Parking
Use Sunrift Gorge Pullout on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Space is limited and can be difficult to find; have another stop in mind if the pullout is full.
Overview
About Sunrift Gorge Trail
Why go
- A dramatic, narrow gorge is only a short walk from the road.
Heads up
- The small pullout can be hard to park in.
- The approach has steps and the overlook is above a steep-sided gorge.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation4,677–4,703 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Sunrift Gorge Trail, 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 trailhead
Sunrift Gorge and Baring Falls0:00 / 0:31
“Sunrift Gorge is coming up, a narrow rock cleft with Baring Creek running between its walls. The overlook is about two hundred feet from the pullout, with steps, so this works as a five-to-ten-minute stop.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- St. Mary and Virginia Falls
- Sun Point's View and Vanished Chalets
- Why the Lakes Turn Turquoise
- How the Peace Park Began
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Sunrift Gorge Trail
A quick gorge stopSunrift Gorge Trail is a short out-and-back from Sunrift Gorge Pullout to a viewpoint above…
Sunrift Gorge Trail is a short out-and-back from Sunrift Gorge Pullout to a viewpoint above Baring Creek. The walk is about 200 feet each way—roughly 400 feet round trip—and takes around 5 to 10 minutes with a look. The short approach has steps, and the payoff is the creek dropping into a narrow cleft. This is a quick roadside stop, separate from the longer routes to Baring Falls and Sun Point.
Look into the cleftThe gorge is about 800 feet long and 80 feet deep.
The gorge is about 800 feet long and 80 feet deep. Baring Creek runs between steep, layered rock walls, with the stream visible below from the overlook. For a photo, frame the cleft from above so the stream at the bottom shows how tightly the walls close around it.
Parking and accessUse the Sunrift Gorge Pullout on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Use the Sunrift Gorge Pullout on Going-to-the-Sun Road. It is a small pullout, and visitors often report difficulty finding a space. The road has a seasonal closure, so check its status before driving here. Expect steps and stay on the path near the steep drop and water; pets are not permitted on Glacier trails. The park’s two trail references differ on the amount of climbing, so expect a short uphill pitch rather than relying on a single gain figure.
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.
