While there are actually two St. Mary Lakes, the second, Lower St. Mary Lake, is outside the northern edge of Glacier National Park and receives much less attention from the tourist crowd. The two are joined by the 1.78 km (1.10 mi) (as the crow flies; it's actually longer as it meanders, as rivers are wont to do) long St. Mary River, a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River. The Saint Mary together with the Belly River and Waterton River drains a small portion of Montana, in the United States, to the Hudson Bay watershed in Canada.
Numerous hiking trailheads are to be found along its shores, or one may book a boat cruise, troll for mackinaw, picnic, trek or camp at this exquisite location.
Known for its boating and water-skiing opportunities, St. Mary Lake is just inside Glacier National Park’s east entrance.
Going-To-The-Sun Road follows its northern shore for most of its length, providing the only access to the marina, boat launch and the
Glacier Park Tour Company.
Near the mid point of the lake at the eastern end of
The Narrows, on the north side, one may embark on a boat tour around the lake, provided by the
Glacier Park Tour Company. Alternatively, one may "
take a kayak out on the lake and experience views only available from the water. Glacier Park Boat Company has been operating scenic boat tours on the lakes of Glacier National Park since 1938".
GLACIER PARK BOAT COMPANY
Glacier Park Boat Company has been operating scenic boat tours on the lakes of Glacier National Park since 1938! Our goal is to provide a one-of-a-kind experience to visitors at Glacier National Park, while providing the unique history surrounding this special place. We are an environmentally conscious family-owned company dedicated to protecting and preserving the exceptional beauty of the Park. Climb aboard one of our historic wooden boats or take a kayak out on the lake and experience views only available from the water!
HISTORY
Glacier Park Boat Company dates back to 1938, when Mr. Arthur J. Burch, a banker in Kalispell, purchased the contract to provide tour boat services in Glacier National Park from J.W. Swanson. Captain Swanson was a prolific boat builder on Flathead Lake and was one of the first to build and operate boats for transportation and scenic cruises on the lakes in Glacier National Park. He operated his own boat concession and provided boats and assistance for the Glacier Park Hotel Company, the Great Northern Railway’s tourism subsidiary in the park, and the Glacier Park Transport Company on Lake McDonald.
This historic tour boat company, which stemmed from Captain Swanson’s masterfully built tour boats, has remained in the Burch family for more than 75 years. Glacier Park Boat Company, while going through a series of evolutions, has now been passed on to the third generation of the Burch family to keep alive the long tradition of exceptional visitor services on historic tour boats in Glacier National Park.
From the Glacier Park Boat Company