July 24, 2025 - Driving from Alaska to Maryland
St. Mary Lake, Glacier NP
We departed the Logas Pass Visitor Center parking lot and continued east on Going-To-The-Sun road.  The views from the road were spectacular.
   
 
   
Magnificent.
   
 
   
 
   
We stopped at an overlook to take it all in.
   
 
   
 
   
Checking out Virginia Falls in the distance.
   
There were very few parking spots along the road.  The park did have a shuttle bus service.
   
A glacier visible in the distance.  They don't call it Glacier National Park for nothing!
   
 
   
We come to big Saint Mary Lake.
   
 
   
We found a small parking lot by the Three Falls trailhead so we parked and went hiking.  It was a short distance west to the Sun Point viewpoint.
   
Then we got on the main trail that ran along the lake's edge so we headed west along that.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Pretty country.
   
 
   
Glacier-fed stream?
   
Baring Falls.
   
 
   
As you can see, it's called the Three Falls Trail because there are three waterfalls along it:  Baring, Saint Mary and Virginia.
   
Happy hikers.
   
Bridge over the River Kwai.
   
 
   
 
   
We went no further than Baring Falls, then hiked back to the minivan.  We continued driving east, exited the park, and had lunch at this little Cafe outside the east entrance.
   
The east entrance to Glacier National Park.
   
The visitor center at the East Entrance.  The parking lot was jammed.
   
To get to the Many Glacier/Swiftcurrent Lake area, you have to go out the east entrance, drive north, and then come back into the park.  Unfortunately, the road to the Many Glacier area was closed.  They were doing major construction work on the road, the water system, and the parking area.  Supposedly it will all be done by 2026.  The Many Glacier Hotel is right on Swiftcurrent Lake and would be a great place to stay and see the area from.  I'm sure it is stupid expensive though.
   
I love these 3D maps.  The left arrow shows the west entrance to Glacier NP.  The center arrow shows Logan Pass.  The right arrow shows the east entrance where we are now, and the little town of St. Mary.  The Going-To-The-Sun road connects it all and cuts right through the center of the park.  But as you can, the park is large; only a small portion can be seen from the road.  I guess the only way to really see it is backpack it.  Or fly over it.
   
The yellow arrow points to Two Medicine Lake and Lower Two Medicine Lake which are in the Park's southeast area.  That's where we would be going next.  The finger points to Saint Mary Lake.
   
The left arrow points to the east entrance at St. Mary.  The right arrow points to the Many Glacier Hotel.
 
There are a ton of lakes in Glacier National Park.
   
 
   
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