It's About the (RV) Journey....: Waterfall Hikes-Glacier Nat'l Park................

The weather in the mountains can be much different than that in the valleys, as we found out on our drive across the park to St. Mary's area 50 miles away. We traveled the Going-to-the-Sun Road to get across the park, and as we hit the mountain passes, we also hit fog. Dense fog. It was a bit unnerving driving through it on such a curvy road, but once we got through the pass, it was as if it was another day! We did get some really cool pictures of the clouds in the valley though.

fog settled in

woah

the cloud looks really pretty once you are through it!

looks like a view from a plane

so cool

one more view

We stopped at a few turnouts along the way to admire the views. The day turned into a really clear, blue sky kind of day!

seems like another day on this side of the pass

just look at that forested valley

with the beautiful waterfalls

get a look at a glacier (will be gone soon)

the glacier in the background

We wanted to hike to Virginia Falls, St. Mary's Falls, and Baring Falls, all from the same parking area. St. Mary's and Virginia Falls is a very popular hike (the easy ones are)! For more information, click here. We lucked out and got parking near the trailhead, and we accessed another trail to get to the Waterfall trailhead. So, we walked a bit longer to get to the trailhead due to the parking lots being closed, but it worked out great. The trail we started on connected! Lots of the trails intersect, and I always want to be sure we are on the right trail....hahahah....don't want to get lost out there, even though we have maps, GPS, etc!

heading out to the waterfalls

I'm still here!

We connected to the right trailhead, traveled past St. Mary's Lake, and headed to the St. Mary Falls. It was not to far away, and the water was gorgeous! A little gem in the woods!

beautiful view of St. Mary's Lake

approaching St. Mary's Falls....look at that beautiful water!

the water from the falls heads down this way..down the mountain

Sue at St. Mary's Falls

Tom at St. Mary's Falls

close up

continuing on past St. Mary's Falls

one more picture

what?? Someone's always going for a better view!

Walking along the trail, a little past St. Mary's Falls, we came across another unnamed falls, which was also really nice.

watch where you are going Susie! No picture taking while you are walking!

sweet

lots of mountains to admire (we are so small...really)!

waterfalls everywhere

heading to Virginia Falls

this is no name falls...its really nice!

love the cascades

I like this waterfall a lot!

good spot to lunch and read a book

just look at that clear water

ready to go to another waterfall??

Again, we continued up the trail to Virginia Falls, and passed ANOTHER unnamed waterfall. What a great trail this was! There was a lot of dense underbrush, so we were vigilant clapping and talking loudly. Not Tom's favorite way to hike, but we are in grizzly country and we don't want to surprise a bear now, do we?

time to talk loudly and clap hands

ooooohhh! another waterfall!

nice

"coming around a corner" -clap clap

approaching another waterfall

another beauty of a waterfall

hard to capture the whole thing

wish you could hear the waterfall... and feel the coolness coming off it

we are such shutterbugs :)

so clear and clean looking (except for those nasty microbes that could get you good and sick)

Just a little bit farther, and you can see the tall Virginia Falls in the distance. Just beautiful! All of the waterfalls! There are two different areas to view Virginia Falls-upper and lower viewing areas. We went to the upper area first, as it was less crowded. You can really get wet with the spray from the falls! Felt good to me!!

still with me Susie?

wow...wow...wow

this is a gorgeous, refreshing place to view the waterfall

so powerful

close up

Crossing another bridge over to the lower viewing area, Tom spotted the sign for the bathroom and went to check it out. I am having fun teasing him....checking out every bathroom we come upon in the park!

heading over to the lower viewing area

each part is so nice

a natural stress reducer-just sayin'

nice

flowing down the mountain

hey...might as well take advantage of bathrooms on the trails

Virginia Falls from the lower viewing area

really nice!

I guess we like waterfalls!!

After spending some time at the falls, we turned around for our trek back. The trail was a lot more crowded, and lots of people were singing, using bear bells, clapping and whistling around corners and blind spots. We all smiled at each other as we rounded bends to see each other. We stopped at another waterfall area we missed on the hike up, and really enjoyed the views. No one was there, so it was really nice and peaceful:)

stay alert now Susie!

another nice spot on the trail down

so peaceful

clear clear water

stepping stones

doesn't that look magical

Back at St. Mary's Falls...

