GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – DAY 6 – Planes, Trains & Autos

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time in Glacier National Park.

Read Days 1-3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 7 here, Day 8 here & Read my post on 101 Things to Do Outside of the park here & Read my posts from 2021 when we went back and visited the East Side of the park here.

This day was actually my favorite day of all in the park not only because the smoke had moved out but because it was the day we hiked the Highline & St Mary Falls!

These two hikes are some of the most popular hikes in the park and now I know why!!

Like each morning before this one, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise!

I highly recommend the Apgar Village Inn…not only for the incredible views but also for its convenient location.

We had everything we needed within walking distance of our hotel. Not to mention, we had a full kitchen in our room which really helped with food costs.

This time we decided to leave earlier since the last time we couldn’t find a parking spot….so, we left around 6:30 am.

The drive into the park was beautiful with the sunrise!

Heading through the 1st tunnel

The mountain peaks were being illuminated by the rising sun…it made for some awesome shots!!

You definitely need to visit the park during sunrise and sunset…you see it in a whole different way each time.

As usual, I took tons of pictures!!

When we finally arrived to Logan Pass, we drove through the parking lot and once again, not a parking spot to be found!!

So, we continued the drive down the Sun Rd…however, shortly after leaving the Logan Pass parking lot, we passed a small parking area on the side of the road that had one small space left…thankfully, we were able to maneuver our small, mid size car into the space!

We had to walk a little ways on the road to get back to the Logan Pass area

It was a beautiful morning…clear blue skies!

We headed straight for the Highline Trail

The views on this trail are stunning from the start!

At every step, and every turn, you will enjoy spectacular scenery as the Highline follows along the Continental Divide, also known as the Garden Wall throughout this section of Glacier National Park.

The exceptionally beautiful views, the excellent opportunities for spotting wildlife, and the wildflowers, all combine to make this a hike you’ll remember the rest of your life.

At roughly 1/4 of a mile from the trailhead you will arrive at the famous ledge with the reputation for terrifying those with a fear of heights.

In most places the ledge is only six to eight feet in width and has drop-offs of roughly one hundred feet or more down to the Going-to-the-Sun Road below.

This segment lasts for only three-tenths of a mile..Fortunately, a hand cable along this stretch of the trail has been installed by the park.

From the rimrock area the trail continues to hug the cliffs and slopes of the Garden Wall, and does so for most of its length to the Granite Park Chalet.

Click here to book a stay a the Granite Park Chalet.

The Highline is considered a loop trail but you would need either two cars or the park shuttle to be able to do the loop…most people hike in/out instead of doing the loop.

The hike in/out is approx 11-12 miles roundtrip…however, there’s a 1.2-mile round trip side trail that takes hikers up the side of the Garden Wall to an overlook to Grinnell Glacier.

We only hiked about 1.5 miles in/out but I really regret that we didn’t hike to at least Haystack Pass which is around 2.5-3 miles in.

I couldn’t stop taking pictures!! The views were incredible!

The trail is wider at some points and more narrow at others…it was a challenge, at times, to let people pass on the trail. It can be a slow go if the trail is super busy but thankfully, that wasn’t the case when we were there.

This trail can close often due to bear activity so make sure you carry bear spray and make noise.

The trail was scattered with wildflowers….it was so beautiful!!

I took more pictures on this hike than any other place we visited in the park!

We spotted this camera on the trail…we read that the park puts them on trails to monitor wildlife.

After hiking in about a 1.5 mi, we headed back…and the photo shoot continued!

This is the one trail you don’t want to miss when visiting the park.

A few more shots on the trail 😆

After arriving back to Logan Pass, we continued our drive through the park.

I was so thankful that the smoke had moved out…the views were so much better!

Our first stop, unbeknownst to us at the time, was the St Mary Falls trailhead…we just stopped to take a few pics of St Mary Lake…had we known it was the trailhead, we would have gone ahead and hiked the trail because it’s very hard to get a parking spot here…

After this stop, we continued our drive…there were lots of burnt trees in this area of the park.

Shortly later, we stopped at another pullover with views of St Mary Lake. We had stopped here the first time we went into the park but the views weren’t as good due to the smoke…this time they were much better!

The next stop, was an overlook for Wild Goose Island...the views are incredible and this is a must stop when visiting the park!

The viewpoint offers splendid, panoramic views of the magnificent peaks encircling Saint Mary Lake with Wild Goose Island being the centerpiece.

Wild Goose Island is a tiny speck of land that dots the waters of Saint Mary Lake. The island rises only 14 feet from the surface of the water yet is in the center of one of the most often photographed locations along the Sun Rd.

After leaving here, we headed about 5 mins down the road to the picnic area near Rising Sun to have lunch.

After lunch, we continued our drive ..

When we arrived to the St Mary Lake Overlook, we pulled over because I thought I had spotted something in the water.

I zoomed in with my camera and sure enough, I had seen something…a bull moose!! I had wanted to see a bull moose for years!! This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me!

Click here for the best places to see moose in Glacier.

The views from this overlook are breathtaking!

After taking 300 pics of the moose, we continued our drive…

We arrived back to the St Mary Falls parking area and there was a spot open so we decided to hike to the falls.

As you descend towards St. Mary Falls you’ll begin passing through an area that was burned during the Reynolds Creek Fire of 2015.

There are additional hikes that you can do from this trail

At six-tenths of a mile you will reach the St. Mary River.

Soon afterwards you’ll begin hearing the thunder of crashing water, and in another quarter-mile, will finally arrive at St. Mary Falls, one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the park.

St. Mary Falls drops roughly 35 feet in three separate tiers, with the two largest being the most photogenic.

There were people jumping from the bridge and rocks into the frigid water below!

The water was a beautiful aqua-green color

If you continue along the trail, for less than another mile, you will arrive at the more impressive Virginia Falls…however, we decided not to hike any further since someone had just spotted a bear with her cubs above St Mary Falls.

I highly recommend this hike..the views are amazing!