St. Mary’s Glacier
Date Hiked: May 20th, 2018
Length: 1.3 mi (7.9 mi for James Peak)
Elevation Gain: 387 ft
Starting Elevation: 10,367 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Distance from Denver: 1 Hr
Sarah’s Ranking: 8/10
Total Hike Time: 1 Hr
Parking: Large, Unpaved, $5
Best Time: Early Morning, Spring/Autumn
Features: Glacier, Lake, Mountain View
Additional Information: AllTrails
About the Area:
Saint Mary’s Glacier is located an hour west of Denver, near the mountain town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. It is nestled in the Arapaho National Forest and located at an incredibly high elevation of about 10,820 ft. The St. Mary’s Glacier Trail will lead you to the gorgeous glacier and a beautiful glacial lake, where many people travel to enjoy an afternoon picnic or train for mountaineering, skiing, and other outdoor activities. If you continue on this trail for an additional 2.5 miles, you will arrive at the top of James Peak, another popular and gorgeous hiking destination. Many people will snowshoe up to James Peak and snowboard or ski down, catching stunning views along the way.
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How to Get There:
The St. Mary’s Glacier and James Peak Trailhead is located HERE, the parking lot is just below it. From downtown Denver, take US-6 West for about 7 miles until you reach I-70. From here, take I-70 West towards Grand Junction for 23.3 miles. Next, take exit 238 towards Fall River Road. Turn right onto Fall River Road and follow it for 8.9 miles until the St. Mary’s Glacier parking lot. The parking lot is located on the left-hand side of the road just after the large “Alice, Colorado” sign.
Parking Information: Parking is $5 per car. You will fill out a parking permit and put CASH into the detachable envelope and slide it into the permit slot which is found next to the porta-potties.
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What to Bring:
The ten essentials and a good pair of hiking boots are always important to have with you on any outdoor adventure, even on a short hike like the St. Mary’ Glacier trail. This hike is also great to bring the family or friends for a beautiful lunch picnic. Also, if you wish to climb on the glacier itself, I would recommend bringing ice cleats (be sure to bring the proper size) and, if you plan on hiking further up towards James Peak, a good pair of snowshoes are definitely required on warmer days.
Related: The Ten Hiking Essentials
The easiest glacier hike near Denver:
We left a foggy and cloudy Denver to arrive at a gorgeous and clear Alice, Colorado. The parking lot was only a quarter full when we got there, I “blame” the cloudy Denver day 😉
The trailhead was easy enough to find. It is just uphill from the parking lot on the left-hand side of the road. A small blue sign points to the trail. Unfortunately, this is the only directional sign you will see on the trail.
Because this is a glacial environment, the trail is incredibly rocky and, in numerous places, covered in snow and ice. Be sure to watch your footing.
About halfway into the trail, you will hear a large waterfall. The trail splits. Here, you can continue towards the glacier (uphill), or adventure to see the waterfall (to the right about 50 yards). It is a bit of a scramble to get a good view of the falls but worth it!
Once back on the trail, we headed straight up to the glacier. This trail leads you first to the beautiful glacial lake, then winds around to the glacier on the uphill hide. From here, you can choose to continue up to James Peak (another 2.5 miles uphill). We didn’t realize we could continue up to James Peak when we arrived, so we didn’t bring our snowshoes. We’ll be going back to tackle that climb though!
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We were incredibly lucky. When we visited the glacier, there were very little hikers on the trail. Unfortunately, this trail is notorious to be incredibly crowded due to the short distance from the city and low level of difficulty. This area is also often used for snow classes and mountaineering training so be sure to keep out of their way!
What’s Nearby?
Idaho Springs, CO is a cute and historic mountain town with plenty of great things to do. Most notably, Idaho Springs is known for its mining tours at the Phoenix Gold Mine and Argo Tunnel. They also offer river rafting in the summers and skiing on Loveland Pass in the winters (our favorite close-to-Denver and cheap skiing destination).
If you find yourself hungry after your climb, check out Idaho Springs’ Main Street Restaurant, or one of their three popular breweries: Tommyknocker Craft Brewery, Westbound & Down Brewing (best name ever…), and Bouck Brothers Distilling.
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Tips:
- There are very little trail signs. If in doubt, be sure you follow the trail moving uphill.
- This is an incredibly popular hike. ARRIVE EARLY!
- You can extend this easy hike into a much better climb up to James Peak! Just keep moving up the trail after you reach the glacier (but be sure to bring snowshoes).
- Pack the ten essentials to ensure an enjoyable outdoor adventure.
- Pin this post to reference later!
On your way back towards Denver, there are numerous great hikes just off of Interstate 70 including Dinosaur Ridge, the Castle Ruins Trail, and South Table Mountain. Be sure to check them out!
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