Glacier National Park Trip Days 6 & 7: St Mary's & Virginia Falls & Coming Home

 Monday morning we woke to a massive thunderstorm with pouring rain. We weren't sure how/if that would effect our plans since it was only 4:30 in the morning. We went back to sleep/laid in bed until nearly 6:30! We made breakfast at the resort and then headed out shortly after 7. 

It was a bit rainy on our drive into the park but then it started to clear up and with a bit of the smokiness gone too we had some really clear views driving down the Going to the Sun Road. 
















We wanted to stop at Logan's pass and check out the visitor's center as well as hike to overlook lake but the lot was jam packed and crazy so we decided to head further down the road and hike the trail to both St Mary's & Virginia falls. 

this bird on the car next to us made us laugh; it was NOT moving for anything. It wasn't even phased when we walked by. 




St Mary's falls was really full (and loud!).


We followed the river/stream up to Virginia falls so we saw lots of mini falls and could hear water the whole way. 




Upper Virginia falls was quite impressive. 



We were back at the car in no time and continued heading to the St. Mary's Visitor's center.


 

After reading and watching some movies and videos about the National Park we headed just a tiny bit back down the road (toward our "home" for the week) and ate our lunch in the car-- just look at that view! 


We drove back down the Going to the Sun Road towards Logan's pass-- it was still nutty so we just kept right on driving. We could already see lots of the trees starting to turn yellow and orange for fall. 
 



 We did get out a few times near the McDonald Creek to look and walk around. 
 




 We walked through this horse tunnel and out into the creek bed. 



we ended our very last day in the park with some ice cream at the Apgar village

We went back to the rental, packed up our suitcases, had showers and headed out to dinner. It was NOT a good meal so I didn't bother with photos or noting where we ate. 
 
Tuesday morning we woke up, watched a movie, checked out at 10 and headed to the airport. We took a very long/roundabout route hoping to stop for breakfast but that didn't pan out. We got to the airport around 11 and decided to just eat there. They had most lunch items on their menu so I got a turkey club sandwich on sourdough and it was so delicious! 
 

We boarded our plane around 1/1:30 and landed in Chicago where our 1 hour layover turned into 2 1/2. We grabbed a quick dinner from the food court (not delicious) and FINALLY boarded our plane around 8. We didn't land in Providence until 11:30 then we had to get our bags, get our car, and drive home. We arrived home around 1 am. I was so thrilled to be sleeping in my own bed again though! It was such a fabulous trip.. and now I'm already looking forward to the next national park trip. 
 

Days 1 & 2: Arriving & Grinnell glacier

Day 3: Conrad Mansion Museum & Hungry Horse Dam

Day 4 part 1: Lake McDonald Scenic Boat Tour 

Day 4 part 2: Hiking Trail of Cedars & Avalanche Lake

Day 5: North Fork and Bowman Lake  
 
Linking up with: Spread the Kindness, Nancy's Fashion Style,  fine/whatever, 

 

Comments

  1. Maria RineerSeptember 19, 2025 at 5:14 AM

    Wow, those waterfalls! The mountains! Everything was so incredibly beautiful. Great pictures- thanks for taking us along with you!!

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  2. HollySeptember 19, 2025 at 5:16 AM

    What a beautiful adventure! Thank you for sharing. Love the photo of you and your hubby in front of the falls- a framer for sure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM

      Aw, thank you! The person in front of us asked if we wanted a photo together then we took one of the couple behind us and I like to think they paid it forward too.

      Delete
  3. Kathrine EldridgeSeptember 19, 2025 at 6:37 AM

    Such an incredible trip! My husband was walking by my computer when I was looking and we decided to book a trip there next year!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 8:31 AM

      Oh I hope you have the BEST time! It really is so beautiful.

      Delete
  4. Kim CarberrySeptember 19, 2025 at 6:38 AM

    I am glad the rain cleared up, you really did have some fantastic views!
    The whole trip away sounds amazing and I have loved reading about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 8:34 AM

      Aw, thank you! It really was such an incredible trip.

      Delete
  5. Amy JohnsonSeptember 19, 2025 at 7:46 AM

    Everything looks so gorgeous. It's hard to believe that Glacier is so crowded when it's out in the middle of nowhere. I do hope to get there, and I will have to figure out when it's less busy, if ever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 8:34 AM

      I think partly it feels so crowded since so much of the park is wild and undrivable with no road access at all. Many of the hikes are very long out and back trails or even require camping in the back country (which I refuse to do!). So the main areas get quite crowded. It is one of the top 15 most visited of all the National parks and sees upwards of 3 million people a year mostly between June and Sept.

      Delete
  6. Dara @ Not In JerseySeptember 19, 2025 at 9:09 AM

    I love waterfalls! These are so nice.

