Intro to Glacier National Park

Staying Safe in Glacier

Life at Rising Sun:
A Summer Spent in Glacier

Intro to NW Montana

Sights from Montana's Roads

Lake McDonald
  Avalanche Lake
  Trail of the Cedars
  Fish Lake
  Howe Lake

Going to the Sun Road and Logan Pass
  Hidden Lake
  Highline Trail
  Sunrift Gorge
  St. Mary Lake
    -Rising Sun
    -St. Mary Falls and Baring Falls
    -Sun Point
    -Otokomi Lake

East Glacier and Two Medicine
  Scenic Point
  Running Eagle Falls (Trick Falls)
  
Many Glacier and surrounding areas
  Belly River
  Cracker Lake

Waterton Lakes Nat'l Park and Canada
  Cameron Falls
  Bear's Hump
  Red Rock Canyon and Blakiston Falls
  Police Outpost Lake

Animals of Glacier
  Bear, Bighorn Sheep, 
  Fox, Marmot, 
  Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Goat, 
  Squirrels

References and Links

All photos and content are by Alicia 
Caouette except where stated otherwise.  
Unauthorized use or reproduction is 
strictly prohibited without expressed 
permission.  Thanks.

St. Mary Lake

The first white guy to discover St. Mary lake came upon it from a Northeasterly direction. He saw what looks like the sillouette of St. Mary's face on Singleshot Mountain and so it was named. St. Mary's face can still be seen on the cliffs from a certain point along Hwy 89 between the towns of St. Mary and Babb.

St. Mary Lake sits along the Eastern end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which runs along its North shore. St. Mary the town is located just outside the park entrance and is rather small, consisting of 2 gas stations, a small grocery store, the St. Mary Lodge, and several good restaurants. Check out the soup at Johnson's Cafe on the North end of town, it's delicious. I heard that the restaurant at the St. Mary Lodge is great, but I never ate there because it's really expensive.

The entrance to the park here is at the East end of the Going to the Sun Road, and is the location of a very nice visitor center. St. Mary Campground is the first one you'll see.

St. Mary Lake is 9.9 miles long and 289 feet deep. Photos taken at several lookout points along the way, especially including Wild Goose Island, are among the most popularly taken in the world. I think I heard somewhere that it is one of the seven most photographed places in the U.S., but I'm not sure. It is also considered one of the 10 most beautiful places in the entire U.S.

Boat tours of the lake are offered just West of Rising Sun. These take you up the lake and stop at a seasonal dock by Baring Falls, which is on the trail to St. Mary Falls on the North side of the lake. Visitors can choose to just spend time at Baring Falls for a half hour or so or take a guided hike to St. Mary Falls. Afterward, the boat takes you back, passing closer to the south side of the lake.