Bird Woman Falls Overlook

Bird Woman Falls Overlook is a signed roadside turnout on Going-to-the-Sun Road, facing a 492-foot waterfall across the Lake McDonald Valley between Mount Oberlin and Mount Cannon. I’d stop if you’re already crossing the high road: the falls are a thin white line at this distance, but the mountain walls give you the setting that makes them interesting.

The nearer cascades directly ahead are on Haystack Creek; Bird Woman Falls is the long drop across the valley. That’s an easy mix-up, so look between the two peaks for the taller fall.

A smaller glacier carved the bowl above the falls and met the larger glacier in the main valley. It couldn’t cut as deeply, leaving this hanging valley high above the Lake McDonald Valley. During the last ice age, ice up to 3,000 feet thick covered this area as recently as about 12,000 years ago.

An active glacier no longer feeds Bird Woman Falls; a snowfield in the cirque above supplies the water now. In especially dry years, the falls can dry up by autumn, so the amount of water you see changes with the season.

The viewpoint has auto parking, but the alpine section of Going-to-the-Sun Road closes seasonally to vehicles. Check which sections are open before you drive over. For a photo, include Mount Oberlin and Mount Cannon around the drop; a tight view helps pick out the water, while the full cliff and valley show where the falls sit.