St. Mary Falls

This is one of Glacier's great freebies — a short, mostly downhill stroll that delivers a legitimate waterfall payoff without demanding much from your legs. From the shuttle stop on Going-to-the-Sun Road, you drop gently through a dense canopy of spruce and fir, the trail well-maintained and shaded enough to feel cool even on warm July afternoons. The forest opens up as you approach the St. Mary River gorge, where the falls crash through a narrow slot in the rock with surprising force. The turquoise-green water — that distinctive glacial flour color — pools below in a scene that photographs far better than a sub-mile walk has any right to produce. The catch is the return: that easy downhill becomes a moderate uphill climb back, roughly equivalent to walking up a 20-story building. Families with young kids, anyone short on time between Sun Road stops, and waterfall collectors will all find this trail worth the detour.