Aster Falls - GNP, MT

From the South Shore by Two Medicine lake and camp store parking lot, hike up into the forest, by the ponds, through the meadow and over to the Falls.
Note that the falls and drowning are two of the top causes of death at Glacier National Park.


1/2 mile from the South Shore trail head you will see the first in a series of small beaver ponds.
The trail goes through a mixed forest of Lodgepole Pine and Douglass fir. You will go through a meadow with great views of Rising Wolf Mountain (Blackfeet for "The way the wolf gets up") and from wikipedia: Rising Wolf Mountain was named after Hugh Monroe, a fur trader who lived with the Pikunis and gave him the name Rising Wolf. After his death, his close friend and author James Willard Schultz named the peak after Monroe.
1.1 miles is Aster Creek, and in a short distance is the Aster Park Trail which leads to Aster Falls and Aster Park Overlook.
A short side trail goes to the base of Aster Falls, a 20-foot waterfall that cascades down a rock face in a succession of three drops. However, it is hard to see all three drops if you don't get a good angle (but be careful as the two leading causes of death in Glacier National Park are falls and cold water drownings.)

This would be a quick and fun hike to do for lunch. There isn't a lot of room at the base of the falls but enough to seat a family and not be in the way of the folks coming in to take a look at the Falls.

You can continue here up to Aster Falls Overlook though it does gain 500 feet rather shortly offering great views of the Two Medicine area. This is also on the list of ranger-guided hikes (but not every day).

Check out the Triplogs.

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2014-07-30 tibber