Sun Point Nature Trail in Glacier National Park

Sun Point Nature Trail

In their heyday, the Going-to-the-Sun Chalets were considered some of the most desirable lodging in America.

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Sun Point Nature Trail Details

In their heyday, the Going-to-the-Sun Chalets were considered some of the most desirable lodging in America. Visitors usually arrived by boat, although a few opted to visit the Swiss-inspired chalets by horseback. Located about 100 feet above St. Mary Lake at what is now known as Sun Point, the lodging complex offered spectacular views and gave visitors the sense they were staying on a mountainside perch. But when Going-to-the-Sun Road was finished in the 1930s and the lodging became more accessible, popularity for the chalets, which used to feel like an isolated adventure deep in the mountains, waned. After the chalets closed for World War II, they never reopened. You can still see why the destination was once so popular when you visit Sun Point. The lodging is gone, but the dramatic setting and stunning vistas make Sun Point a popular stop along Going-to-the-Sun Road. There's ample parking and a picnic area. Take a one-mile self-guided hike along the shore of the lake, or walk the Sun Point Nature Trail, which is a little over one mile one way and offers views of the lake, towering mountain peaks, and cascading Baring Falls. Glacier is grizzly country. Carry bear spray, make noise and travel in groups. The trailhead is at Sun Point.

Difficulty

Low

Distance

0.7 miles

Estimated time

1 hour

Region

N/A

Nearby Parks Around Sun Point Nature Trail

Compare nearby parks around Sun Point Nature Trail when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.

21.4 mi away

Glacier

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Yellowstone

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350.6 mi away

North Cascades

National Park · WA

373.0 mi away

Grand Teton

National Park · WY

400.6 mi away

Mount Rainier

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Nearby Points of Interest Around Sun Point Nature Trail

Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Sun Point Nature Trail while the map context is still fresh.

0.0 mi away

Sun Point

0.0 mi away

Sun Point

Once the site of the Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Sun Point offers spectacular views.

0.7 mi away

Baring Falls Trail

It's only about a 75-foot walk from your car to see Sunrift Gorge.

0.7 mi away

Sunrift Gorge

0.7 mi away

Sunrift Gorge Trail

It's only about a 75-foot walk to witness this incredible, water-carved gorge.