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McDonald Falls

Glacier National Park / Lake McDonald, Montana, USA

About McDonald Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

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 in Glacier National Park.

We experienced this river waterfall from a narrow viewing area that was accessed via a short stairs descending from the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Glacier_NP_315_09242010 - McDonald Falls with some foreground obstructions
McDonald Falls with some foreground obstructions

However, 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 (though that depended on how thick the obstructing vegetation was).

West vs East

We thought the scenery on the west side of Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road (at least closer to Lake McDonald) was less dramatic than the east side.

Glacier_NP_311_09242010 - This was the view of McDonald Falls from the official viewing spot set a little lower from the Going-to-the-Sun Road
This was the view of McDonald Falls from the official viewing spot set a little lower from the Going-to-the-Sun Road

And we felt the same way about the waterfalls here as well.

Nonetheless, it seemed like it was still quite popular on the west side as we noticed quite a bit more traffic here than the east side.

Over the years, I suspect that the reason why was because the Avalanche Creek Trail leading up to the scenic Avalanche Lake was wildly popular.

One of these days, I’m going to do that hike to see for myself why the place is so popular.

Authorities

McDonald Falls resides in Glacier National Park near Kalispell in Flathead County, Montana. It is administered by the National Park Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: glacier, kalispell, flathead, montana, waterfall, rocky mountains, going-to-the-sun, lake mcdonald, mcdonald creek, apgar



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.