The Waterfalls and Sights of Glacier National Park and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Water everywhere, and so much more

2019 seems like ages ago. It was the summer before the pandemic and our last big driving camping trip out of state.

We still had our old 1992 mauve-colored RV. It was built like a ton of bricks, and just as heavy to haul. But it was roomy for a 16-foot rig. There was a lovely window over the bed so we could look out over sunsets and views, and listen to coyotes and other wildlife wherever we went. It had lots of storage. Our only real complaint was that the bed was cramped in the corner of the back and was a hassle to get into and out of. Even though we are small people, we are older, and creaky limbs don’t match cramped spaces. Still, we miss that rig sometimes…

This story focuses on waterfalls. But, it’s also inclusive of the amazing scenery in both Glacier NP and its sister park, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, with its mountains, glaciers, lakes, and flora.

We drove from our home in northern Colorado, which took a few days.

We had reservations at a KOA RV park in St. Mary, Montana, on the northeast side, outside of Glacier NP. It was pretty there without even getting into the park itself. A fox even visited us one afternoon.

There was a mix-up with our reservation, and they’d put us in a spot where there was no way we could have parked safely, on a steep slope. Fortunately, after much discussion, they let us park in a vacant flat group camping spot. We used our solar panel for electricity. It was across from the bathhouse, which could have been cleaner. There were tons of kids in the pool and the bathhouse. One evening, a teenager hogged one of the three showers for over a half hour until her mother came and got her. The waiting line was getting more than a little restless.

But enough about the RV park, on to Glacier!

On our first day, we tackled the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We’ve lived in Colorado for years. We know mountain passes. But, this road was more treacherous than any we’d experienced before! For one thing, it’s narrow. Our 20-foot long-bed truck barely made it around some corners and nearly scratched on the rocks both to the side and above. We took it very slowly. If you drive that road east to west, take a small car.

My first water shots were of Saint Mary Lake.

Then, we stopped and did a short hike. We didn’t get to the big waterfalls, but we did see this one on Piegan Pass Trail.

This being July, we saw a lot of wildflowers. Columbine is the state flower of Colorado. This park is also in the Rocky Mountains, so it was nice to see them here, as well.

We continued along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and I saw this long waterfall on a stretch where we couldn’t stop.

We came upon a Western Red Cedar forest. This is the furthest east such forest in the U.S. The Western Red Cedar can live over a thousand years. They can grow up to 230 feet tall, and have a circumference of 13 feet. It felt more like the Pacific Northwest here. We also saw redwoods.

As we neared the other side of the pass and McDonald Lake, we stopped at McDonald Creek, where I found this cutie cascade, which is a small waterfall.

We arrived at McDonald Lake and the lodge. We couldn’t stay long, because, as you may know, we are not early risers, and it was getting late.

The next day, we went over the much easier Many Glacier Road. This photo, looking over Sherburne Lake, shows what’s left of three glaciers on a far range. On the upper left of the peak is Gem Glacier. The long one to the right and below is Salamander Glacier, and below that is Grinnell Glacier. One guide explained that most of the glaciers in the parks were either gone or diminished with climate change.

Further on the Many Glacier Road, we saw this waterfall on, I think, Swiftcurrent Creek.

Here’s a view of a meadow of wildflowers and a rock jutting out. We didn’t take this trail but stopped because it was picturesque.

We did take a walk around Swiftcurrent Lake and saw the lodge there.

The next day, we drove to Canada, to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The border agents on both sides were very nice and helpful. If you go, remember your passport.

Unfortunately, there had been a fire a couple of years prior, and most of the trails were closed. The little town was saved, and we were glad it was. We walked all over the town of Waterton and found this waterfall with hardly anyone around.

We really enjoyed that town. Andy found his favorite fish ‘n chips in the world so far, there. In fact, he loved it so much, that we went back a couple of days later.

Waterton Lake was lovely. We took a boat ride on the second day there.

On the boat ride, we saw the American side with its dock, but President Trump had cut off funding to this part of Glacier NP and since there were no rangers there, we couldn’t land and walk around, which had been a typical part of the boat tour before this.

The lodge at Waterton Lake was sweet. We saw waiters in kilts, they had a wonderful gift shop, and it looked a lot like a chalet.

I know, I’m not just showing waterfalls. Again, apologies. There is so much to see in this area, and I’ve been meaning to write a story about this trip to Glacier. The waterfall prompt gave me the reason I needed. I have many more pictures of these parks that I left out. It was hard to edit down to these.

Here are wetlands on the way in or out of Waterton. It’s just too gorgeous to leave out.

In between our drives up to the Canada portion, we went over another pass on the American side.

This is a site in the park that most don’t see. There was no traffic. It’s not dramatic. It’s on Route 2, Marias Pass, in the southern part of the park that is technically East Glacier. We didn’t go all the way east, but we stopped to see the Lewis Overthrust Fault from the road. I’m into geology and maybe some of you are, as well. Sometimes, I think I should have majored in that instead of Speech/Theater.

That’s it for my Glacier and Waterton-Glacier National Parks tour with waterfalls. I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse of this beautiful corner of northwest Montana and southern Alberta, Canada.

Other stories that you might enjoy.

I promise I didn’t copy Erie Astin’s idea. I wrote mine before I found hers and our takes are different. I’m envious of her mountain goat pictures. The only shot I took was too far away. You can’t even tell what they are.

Vincent Gragnani wrote a heartfelt story about finding his great-great grandfather’s grave in Montana and being a visiting New Yorker in Montana. The primary town he visited is east of Glacier NP on that same Highway 2 that we drove on to Marias Pass.

This story is in response to Globetrotters’ March waterfall prompt.

Sondra Singer is a writer, storyteller, and musician in Colorado. She writes travel stories, memoirs, poems, and essays. Her website is here.