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St Mary Lake

Glacier National Park


Located on the park’s dryer eastern side, where the mountains melt imperceptibly into the Great Plains, St Mary Lake lies in a deep, glacier-carved valley famous for its astounding views and ferocious winds. Overlooked by the tall, chiseled peaks of the Rockies and with the northern slopes dramatically thinned from the lake shore to Going-to-the-Sun Rd by the 2015 Reynolds Creek fire, the valley views are still spectacular and punctuated by numerous trailheads and viewpoints.

St Mary's gorgeous turquoise sheen, easily the most striking color of any of Glacier's major bodies of water, is due to the suspension of tiny particles of glacial rock in the lake's water that absorbs and reflects light.

The landscape-altering effects of the 2006 Red Eagle Fire is still very much visible on the southern slopes of the lake.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Glacier National Park attractions

1. St Mary Visitor Center

1.84 MILES

Houses interesting exhibits on wildlife, geology and Native American culture and history, as well as an auditorium featuring slide shows and ranger talks…

2. Rising Sun

3.3 MILES

You’ll welcome this handy pit stop on Going-to-the-Sun Rd, with useful tourist facilities including a motel, restaurant, showers, small grocery and boat…

3. Wild Goose Island

4.43 MILES

This tiny stub of an island with a handful of lopsided trees perches precariously in the middle of St Mary Lake, providing a perfect photo op for…

4. Sun Point

6.44 MILES

This rocky, often windy promontory overlooks St Mary Lake and was the site of some of the park’s earliest and most luxurious chalets (now demolished)…

5. Sunrift Gorge

6.96 MILES

Just off Going-to-the-Sun Rd and adjacent to a shuttle stop lies this narrow canyon carved over millennia by the gushing glacial meltwaters of Baring…

6. Jackson Glacier Overlook

9.37 MILES

This popular pull-over, located a short walk from the Gunsight Pass trailhead, offers telescopic views of the park’s fifth-largest glacier, which sits…

7. Logan Pass Visitor Center

11.94 MILES

In the most magnificent setting of all the park's visitor centers, the building has park information, interactive exhibits and a good gift shop. The…

8. Logan Pass

11.95 MILES

Perched above the tree line, atop the wind-lashed Continental Divide, and blocked by snow for most of the year, 6646ft Logan Pass – named for William R…