Where we went: St. Mary's Glacier
What went wrong: Didn't have the right equipment to make it to the top.
What we did right: Took jackets - even in August! Had a five dollar bill for parking.
How you can avoid mistakes: Snow is slick to walk on. Use ice cleats, or some other traction device to climb with confidence here.
St Mary's Glacier is actually a snow field, which sits above Idaho Springs. Once the driving route leaves I-70, the roads get narrower and more twisted. The trail is short, but a rocky climb. Beyond the maintained trail, climbing is increasingly more difficult, but worth it to see the snow up close. But climbing on the snow without ice cleats was too much for us, so we didn't make it all the way to the meadow at the top.
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| The road to the trail head becomes narrow and twisting. It took about an hour travel time from downtown Denver. |
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| Down hill side parking is a much bigger lot. |
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| Don't forget to bring a five dollar bill for the permit. |
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| The trail head is between the parking lots on the street. |
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| The trail is wide, but rocky. |
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| Either way goes to the snow field. The left fork is smoother. |
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| First glimpse of the snow. |
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| Travel through a camp ground beside the lake. |
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| End of the maintained trail. |
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| Below the snow field there are still trails, and lots of vegetation around the lake. |
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| The edge of the snow field as it melts. |
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| Water from the melt trickles among the rocks. |
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| The higher we climbed the steeper the mountain, with no trail to speak of. |
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| The end of the trail for us. | . |
Would we hike this trail again? Yes. The hike up is boring, but the beauty at the top is worth it.
