Sun Point

Sun Point is a rocky viewpoint above St. Mary Lake on Going-to-the-Sun Road. A short walk from the designated parking area gets you to a broad view across the water and mountain slopes, an easy stop if you want the scenery without signing up for a longer hike.

The Sun Point Nature Trail is a 0.9-mile one-way route, with 284 feet of climbing and 163 feet of descent. The routes from Sun Point to St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls are longer: 2.4 miles and 3.2 miles one way, respectively. The overlook is the quick visit; those falls routes mean a more substantial walk.

The Great Northern Railway built the Going-to-the-Sun Chalets here as part of its early park lodging network. Construction ran from 1912 to 1915. Before the road opened in 1933, visitors reached the chalets by boat or pack horse. The complex had two dormitories for as many as 200 guests, plus a dining room and laundry; it closed in 1942 and was removed in 1948. Today's viewpoint sits above a place where people once stayed on their way through the mountains.

From the viewpoint, keep the layered rock ledges low in the frame and aim along St. Mary Lake toward the mountains. The rocky foreground gives the long view some scale and shows the terrain underfoot.