St Mary's Glacier — Attraction in Four Corners States

A glacier is a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.

There are more than 135 permanent snow or ice bodies mapped in Colorado, but only 7 of these are larger than 0.1 km2. Colorado has 14 named glaciers - all in the Front Range, most significantly in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The St. Mary's Glacier is the shortest hike of the five. It leads to the sliding patch of ice on the glacier's rocky bed, and below the glacier is a placid pool of ice melt.

Saint Mary's is a busy 1.9 mile out and back trail located near Idaho Springs. It features a lake and s considered moderate. Dogs are allowed on leash.

I've been here four times all the way to the top. There's a false top. The difference between hiking here during winter and say now is that the amount of snow is less in the beginning of the trail after the road.

It's busy not all the top. Most hikers stop short of climbing the top. It's windy all the time. I hiked this glacier once again yesterday and for a Friday there was almost nobody except a couple and a dog. Plenty of people at the bottom.

If you go early say 8-11 bring spikes. It's icy. Later it's mushy. I prefer icy. Faster.

There's two locations to park. The first one that has been there first is huge and charges $5 cash. Be careful there are rocks. This is to your left as you arrive.

The second one closer but but not too much - will charge you $10 but is lot flatter and in my opinion no bothersome rocks.

Coloradans are so lucky. 14 named...

This was my second time here. Coming in from NY State I had to come back here from a brief trip a few years prior. It is officially my favorite place and I can't recommend it enough. The hike up is through a boulder field of switch backs, pictures don't do it justice for the incline but it's not overly difficult or lengthy. At the top you are greeted by ancient bristle cone pines which I could stay in all day, but there's more! The lake is beautiful, there were people Cliff jumping both times we were here. Missed out on casa Bonita? Here ya go. The "glacier" is accessible and pretty cool to get to and touch. On the way over there my husband stepped 10ft off path to pay homage to a cool twisted tree, 10ft in front of him was a mother moose and 2 calves nursing. This was the icing on the cake for this place. Completely unexpected. We watched them for quite some time - from a safe distance of course. Mama heard some people coming up the trail and got up and crossed in front of us. We saw them multiple times in the thicket below the glacier afterwards. 20/10 recommend this place. There is something special here....

Really gorgeous but crowded. The trailhead is between two paid parking lots with porta potties (street parking can get you ticketed). If you can't arrive early, consider going in the afternoon when folks are leaving. It's not a long hike, but there are many large and loose rocks along the way. We witnessed several slips but didn't see anyone wipe out. The trail eventually opens up to fantastic views of the glacier, a lake, and various peaks and wooded areas. There are many possible activities, from hiking and picnicking to swimming (water is freezing) and snowboarding. It looks possible to walk/climb around the entire lake, though you would probably need shoe spikes for the higher icy areas. With this being a glacier, there's ice above a certain point even in the middle of summer. The area is well worth a visit but not without dangers. We saw someone get medically evacuated after cliff jumping into the water. It took the rescue workers some time to navigate the rocky trail to get to him, so play it safe here! Also be prepared for the throngs of people, some of whom will inevitably be loud...