Wanting to get on the water and then go for a long hike, we boarded the 1925 wooden boat called the Little Chief... the oldest boat on St. Mary Lake.

Picturesque Goat Island made us all take photos.

Here's where we spied a bald eagle. Just to the right of the far left tree, you can see him soaring by (it's the blurry white dot). We really did see one. Trust us on that.
We were told that this mountain was the inspiration for Paramount Pictures iconic logo. Upon a quick google search, I could find nothing to support that claim but it is a majestic mountain, none-the-less.
Little Chief dropped us off at the trail head to St. Mary Falls. For two miles, we meandered through the remnants of the 2015 Reynold’s Creek fire, which burned 4,800 acres.
With the dense tree canopy burned away, views of the area’s spectacular mountain peaks are no longer obscured and the nutrient rich soil has become a lush blanket of wildflowers.





As we were gazing at this bright red object, we stopped a Ranger and asked her what it was. She said that it is a Snow Berry but it is too early in the summer for us to be seeing it. It was the only one of its kind. What a truly unique gift for us.



Our hiking goal was to be wowed by St. Mary Falls. We heard the thunder of crashing water way before seeing one of the more fabulous waterfalls in the park.
St. Mary Falls drops roughly 35 feet in three separate tiers, with the two largest being the most photogenic. A smaller waterfall can be found below the footbridge. Notice the incredibly beautiful aqua-green color of the pools just below the falls.
Our next stop was at Baring Falls, a small but powerful, waterfall that drops roughly 25 feet. It seemed like the perfect fairy spot. And yes, that is me being cooled by its refreshing spray.


A real treat was hearing and then seeing this Pileated Woodpecker and two babies. Wow.

After a hot, dusty hike, toes in the icy lake was just what we needed.
On our return back to the dock, we slowed by this lichen painted cliff. It is this color of water which told the early explorers that this amazing place was created by glaciers. It is difficult to truly capture its beauty. BUT wow!

This license plate couldn't be truer. Montana is a knock out state and we're so happy we cruised through, albeit too briefly. Tomorrow it's on to Canada!