1 active Glacier alert
- 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 Swiftcurrent Falls
Why stop
- Mount Grinnell frames a distinctive, multi-tiered cascade.
Heads up
- The closest ledge may require scrambling over slippery rock.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Glacier map
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 Swiftcurrent 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
Swiftcurrent Falls0:00 / 0:20
“Swiftcurrent Falls is coming up near Many Glacier Hotel, with stepped cascades in a dark rock gorge below Mount Grinnell. Consider it a short add-on if you enjoy waterfalls, but the approach is unmarked.”
Plays as you drive up to Swiftcurrent Falls in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Many Glacier Hotel
- Grinnell Glacier Trailhead
- Apikuni Falls Trailhead
- Iceberg Lake Trailhead
- 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 Swiftcurrent Falls
What it isSwiftcurrent Falls is a multi-tiered cascade on Swiftcurrent Creek, just below Swiftcurrent…
Swiftcurrent Falls is a multi-tiered cascade on Swiftcurrent Creek, just below Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier’s Many Glacier valley. Water spills through a dark, layered rock gorge, with the triangular bulk of Mount Grinnell rising behind it. It’s a worthwhile short add-on if you’re already near Many Glacier Hotel and want a close waterfall view, but this isn’t an obvious, signposted roadside stop.
Finding a viewA trail reaches a falls viewing area, but published directions give no route length or clear…
A trail reaches a falls viewing area, but published directions give no route length or clear trailhead. Visitor accounts place the approach near the hotel or nearby road and describe it as unmarked. One close view means scrambling onto a ledge, and rocks can be slick when wet. Treat that as an optional rough approach, not an easy path; skip the close ledge if it’s wet or you don’t see a clear way in.
Framing the cascadeTry to keep the stepped water and Mount Grinnell in the same frame; crop too tightly and the…
Try to keep the stepped water and Mount Grinnell in the same frame; crop too tightly and the cascade can disappear into the dark rock. On a sunny day, morning light favors this east-facing waterfall, while afternoon sun falls behind it.
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.
