Trail Tales

During our trip to NW Montana this past September, we explored a few new spots in Glacier National Park. The weather was gorgeous, and the trails had fewer folks on them. Fall is one of our favorite times of year in NW Montana, so we were thrilled to be out and about doing what we love. In today’s post, I’ll share a few trails we explored this trip, including Rocky Point, Lake McDonald, and Sun Point to Virginia Falls.

Rocky Point above Lake McDonald photo by Majestic Meadows Design

Rocky Point Trail

We started at Fish Creek and had a sunny day to explore the short and easy Rocky Point trail (1.5 miles & 200′ Up). That small bump up provides a cool view of Lake McDonald, and the rocky cliffs provide the perfect anchor for the lake and mountains beyond. Most of this trail is flat and paved, but you’ll need to climb a little to get to the cliffs in the above picture. You can turn around here, but we continued onto the Lake McDonald Trail to a lakeside backcountry camp site (7 miles & 400′ Up).

Lake McDonald Trail

Backcountry campsite on Lake McDonald photo by Majestic Meadows Design

This trail runs along the western shore of Lake McDonald through trees and open burned areas from the 2003 wildfire. There are lots of lakeside views, but without shade, this trail makes for a hot walk in the summer. We heard the loud tap, tappy-tap, then spotted a large, pleated woodpecker on a burned tree feasting on bugs.

There are several fallen trees you’ll need to climb over on this trail, but the views at the campground make it worth the effort. The backcountry campground is rustic, including an open-air pit toilet with a hell of a view! We had a nice lunch on the beach, then headed back. During the way back, we left the trail and walked along the lake’s shoreline.

The views below are from our walk back along the shores of Lake McDonald.

Sun Point to Virginia Falls

The day was cloudy and perfect for a walk among waterfalls. We did have short glimpses of sun as we traveled the trail to Virginia Falls (4.6 miles & 700′ elevation gain). You’ll have beautiful views of St. Mary Lake, and the falls are a gorgeous payoff for such an easy walk. You’ll see Baring Falls first, so be sure to continue on the trail to Virginia Falls.