About this spot
Saint Mary Falls sits about 0.9 miles down the St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail off Going-to-the-Sun Road, with a footbridge crossing the creek just above the drop. It's one of Glacier National Park's most popular cliff-jumping spots -- visitors jump from streamside rock ledges or the bridge into the pool below, per multiple trip reports and reviews. Timing matters enormously: in June-July, snowmelt runs the creek high and fast, and jumping becomes far more dangerous. Never jump above the falls' lip -- the current moves faster than it looks and can sweep a swimmer over the drop. Wait for flows to subside later in summer, and be a confident swimmer, since you'll need to work against the current to reach the bank. The trailhead parking lot fills early during peak season.