Ipasha Falls is a tiered waterfall of about 710 feet in the Belly River country of Glacier National Park, Glacier County, Montana, carrying meltwater from Ipasha Glacier down a cliff into Ipasha Lake. It is one of the most remote large waterfalls in the park, reached only on a multi-day backpacking trip with a final stretch off the maintained trails.
The falls
The water comes from Ipasha Glacier, which clings to the slopes of 9,577-foot Ipasha Peak between 7,600 and 8,000 feet and has been shrinking for decades. It falls in a chain of horsetails into Ipasha Lake, at 5,660 feet. A lidar estimate puts the drop at about 710 feet; earlier surveys listed 580 feet, and other sources say 800 feet or more. Upper Ipasha Falls, another 600 feet of water just below the glacier, is counted separately.
Getting there
The approach starts at the Belly River trailhead on the Chief Mountain Highway, next to the border crossing, which is closed in winter. The trail drops about 740 feet in its first 2 miles into the Belly River valley and crosses the river on a suspension bridge before heading up the Mokowanis valley past Glenns Lake to Mokowanis Lake. Beyond that, the route to Ipasha Lake is unmaintained, and one party described an hour of dense alder and thick brush above Mokowanis Lake.
Camping requires a backcountry permit: in 2026 the lottery opened March 15, with advance sales on Recreation.gov from May 1 and about 30 percent of sites held for walk-ups. Summer admission to Glacier is $35 per vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16 and older unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass.
When to go
Snow melts out of the low Belly River valley relatively early, sometimes by late June. Summer is the season for the trip; one July party still found ice on the walls of Ipasha Peak.
On site
This is grizzly country, with frequent bear activity in the Mokowanis valley: carry bear spray and follow backcountry food storage rules. The water is glacier-cold, and the off-trail section requires route-finding through thick brush. Dogs are not allowed on park trails.
Nearby
Pyramid Creek Falls is about 0.2 mile away, Upper Ipasha Falls about 0.3 mile and Margaret Lake Falls about 1.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.