St. Mary and then climbs to Virginia Falls. For a shorter hike, stop at St. Mary Falls after just 1.1 miles (one way).

Topographical Map

 

Graph of Elevation

 

Trail in Google Earth

There are actually two trailheads for this trail: one where the shuttle stops and one at the parking lot for private vehicles. Since we were driving ourselves, we started at the parking lot.
 

Trailhead

The trail starts out at a downhill drop toward the river, winding around the hills as it goes.

St. Mary Falls

If you have time and energy to continue for another 0.8 miles and climb about 300 feet, you can continue along the trail to reach Virginia Falls.

After enjoying the falls, return back the way you came.

Directions

This trail is located in Glacier National Park in Montana. To get there, follow Going to the Sun Road within the park and park at the St. Mary Falls Trailhead. Alternatively, ride a shuttle to the stop for this trail. The trail starts directly from the parking area. GPS Coordinates: N48° 40.508' W113° 36.260'

Hidden Lake Trail

The Trail

This moderate trail is about 2.8 miles long one way, with about a 710 ft elevation change. However, keep in mind that the trail is uphill to the overlooking point, then the trail descends to the lake. The majority of the uphill climb will fall on the way back up from the lake, and there will be over 1000 ft of climbing if hiking the entire trail to the lake and back.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The first part of this trail is done mostly on wide boardwalks with fantastic views of the surrounding peaks in the area. It climbs fairly steadily with a couple intermittent pauses in the elevation gain.

 

Trailhead

Little waterfall along the way

The trail reaches its crest, levels out a bit, then descends slightly to the overlook of Hidden Lake about 1.5 miles up the trail.

If you plan to head down to the lake, continue along the trail skirting the mountainside past the overlook.  Look for marmots along the way; we saw a number of them along here. The views of the lake and surrounding mountains remain spectacular along the way.

 

The switchbacks down to the lake are the steepest section of the trail to descend (and then climb back up on your way back). After reaching the bottom there is a vault toilet available and lots of close up views of the lake along its shore with the majestic surrounding mountains.

Vault toilet at the lake

 

On the shore of Hidden Lake with
Reynolds Mountain in background

After enjoying some time relaxing at the lake, head back up the switchbacks the way you came. You can continue to enjoy the breathtaking views all the way back to the visitor center. Be sure to keep your eye out for big horned sheep, mountain goats, and bears along the way, all of which we spotted in this area.

Hidden Lake with both Reynolds and
Bearhat Mountains surrounding

Bighorn Sheep near the trail

There are restrooms available at the Visitor's Center here. This trail is not open to dogs. National Park fees apply to access the trail and area.

Directions

This trail is located in Glacier National Park in Montana. To get there, follow Going to the Sun Road within the park and park in the Logan Pass Visitor Center parking. The trail starts behind the visitor's center. GPS Coordinates: N48° 41.722' W113° 43.131'