St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun

St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun

Boat Tours

Boat Tours

Book a Tour
  1. Closed for the 2024 season, see you in 2025!

St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun

The tour begins at the Rising Sun boat dock, centrally located on St. Mary Lake, approximately 5 miles from Glacier National Park’s East Entrance at the town of St. Mary. Conveniently located off the Going-to-the-Sun Road, this tour offers magnificent views only available from the water. Aboard Little Chief or Joy II you will stop at Baring Falls waterfall, and cruise close to the famed Wild Goose Island while enjoying epic 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks with glimpses of Sexton Glacier. Little Chief was built in 1926, named after the mountain Little Chief, a prominent feature of the view on St Mary Lake. In 2016, Little Chief became the first boat from the State of Montana to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Vehicle Reservations
Vehicle Reservations are not required to enter the St Mary Entrance of the GTSR, and Tour Reservations at St Mary Lake will not include Vehicle Reservations to the GTSR Corridor. You must enter the park from the East entrance of the GTSR unless you obtain a Vehicle Reservation on your own to enter at West Glacier.
Tour Length
All tours are 1.5 Hours round trip, except the 6pm tour is 1 hour and does not stop at Baring Falls.
Hiking Options
If water levels allow, this tour makes a brief stop at Baring Falls Waterfall, the waterfall is a 5 minute easy walk and allows 15 minutes at the waterfall.
One-Way Return Tickets
One-Way tickets are not available.
Wheelchair Accessible
Wheelchair seating is available on an outside deck for a standard size wheelchair.
Boat Dock/Ticket Office Location & Arrival Time
Rising Sun Boat Dock on St Mary Lake, East Glacier.
For GPS Directions type "Rising Sun Boat Ramp" into Apple Maps or "28 Dock Road, Browning" into Google Maps.

Arrive in parking lot: 1+ hour prior
Check In at Ticket office: 30 min. prior
Boarding Begins: 15 min. prior

Boat Tour Schedule


Tour Time 2025 Dates-June & Sept dates will be available Nov/Dec
9:00am June to Sept
10:00am June to Sept
11:00am June to Sept
12:00pm June to Sept
1:00pm June to Sept
2:00pm June to Sept
3:00pm June to Sept
4:00pm June to Sept
5:00pm June to Sept
6:00pm* June to Sept
*6:00pm tour is 1hr and does not stop at Baring Falls Waterfall.
The tour time listed is the departure time.

Book 2025 now at 2024 Pricing!

Park entrance delays may occur during heavy seasonal visitation. We recommend you plan to arrive at your location at least 1 hour prior to your scheduled tour time to allow extra time to park and check-in at the ticket office. At busy times some entrances may be temporarily closed, please be prepared to present a copy of your Reservation Confirmation on entering the park in case of seasonal closures.
St. Mary Lake Ticket Office

2024 Ticket Office Hours

9:30am to 7:00pm      June 5th to June 23rd
8:30am to 7:00pm      June 24th to September 2nd

The Rising Sun Ticket Office is located at the end of the Rising Sun boat dock parking lot. The nearest restroom facilities are located behind the ticket office.

For GPS Directions type "Rising Sun Boat Ramp" into Apple Maps or "28 Dock Road, Browning" into Google Maps.

This service is operated by Glacier Park Boat Company, a Concessioner under contract with the U.S. Government and administered by the National Park Service. The Concessioner is responsible for conducting these operations in a satisfactory manner. Services and prices are approved by the National Park Service.

Please address comments to:
Superintendent
Glacier National Park
PO Box 128
West Glacier, Montana 59936

Contact Us Today
Glacier Park Boats Logo

Glacier Park Boat Company
Customer Service Office
282 Sunrise Creek Loop
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
888-611-0747

1000 characters left