St. Mary's Falls

We loved our hike to st marys falls. St Marys is a moderate hike around 6.5 miles and 1394 feet of elevation gain. The main road to the falls parking lot is closed and you have to take gold camp road over. This is around 3 miles of dirt. Its narrow with some pot holes and also 2 tunnels you will need to go through. A lot of the road is very narrow and really only wide enough for just one car. So be prepared for a little bit of a hairy ride. it will be the 2nd parking lot on your right. There is a fairly large parking lot, however it fills up quickly especially on a weekend. If you want to do this you will want to arrive sooner rather than later.Dogs are allowed but are supposed to be on a leash. The parking lot for saint marys is the same as for some other trails over there, seven bridges and silver cascades being 2 of them.You will have to walk around 1 1/4 miles up a dirt road until you get to the trailhead.The trail follows a creek most of the trail. It is rocky and at times a little slick with the loose rock.It is beautiful, surrounded by forest. It was very magical and lovely. it felt so nice to be out in the woods. Mountain bikes and motorcycles are also allowed to use this trail. We did not see any motorcycles but there were a few mountain bikers. And they dont necessarily signal so well beware.There is a trash can at the trail head. Be sure to PACK out what you pack in! My friend and i were picking up garbage that people had left along the trail :( There is no reason to leave your garbage. Please take it with you.

Inadvertently found this trail while looking for a different place to hike with the pup, who is young and just learning how to be a good off leash hiking dog. I'm not 100% certain, but I think that you are allowed to take your dogs off leash on this trail. I certainly never saw any signs stating otherwise and out of maybe 10 dogs we saw, half were on leash and a half off.It was a beautiful hike however we were not prepared and did not have water or maybe a hiking stick for me, at least. The beginning part of the trail is a wide open fire lane, but once you get back there it's a trail with a gradual uphill climb the entire way that turns even steeper towards the end. I was definitely asking "how much longer" for the last half-hour and really regretting that I didn't have water with me as my sensitive back started to ache. On our way down as we passed other hikers, they were asking the same question about "how much longer". The gradual uphill climb the entire way can be a little much if you're not prepared for it and the journey back down to the car is much quicker since it's basically downhill the whole way. Took half the time to get down than it did to get up. The waterfall and stream were beautiful and soothing. Walking with shady tree cover much of the way and a stream next to us was a plus for the pup to get his first experience of playing in a stream. The pup definitely enjoyed himself most of all. We took this hike in early June and on our way back we got hit with a rainstorm that dropped the temperature about 20° and we were freezing and poured on by the time we got back to the car, so be prepared when coming here in the summertime!

Love this trail. It's very scenic and follows a creek for a pretty good stretch. To reach the trail you have to walk on Gold camp road for quite a while...which I guess is pretty hot in the summer as it's not shaded, but once you hit the trail it provides quite a bit of shading and the stream sounds are nice. WARNING: trail may be very icy in the winter and spring months. Snowmelt causes icing so yack-tracks are advised. Also, the waterfall may be completely frozen when you get up there...just FYI.

Great trail. We did this trail today with our 6 and 8 year old kids. There was some whining as we we finished the last 1/2 mi, which was fairly steep. They managed to make it, and we ran most of the way back down to the car.The first part is a fire trail, and it was nice because we had a beautiful day with a good amount of cloud cover. Otherwise, it would have been pretty hot. The waterfall hike was beautiful and shaded, meandering through a forest along the creek. We originally were looking for the Seven Bridges Trail, but never found it. When we saw this turnoff, we decided to take it. It ended up being farther than we thought, but I'm glad we did it. About 6.3 miles round trip.

My go to hike in the springs.The fire road in sucks. But once you get on St Mary's trail, it's an awesome hike!First time I took this trail I missed the sign. There's one sign that's difficult to see, just because of its color. After you get on top of the tunnel, make sure you stay to the right. That'll take you off the main trail to St Mary's falls.Be parking lot is busy, but the trail to the falls is never crowded.You hike along the creek for a good portion of the way. Once you hit the base of the falls, you can stay right and climb to the middle of the falls. Do that. It's completely worth it!Have fun!

Good hike, with nice falls at the end making the 3 mile hike to the top so worth it. The trail is clearly marked and easy to follow. The first part is prettu fart and the ascent midway through the hike is not that bad. Saw lots of dogs and some kids on trail but thankfully it wasn't that busy late Saturday morning. The hike is easy to find once you figure out how to make it to the trailhead.

This is a real enjoyable hike.The first 1.6 miles are real easy, no elevation gain and just one very long traverse. This traverse does not offer much shade protection, so be prepared for the sun. Get there early to avoid the heat. The remaining 1.2-1.6 miles are of considerable elevation gain - Not as difficult as a 14er, but difficult nevertheless. This path is well marked and shaded, so it is much less hot then at the beginning. The last switchback is killer on the legs, but worth it when you reach the fall.The advantage to this hike is that it is incredibly dog friendly; however, not so family friendly. Everyone going up had a dog with them and each dog was having a good time. This trail runs along a stream, so there is plenty of opportunities for the dogs to drink some water and relax. Also, when you reach the top, there is a pool of water towards the middle of the falls that the dogs are able to swim in. Many dogs were also off leash enjoying running through the stream and playing with other dogs.On the day that we hiked, it was greater then 90 degrees and very dry. There was not much water in the falls, but it was still nice to see. The fall does run year-round, however, on dry days, there is much less water then you would expect. It was still an enjoyable visit though, especially considering how much calories were burned.Total...this trail is around 6 miles down and back with the most difficult stretch (constant elevation gain) towards the last 1.6 miles. The last 0.2 miles are really tough.FYI: the pictures are not too great, but the hike is still a fun time and a must do.

We were supposed to go on a hike even kids could manage but missed the turn and ended up at St Mary's about 1.5 hours later. On the way up there were definitely times I thought I would roll down the hill and end up in a cast. But the trick is definitely not to look down and to bring a walking stick. The view is incomparable. I even saw elderly people, people with babies, and children make it up to the top, so even if it looks intimidating the first time, just do it. Tips: bring a walking stick, snacks, water, sunglasses

If you go a bit later after 9, parking lot gets crowded Don't have much shade later in the day. Went with a a 9 month old baby and wasn't much comfortable since there wasn't much shade. Very nice view though it starts off almost at the top of the mountain. More than 6 mile hike.

First of all, let me say we are two fit people in our 60's and we did this hike. I would rate it overall as " moderate" with some easy miles and a few difficult spots. From the Gold Camp parking lot, our Garmin gps put the mileage at 2.68 to the base of the falls. It was a gorgeous fall day and the aspens were lovely. Lots of dogs and other hikers on our trip back down. Get out there early (before 8:30). It's fairly busy after that. Definitely a favorite hike.