Hiking to St. Mary's GlacierThe hike to St. Mary's Glacier is a short one and includes a beautiful little lake which is fed by the glacier. Before I tell you about the hike though, let me tell you how to find the trailhead. Directions to the trailhead: from Denver, take I-70 west and follow it past the town of Idaho Springs. Then take exit 238 which is marked “Fall River Road”. From there, take a right, (north), on Fall River Road. You’ll see the sign for St. Mary's Glacier and the town of Alice.
February 2008 update-I was contacted by the owner of the property just beyond the trailhead, (where I suggested you could park), and he says the property is going to be developed to provide a better and paid parking area. As of February 23, 2008, the owner, (Paul Johnson), will be charging $5.00 per car but only when he is on site, for now. He says the lot will currently hold 16 vehicles and that because of all the snow up there, it will be June or July before the amenities are put in. Other useful information about this hike: One-way distance-¾ of a mile O.K., are you ready? Here’s one note of caution before you go: when you arrive at the trailhead, you’ll notice that the sign that says “Glacier Hike” also has a warning posted on it. It asks you to use extreme caution on the glacier because injuries and fatalities occur each year. Please take heed of the warning and be careful.
So, my best advice is this: shortly after you start up the trail, you’ll come to a fork. At this point, you want to take the left fork which goes up the mountain. Shortly after this, you’ll come to another fork. Here, you want to again take the left fork. After this, just follow what looks like the main trail and it will take you to the sparkling lake that is fed by St. Mary's Glacier. As I said earlier, the trail tends to be rocky. It pretty much stays that way until just before you reach the lake. At the lake, you’ll be able to see the glacier. Take a few minutes, (or more), to enjoy the lake, and then follow it around to the right. You’ll cross a small bridge over a creek and from there, you’ll see the trail that goes up toward the glacier.
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Follow Fall River Road past the town of Alice until you see the sign on your left that says: Glacier Hike. This is your trailhead and it’s approximately a twenty minute drive here from I-70. There are some hairpin curves on this road but there are also lots of aspen trees along the way so it makes for a beautiful drive in the fall. Anyway, the parking area is just beyond the trailhead, on your left.
So, off to St. Mary's Glacier we go. As you see in this picture, the trail is very rocky. So it’s a good idea to wear your hiking boots even though the hike is relatively short. Also, the trail to the glacier, (and lake), isn’t marked.
Follow the trail as it climbs toward St. Mary's Glacier and as you do, turn around every once in a while to look at the view down toward the lake. It was especially beautiful on the clear fall day that we were here. One of the best views of the lake is from the base of the glacier. (See picture at bottom of page.) Not only do you have a grand view of the lake, but you can also see some of the surrounding mountains.
