EXPERIENCE GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Trailhead

This hike has two trailhead options. The most popular choice is Jackson Glacier Overlook (JGO) and the other is the Saint Mary Falls Trailhead (SMF). Glacier National Park free shuttles service both. Parking is available at the two trailheads, but there are fewer spaces at SMF. JGO and SMF connect to the Piegan Pass Trail, which then intersects with the Gunsight Pass Trail near the swinging bridge over Reynolds Creek. If you continue on the Gunsight Pass Trail, you’ll reach the Florence Falls Trail three miles from the bridge.

Starting at Saint Mary Falls Trailhead adds 1.2 miles to this out-and-back hike. The path from SMF to the swinging bridge traverses the Reynolds Fire burned zone, where shade is scarce. However, the SMF trailhead has its advantages at the end of the day. If you parked your vehicle at the Jackson Glacier Overlook, you’ll need to climb 634 feet over 1.2 miles from the swinging bridge. Whereas it’s only a 255-foot climb over 1.8 miles to the Saint Mary Falls Trailhead. 

Jackson Glacier Overlook is 4.8 miles east of Logan Pass and 12.8 miles west of the Saint Mary entrance station. The Saint Mary Falls parking lot is 6.9 miles east of Logan Pass and 10.7 miles west of the east entrance. 

I’ll use the Jackson Glacier Overlook trailhead for the description and hike summary below.

Hike Summary

Total Distance: 10.0 miles

Total Elevation Gain: 470 feet; Loss: 864 feet

Difficulty: 10.9, strenuous (Calculated using Petzoldt’s Energy Rated Mile equation.)

Estimated Walking Time: 4 hours 14 minutes (Calculated using an average moving speed of 2.5 mph and Naismith’s correction for elevation gain.)

The Hike

From the parking lot, the trail loses elevation all the way to the junction with the Gunsight Pass Trail. Deadwood Falls is a few hundred feet before the trail intersection. Look for the energetic American Dipper diving for its food around the cascades.

A lot of the trail ahead has tall thimbleberries, cow parsnips, ferns and alder that crowd if not conceal a lot of the trail during the summer. I recommend rain pants or chaps if it’s been raining or dew is still present. Those leaves hold a surprising amount of water. The suspension bridge is a convenient place to don your water proof pants.

Know that thimbleberries and cow parsnips are bear food. It’s wise to make some noise, especially near blind corners and where the vegetation obstructs your view. Keep that bear spray where you can unholster it in less than two seconds.

As you continue, you’ll pass openings in the trees that provide views of a waterfall plummeting hundreds of feet from the hanging valley between Dusty Star Mountain and Citadel Mountain. 

Around 1.8 miles from the bridge, the trail passes Mirror Pond. This placid little body of water has its own beaver lodge surrounded by lush wetlands. In the background of that scene is the pyramidal Fusillade Mountain and the massive ten-thousand-foot Mount Jackson. Luck was with me on my latest trip through this area. I stood for quite a while hidden in the trees and watched a massive bull moose feed while ambling away from the pond down the Saint Mary River. A smile always comes when I replay that movie in my mind.

The trail junction for Florence Falls is three miles from the swinging bridge. Climb another 0.8 miles up the spur trail to reach the base of the cascades. According to the World Waterfall Database, Florence Falls drops 800 feet. Only the bottom 440 feet of the falls are visible from the base, but it’s spectacular.

Option

Gunsight Lake is 2.3 miles farther up the trail from the Florence Falls junction. It’s a worthwhile walk if you think your legs have enough left in them to add 4.6 miles to your day’s total.

Glacier National Park Guidebooks

Notes

1. “Florence Falls.” World Waterfall Database. https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com.