Saint Mary Lake

One of the most beautiful lakes, which can be seen in Glacier National Park, within the U.S. state of Montana, is the inspiring Saint Mary Lake. With more than 50 glaciers and numerous lakes and waterfalls, the park is a preserve for those who seek truly beautiful and wondrous landscapes.

The mountains in Glacier National Park are composed of some of the oldest and best-preserved sedimentary rocks in the world. They may well be seen as the background of the flat surface of Saint Mary Lake. In the early hours of the morning, the impact of inaccessible peaks in the crystal clear waters is a memorable sight.

Lake Saint Mary is the second largest in the park, after lake McDonald. It was formed in the expansion of the eponymous river St. Mary in the east park. Nature here is just amazing - in the eastern areas of the park lies less rainfall than the west, with the result that flora literally grows wild here. The hills around St. Mary is are covered with coniferous and deciduous trees.

Preferred route for arriving at St. Mary's is called the-Sun Road, which leads to the northern shore of the lake, where the parking lot of the gorge Sunrift Gorge is. St. Mary is was formed at an altitude of 1 367 m. Its waters are crystal clear and much colder than Lake McDonald, which is at a 460 m lower altitude. It can be reached, moving to the west of the Continental Divide.

The area of Saint Mary Lake is estimated at 15.88 sq. km, the area is a place in Glacier National Park, where picturesque plains give way to the starting heights of the Rockies. The panorama sharply increases its height to 1, 500 meters above sea level, with the initial peaks of the chain. Her most southern end starts with the small “Little Chief” Mountain, which borders the western shore of Lake St. Mary .

The length of the Saint Mary Lake is about 10 km and its maximum depth reaches slightly less than 100 meters. The water temperature here is permanently low, rarely rising to 10 degrees Celsius. However, this is the cause of the fish wealth of St. Mary - there are different kinds of trout . If you decide to visit Saint Mary Lake in the winter, though often the park is closed for public visits at this time, you can see the surface of St. Mary's totally frozen. The thickness of the ice layer is up to 1 meter.