Columbia Mountain Trailhead — Attraction in Columbia Falls

I’m an average hiker and this trail was insane. No way I could’ve completed the whole thing.

We chose this hike instead of going back to Glacier since we didn’t want to deal with parking. But just a heads-up, it’s either steep uphill or steep downhill, and the trail is full of loose, rocky sections. You definitely need good shoes and hiking poles.

We made it about 2.2 miles in to see a small waterfall then decided to turn back. (3h in total)

Honestly, if you’re not a pro hiker, I’d say go for a short walk. Hike 20 minutes to see the first cute waterfall, maybe continue a bit further for a nice city view, and...

This is my favorite "close to town" hike you can do in an afternoon (if you're relatively fit). 4500' of elevation gain in 6 miles (one way). It's net 4000' feet but there's a part where you go down then back up. First half is easy second half is brutal. There's an awesome waterfall named Colombia Falls, which the nearby city is actually named after, and a ton of good views as you go up. You can keep going if you're ready for a multi-night adventure. Watch out for motorcycles in the summer. Bring light crampons in the spring/fall in case...

Wife, dog, and I had an encounter with what we call a bigfoot. There were atleast 2 or 3. Right at the beginning of trailhead, just past where the water comes down the side of the hill. Sounded just like a monster gorilla breathing very raspy and slow and low.

Also heard what sounded like Asian/Arab tourists coming up the trail, but there was nobody there.

This was at 9:45 pm on July 31st... Goodluck!

I was just stopping by to let my dog out to pee b4 headin to glacier to watch northern lights, thts why we were out...