    ReplyDelete
  7. TorontoSAMSeptember 19, 2025 at 10:03 AM

    So much beauty to behold!! What a wonderful trip.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MarilynSeptember 19, 2025 at 10:06 AM

    Loved seeing all of these! Isn't it so beautiful? You definitely saw more of it than I have seen. Did y'all go into Whitefish and explore there? It is such a cute town.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM

      We tried to go to dinner in Whitefish one night but the restaurant we wanted to eat at only had a limited menu on Monday. I'm not sure we saw a lot of the town though. We mostly stuck to Hungry Horse, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell.

      Delete
  9. 3 Winks DesignSeptember 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM

    What a beautiful place!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jodie's Touch of StyleSeptember 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM

    When you said saint, mary's falls was full and loud at first.I thought you were talking about people. Then I realized you meant the water.
    I just read about someone who went to visit every national park in the united states and the least popular one is in alaska.
    What a fun time.
    Xoxo
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 2:50 PM

      I always say I'd like to visit MOST of the National parks; there are a few that are so remote that camping is required so those are definitely not on my list. The falls were crowded with people on our way back but on our hike out there weren't many people at all. I think the morning downpours really filled the rivers with water though as the rushing sound of the water was very loud.

      Delete
  11. JoyceSeptember 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM

    I know you say the parking lots are crowded, but from the pictures it looks like you're the only ones in the park. So pretty! Thanks for taking us along!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM

      The parking lots only fit maybe a dozen cars or so--- so it's still not a ton of people on the trail. We often pace it just right where we feel like we're mostly hiking by ourselves.

      Delete
  12. Soma @ InkTorrents.comSeptember 19, 2025 at 5:39 PM

    Another set of beautiful photos. I really like the photos with stuck clouds in the mountains. You had such an amazing adventure there. I am looking forward to seeing where you go next.

    -Soma

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    Replies
    1. Joanne September 21, 2025 at 1:07 PM

      Aw, thank you! We really did have such a wonderful time. We're thinking... some of Utah's national parks next, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down which ones I wan to go to most.

      Delete
  13. Tanya September 19, 2025 at 6:49 PM

    So beautiful! What a late night return. I bet you were happy to get home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 21, 2025 at 1:08 PM

      It definitely felt like such a long travel day but thankfully I had planned ahead and had my husband take the following day off from work too.

      Delete
  14. EllibelleSeptember 19, 2025 at 9:30 PM

    Such beautiful waterfalls and a great last day of your trip. It's good to know that there are places to see and admire without the fear of coming across a grizzly bear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM

      Oh definitely! Even just driving the Going to the Sun Road, stopping at the various visitor's centers and seeing the lodges would be fun.

      Delete
  15. NancySeptember 20, 2025 at 3:20 AM

    Simply amazing. You would find it so boring here in the Netherlands.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM

      LOL! It really wouldn't be much different than you traveling to see the Swiss Alps.. in fact that would probably be a shorter trip for you than heading to Montana is for us.

      Delete
  16. Chrissy TSeptember 20, 2025 at 8:28 PM

    Joanne,
    To say I am not envious would be an understatement. :) Hehehe!!! What incredible views. I love a waterfall chasing. It is one of my favorites in the spring time to do on my hikes. What beautiful and serene scenery. Thank you for sharing. I am glad you made it home safe. We did the Rocky Mountains National Park last September and this September we visited The Everglades National Park. WHAT A HUGE difference. What National Park do you have on your mind next?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 21, 2025 at 1:13 PM

      We have tentative plans to head to Utah with the younger boys; Arches, Canyonlands, and possibly Capital Reef as well.

      Delete
  17. Laura @ Our Grand LivesSeptember 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM

    I'm so glad your last day of hiking wasn't too impacted by the early morning thunderstorm! Once again, your photos captured such beauty! I'm sure your own bed felt so wonderful - especially after your long travel day! Thanks so much for taking us along with your great recaps!

    ReplyDelete
  18. MarshaSeptember 21, 2025 at 7:13 PM

    Your photos...just gorgeous! I wonder how hard it will be for you to cull them down for your scrapbook!! It looks like, except for that morning thunderstorm, you had perfect weather the whole time!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 22, 2025 at 5:27 AM

      I think it is going to be so hard! We really did have great weather.

      Delete
  19. handmade by amaliaSeptember 22, 2025 at 1:10 AM

    What an amazing trip. I can't believe how beautiful everything is, including your photos.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  20. nicole orriensSeptember 23, 2025 at 2:48 AM

    I love the horse tunnel! I had never seen one. It looks so beautiful over there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 23, 2025 at 5:18 AM

      We thought the horse tunnel was so neat too! I had no idea such a thing existed either.

      Delete
  21. Doused in Pink | Chicago Style BlogSeptember 23, 2025 at 6:07 AM

    Those waterfalls are beautiful! What a fun trip!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 23, 2025 at 12:48 PM

      It really was so incredible. I'm anxious to get planning the next National Park trip!

      Delete
  22. Lindsay's Sweet WorldSeptember 24, 2025 at 12:07 PM

    I did a doubletake at the horse tunnel. Haha. That is so cool!! I didn't even know there was such a thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne September 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM

      Me neither but it does cross right under the main road so it was a really smart idea for them to install it.

      Delete

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