McDonald Falls (Glacier National Park, Montana, USA)

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McDonald Falls

McDonald Falls was one of two roadside waterfalls that Julie and I encountered while briefly touring the western side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We thought the scenery on this side of the park was less dramatic than the east side, and we felt the same was about the waterfalls here as well. Nonetheless, it seemed like it was still quite popular there as it seemed to have a bit more traffic than the east side. I'm still trying to figure out why (especially since bridging the east and west sides required a lengthy 2-hour detour on the Roosevelt Highway thanks to the Going-to-the-Sun Road closure between Logan Pass and Avalanche Creek during our visit).

Anyways, there was a narrow viewing area for this falls, but it seemed like the views were obstructed no matter where we stood. It turned out that the best spot to view McDonald Falls (at least in my mind) was not even from the narrow lookout area. It was from the road before descending the stairs to that official viewing spot.

Nonetheless, I'm sure the weather had a bit to do with our subpar viewing experience because I'm betting that there would've been a scenic mountain backdrop to make this falls a little more interesting had the clouds not obscured that backdrop.

Directions: From the West Glacier turnoff for Glacier National Park, drive east for a couple of miles to a three-way junction, then turn right to get onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Continue east on the road for roughly 11 miles as the road skirts the eastern shores of Lake McDonald. There's a large pullout area on the west side of the road.

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The official viewing area for the falls

This was our view of the falls from that official viewing area

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Right to left sweep starting at the falls and ending downstream

Top down sweep of the falls

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TRIP REPORTS

For more information about our experiences with this waterfall, check out the following travel stories.

September 24, 2010

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