We decided to take a chance that we could reach the Baring Waterfall from the trail we were on. According to the map we had, it looked like we could. So we went onward. Even if we never found the waterfall, the hike itself was so pretty, with views down to St. Mary's Lake. The gorgeous blue/turquoise color of the glacier lakes are so lovely.

aahhh....hope we aren't going down the wrong trail!

pretty

the mountain peaks carved out by the glaciers are really scenic too!

I think this is the right way

there's the lake...so far so good

heading to Baring Falls, we hope

sweet

nice walk

staying vigilant

closer to the lake now

these are nice too!

pretty shot of the lake and Virginia Falls in the middle of the woods there-see it?

enjoying the scenic hike

such a pretty lake

are those nests? or moss?

still with me Susie? Are you good here?

making noise

Before too long, we were down at the lake. The lakes are so peaceful, as there is not too much boating going on, at least we haven't observed much. Some kayaks here and there, and the National Park boats, but I think we only saw one personal fishing type boat.

the boat dock...not too busy...translates too few boats on the lake

peaceful

really great views of the lake

The Baring Waterfall was not too far from the lake, and when we got there we noticed there were a lot of people. The shuttle stop was right above the waterfall, and was just a 0.3 mi or so walk down. Easy peasy, so hence the crowd. It was still very enjoyable and I'm glad we found it without getting lost. Hahah.

there's Baring Falls now!

you can't see the crowds from this angle

On the way back to the lake and the start of our upward trek back to the car, Tom spotted scat right on the trail. We were extra vigilant and made lots of noise we didn't meander at all on this section of the trail. The vegetation was pretty thick. Before long, we were walking on the trail overlooking the lake again, and headed back to where we started. But...we made a wrong turn, climbed up a big long hill....and then realized it didn't look familiar so we retraced our steps and found the right trail. Whew!

uh oh

another view of Virginia Falls across the way

the national park boat-scenic tour

yes, that's Virginia Falls

heading back

just so sweet

After our morning of hiking, we were ready for lunch. We decided to check out St. Mary's Visitor Center, since we were so close, and we stopped at a few overlooks on the way to spot a good place for lunch. We missed a good spot, but instead of turning around, we went to the Visitor Center, and watched the National Park movie. Well, the glaciers ARE melting....and its expected that there will be no more glaciers here by the year 2030. That's only 15 years away! Just sayin' - in case you wanted to see the glaciers here.

Wild Goose Island in the middle of St. Mary Lake

just look at that glacial water color

this lake is huge

looking for a good spot for lunch

another view of the lake

At one overlook, we read the interesting sign about the Triple Divide Peak. Very interesting! The water (from rain, snow) travels to three different areas from this peak-Pacific Ocean, Hudson Bay, and Gulf of Mexico. We are all connected:)

fascinating...Triple Divide Peak

glaciers left their mark on the mountains

After the Visitor Center, we were really hungry! We found a parking spot at a scenic overlook. The views of St. Mary's Lake and Wild Goose Island. Its a very popular photo stop! We "pulled up a chair" and ate our lunch with that beautiful view. I know I've said it before, we may not have the greatest lunches, but we do have the best "tables" with a view! Its the little things...really!!

our lunch spot

great spot for a tuna sandwich

or peanut butter

On the way back home, I took some pictures of the views from the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which are outstanding. Looks like a painting. This is a beautiful National Park....also known as the "Crown Jewel" of the National Parks. (I think the national parks are all great)!!!!!

waterfall on the side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road

look at the view from Logan Pass (can see hikers on the Highline Trail)

the start of the Highline Trail

switchback at Logan Pass

see the hikers on the Highline Trail?

see the hikers now?

cute little guy

well hello there!

the views are amazing

more views from the road

view of the road

an amazing ride

very narrow road

Our camping neighbor recommended we check out the lodges in the park, as they are quite something. So, on the way back home, we did stop at Lake McDonald Lodge. Very nice. We like rustic. The views out the back were the best. We went down to the lake and enjoyed the view. Another beautiful day!