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Where to stay and
what to do in
St. Mary

ACCOMMODATIONS

Nearby cities and towns
Babb, 8 miles
Browning, 29 miles
East Glacier Park, 30 miles

Blackfeet Indian Reservation

Glacier National Park

Topographic map of Northwest Montana

The relief map of Northwest Montana will help you locate geographical features such as rivers and mountains.

More Northwest Montana
Bitterroot Valley
Blackfeet Indian Res.
Clark Fork River
Flathead Valley
Kootenai Valley
Missoula Valley
Seeley Swan Valley

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Map  Southwest

Northwest Montana Travel Region
St. Mary, Montana

St. Mary, MT is to Glacier National Park what West Glacier is - a park entrance as well as the beginning, or terminus, of the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, depending on your direction of travel.

Accommodations Include a Lodge, Cabins, RV Parks and Tent Camping

St. Mary visitors will find ample accommodations if they choose this small village as their base camp for exploring the park. Many options are available. Make your reservations well in advance. Places fill up fast.

Visitors to St. Mary also soon discover that a trip up the Going-to-the-Sun Road is not their only option for seeing towering mountains, thick evergreen forests, pristine blue lakes, cascading streams, wildflowers and wildlife. A short drive to the north is the Many Glacier area; and not far to the south is the Two Medicine area just outside of East Glacier Park. Both areas are easily accessible from St. Mary.

Attractions abound in every direction. Get an early start, and you could see all three areas in a single day, if you hurry. But why be in a hurry? You could spend a day just driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road and stopping at the many pullouts and viewpoints. You also could take one or more of the short hikes from the several trailheads found on the road.

Need information. Then head for the large visitor information center located adjacent to the park entrance a short distance from the village. You might even want to make that a morning walk.

Photographers Will Find Many Photo Opportunities

You hardly see a person in this area not focusing on a lake, mountain peak, or bear with their high-end, tripod-mounted HDSLR camera, an IPad, IPhone, favorite point-and-shoot camera or a camcorder. So be sure to carry your own plus spare SD or Micro cards and batteries.

If photography is your game, then St. Mary is a prime location for starting your photo tour of the park. Wake up early and catch the rising sun bathing St. Mary Lake, Wild Good Island and the distant peaks in alpine glow. Or, drive to Many Glacier and enjoy the same affect shooting across Swiftcurrent Lake toward Grinnell Peak or Mount Gould.

Photographers using St. Mary as their base camp have the advantage of morning sun highlighting the mountains from early morning until shortly before noon. Then, they can drive to the west side of the park and catch the afternoon and evening sun highlighting the peaks from the opposite side.

Eat a Hearty Breakfast and Return for Dinner

Several breakfast spots are nearby in St. Mary. There is the St Mary Lodge, or course. But you also will find a couple café's nearby. All are reasonably priced and can provide you with a hearty meal to start your day. Then upon your return you will find the same spots offering nice dinners to finish off the day. Watch the hour, however, as some discontinue serving at 8:00 or 9:00 PM. You may want to scout each to know their hours of operation.

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