Red Rock Falls Hike in Glacier National Park Review
If you’re staying in the Many Glacier area, the Red Rock Falls trail in Glacier National Park Montana is an easy, low-effort hike to take when you just want to get your steps in or stretch your legs. This is a great option to get your legs moving after perhaps a long day of driving to the park, or just to get ready for a more challenging hike the next day – which is exactly what we did when we arrived in the late afternoon to our room at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.
We hiked this trail around 7pm in early July, so despite the late hour, we had plenty of daylight on our side. It doesn’t get dark here until after 10pm in the summer months!
You’ll definitely want to bring your bear spray here, as sightings of grizzlies and black bears are not uncommon. There’s also heavy vegetation on this trail, and bears love that!
RELATED: Hiking Running Eagle Falls in Glacier National Park
Red Rock Falls Hike Details
Trailhead Location:
The Red Rock Falls trail shares the same trailhead with the much longer Swiftcurrent Pass trail. So if you’re hiking Swiftcurrent Pass, you’ll see this waterfall along your journey; otherwise just hike to the falls and head back.
The trailhead is located near the parking lot for the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, so if you’re staying here like we were, this hike is very convenient. This is a popular trail, so you’ll want to arrive at the trailhead early to snag a spot. Or, go later in the day.
Red Rock Falls hike details:
Rating: Easy hike, but at 3.6 miles, it’s not exactly super-short.
Distance: 3.6 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 100 feet. It’s mostly flat the whole way there making this an easy hike for nearly anyone who’s up to it.
Hiking Red Rock Falls
The trail leads you through some beautiful scenery in Glacier National Park — and at about 1/3 of a mile into the hike, you’ll see signage for Fishercap Lake, which is a famous spot where moose like to hang out. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any moose on our way out or back – even though we were here during the evening hours — maybe you will have better luck!
If you do chose to head down to Fishercap Lake, it’ll add a little bit of distance to your hike – not much – it turns this 3.6 mile round trip hike into a 4 mile round trip hike. If you want to visit the lake and look for moose, just look for the signs along the trail that direct you to Fishercap Lake.
Because we started our hike around 7pm, we didn’t see very many people on the trail. I maybe counted 4 other groups. I imagine that this trail is much busier during the day – and if you chose to do the hike at peak times, you might have difficulties getting photos of Redrock Falls without any people in it. There are no barriers at the waterfall, and for some reason, people seem to love crawling and playing all over waterfalls like it’s a goddamn playground.
Much of the trail takes you through forest and thick brush, but it does open up to some beautiful views. Along the way, you’ll walk across a few footbridges along the way as well, which are always kind of fun. Or, I’m just easily entertained.
Keep an eye out for wildflowers – if you’re here in early summer like we were (we hiked this in early July), you’re sure to see some in bloom.
As you get closer to the falls, you’ll pass by one last lake – Red Rock lake. We saw a few deer here.
Once you’re past the lake, the waterfall is just around the curve. While there is no official viewing platform, there are a lot of large, sturdy rocks where you can photograph the falls and explore different photography compositions. Have fun enjoying the beautiful scenery and when you’ve had enough, simply turn around and go back the way you came. If you didn’t see a moose at Fishercap lake on your way out, you might want to try again before you make your way to the trailhead.
Final Thoughts – Red Rock Falls Hike in Glacier National Park
This is a very easy hike, though not very short, and it’s definitely kid-friendly as there is very little elevation gain. The trail is well-marked and you have lots of chances for spotting wildlife while making your way to the falls. While it’s not as iconic as some of the bigger hikes in Glacier National Park and lacks the grandeur of, say Grinnell Glacier, Red Rock Falls is a good way to break in your hiking boots as you start your vacation here, or a great way to wind down a trip!
Have you hiked to Redrock Falls in Glacier National Park? Let me know in the comments!
