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- ClosureTwo Medicine Campground closed for 2026 constructionTwo Medicine Campground is closed throughout 2026 because of construction in the Two Medicine developed area.Official details
Overview
About Ptarmigan Falls
Why stop
- A satisfying cascade break with mountain views on the approach.
Heads up
- It takes a 2.7-mile walk each way to reach.
- Trees partly obscure the falls from the trail clearing.
Ptarmigan Falls is a series of cascades on Ptarmigan Creek, reached on foot from Iceberg Ptarmigan Trailhead in Many Glacier. It makes a natural turnaround on Ptarmigan Trail, or a break before continuing toward Iceberg Lake or Ptarmigan Tunnel. The National Park Service lists the falls at 2.7 miles one way with 700 feet of climbing, about 5.4 miles out and back. This is a proper hike, not a quick roadside stop.
Parkwolf’s verdictA waterfall worth the walk?Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Ptarmigan Falls, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Glacier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Glacier audio tourRecorded for this place
Iceberg Lake Trailhead0:00 / 0:26
“You’re nearing Iceberg-Ptarmigan Trailhead, where I’d choose Iceberg Lake for a full day on foot.”
Plays as you drive up to Ptarmigan Falls in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Swiftcurrent and Redrock Falls
- Grinnell Glacier Trailhead
- Swiftcurrent Falls
- Many Glacier Hotel
- 204 audio storiesacross Glacier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 157 trails, 91 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Our first time to glacier and we used the audio portion for Going to the Sun Road. Wonderful information with perfect advice of what to see and do along the road.”
Guide
More about Ptarmigan Falls
The walk inThe trail climbs sharply for about a quarter-mile, then eases through open country with views…
The trail climbs sharply for about a quarter-mile, then eases through open country with views of Mount Grinnell, Swiftcurrent Mountain, Mount Wilbur and Ptarmigan Wall before the pines close around the route. Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel continue much farther beyond the falls, so this is a sensible place to turn around if the cascades are your goal. Carry bear spray where you can reach it and know how to use it.
What you see at the fallsPtarmigan Creek crosses pale, layered rock in several short drops.
Ptarmigan Creek crosses pale, layered rock in several short drops. From the trail clearing, trees partly screen the full height, so expect glimpses of cascades rather than one wide, unobstructed waterfall. Pause to pick out the separate tiers; a closer view means leaving the established trail on steep ground, so the clearing is the place to stay.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Glacier
404 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
1,173 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,000 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
395 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
506 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Glacier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
