Bird Woman Falls
Montana · 560-foot drop · Glacier National Park · Last verified 2026-05-14
Flow at Bird Woman Falls is light today (25 cfs) — visit for the geology, not the volume. The park has an active closure alert: "Going-to-the-Sun Road Seasonal Closure."
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 25.4 cfs (bottom 0% of the last 30 days, vs. 38.2 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
24.6 cfs
Swiftcurrent Creek at Many · 37m ago
Overnight
26°F
Mostly Cloudy
Sunday
38°F
Mostly Cloudy
Today's daylight
Sunrise 8:09 AM · Sunset 6:28 PM · 10h 18m
Other park alerts
- Going-to-the-Sun Road Seasonal Closure(Park Closure)
Snapshot built 16m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS MSO.
Bird Woman Falls drops 560 feet from a hanging valley on Mount Oberlin's east face, visible across the McDonald valley from Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Flow is heaviest in late June through July as the snowfield above the falls melts. By late August, the falls thin to a wispy trickle. The viewing pullout offers wide-angle photography without leaving the pavement.
Bird Woman Falls is a 560 feet (170 m) waterfall located immediately west of the continental divide in Glacier National Park, Montana, United States. The falls are readily visible from a distance of two miles (3.2 km) along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which bisects the park east to west.
A short history
Named for Sacagawea ("Bird Woman"), who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the region in 1805-1806.
The trail
This is a drive-by viewpoint. No hiking required.
Why the waterfall is there
The fall drops over Precambrian Belt Supergroup sedimentary rock — limestones and argillites laid down between 1.4 and 1.5 billion years ago. Mount Oberlin's east face is a classic hanging-valley scarp left when the McDonald valley glacier carved much faster than the smaller tributary glacier above. The cliff is the result.
- Rock type
- Belt Supergroup sedimentary (Helena Formation limestone + argillite)
- Formation age
- ~1.4 billion years; hanging valley sculpted by Pleistocene glaciation
Source: NPS Geologic Resources Inventory, Glacier NP
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 05014500 · 24 mi away
Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier MT
Swiftcurrent Creek — east-side watershed proxy; Bird Woman Creek is ungauged
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 24.9 cfs · 102% of last year — similar
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Woman Falls (this page) | — | 560 ft | drive by | Y | $35 |
| Oberlin Falls | 1 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Haystack Creek Falls | 2 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Morning Eagle Falls | 3 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Piegan Falls | 3 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Red Rock Falls | 3 mi | — | — | N | — |
Side-by-side comparisons
Bird Woman Falls compared head-to-head with other documented falls — height, access, fees, dogs, swimmability in one row each.
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~560 ft)
- Keekwulee Falls561 ft
- Silver Strand Falls574 ft
- Multnomah Falls541 ft
- Pywiack Cascade591 ft
- Nevada Fall594 ft
Same best season in Montana
- Redrock Falls25 ft
Questions visitors ask about Bird Woman Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Bird Woman Falls?
Bird Woman Falls is 560 feet (170 m) tall. Source heights disagree by source — see the discrepancy box on the page.
Is Bird Woman Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Bird Woman Falls is inside Glacier National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Bird Woman Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Glacier National Park permits leashed dogs in most areas). Always leash and pack out waste.
Is Bird Woman Falls wheelchair accessible?
Yes — Bird Woman Falls has a wheelchair-accessible viewing area with ADA parking. Conditions can change seasonally; verify with the land manager before driving.
Can you swim at Bird Woman Falls?
No — swimming is not safe or not allowed at Bird Woman Falls. viewing only from Going-to-the-Sun Road; no access to base
When is the best time to visit Bird Woman Falls?
Peak flow is typically June, July, August. Season-wise: spring, summer. Snowmelt and recent rain affect day-to-day volume.
Is there a fee to visit Bird Woman Falls?
Yes — entry costs around $35. Most Glacier National Park entrances accept the America the Beautiful annual pass.
How far is Bird Woman Falls from a major city?
Bird Woman Falls is 18 miles from West Glacier (about 38 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in Montana
Where it is
48.7080, -113.7480
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Official land manager
https://www.nps.gov/glac/
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_Woman_Falls
Wikidata (Q2418028)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2418028
GeoNames (5640445)
https://www.geonames.org/5640445/
Going-to-the-Sun Road status
https://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/gttsrstatus/GTTSRStatus.cfm
Glacier NP current conditions
https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-14
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