st. mary's glacier

I was driving from the I70 towards the Fall river road by taking an exit from the main road and reached the address and found nothing. It was a risky driving. From the main road this address as per trip advisor showing is about 7.5 miles. We parked our car in that address and tried walking here and there to see something similar as in the picture but was disappointed. It will be very helpful if TA updates the correct address and give useful directions.

This is a fun short day hike with beautiful views, just be sure to let the crazy ppl who live on the road pass you because I assure you that you are not going fast enough for them.

Lots of sharp turns and it's back there a ways but it's a nice drive during the spring, summer and fall. Haven't made the drive with snow on the road. I would think it would be nerve racking!

Of all the day hikes near Denver, we liked this one best! The hike was moderately difficult for me, but easy for my male friend. Totally worth it because the views are amazing and the drive up there is part of the fun with great views as well :)

This is a stunningly beautiful place. I've spent my whole life at sea level so the hike nearly made my lungs implode, but it was worth it. It was summertime and kids across the lake were jumping into the freezing cold water off of a boulder. No thanks. It did look fun though. There were people fishing and others climbing and even someone cross-country skiing down the glacier in the middle of July. If you go up on the glacier, watch your step. After absorbing this magnificent view from up on one of the lookouts (without any of the appropriate gear, I should add), I fell down the ice and took a side trip to one of the hospitals in Denver. It's a long walk down the trail if you're hurt, be careful. The Colorado wilderness is not for the feeble or the careless.

We took a short hike to the St. Mary's Glacier on a Saturday morning. The weather was really nice, sunny with occasional wind. The hike from the parking lot ($5 parking fee) to the little lake was probably about 0.8 miles. Hiking in snow (about 2-4 inches) is exhilarating. We met quite some people who are more prepared than us with snow shoes and ski gears. Lots of them took their dogs as well and it seems that they all had a blast. Overall, a great place to enjoy the nature. Not too far from Idaho Springs, CO.

We hiked up to St. Mary's Glacier with a 6 and 8 year old. It was totally worth it, the views are stunning. You park in the private lot, it's $5 per car. Then you have to walk along the road just past the parking lot until you see a sign where the trail begins. There is a porta-potty at the parking lot but nothing else. Bring food and water with you.

On our recent trip to Colorado we experienced many amazing and beautiful sites, but this may be my favorite. The view is absolutely stunning, and it's not far from I-70, Idaho Springs, or Denver, and well worth the stop. Fairly short and easy hike if you are in good shape. Spectacular!

Don't be intimidated when you see the beginning of the trail. It is rocky and mostly uphill. However, it is only about 3/4 of a mile to get to the glacier, and it is absolutely breathtaking. Be prepared for colder weather than in Denver due to the high elevation. Also make sure you bring $5 with you to pay to park. If you like hiking and seeing beautiful mountain scenery, definitely check it out.

We have done this one several times while on our way to Breckenridge. This is a very rocky trail so you would want to make sure to wear the appropriate footwear and take it careful so as not to twist an ankle. Beautiful views at the Glacier and Lake.

My wife and I walked up here and our way to Denver. A great little hike, also a first for us. Judging off tripadvisor we were ready for an uphill walking track and soon found a challenging uphill rocky path. It wouldn't be challenging for anyone who is able to walk a good distance and has good knees / back etc. It is rocky but aslong as you take your time it's fairly easy. If you aren't used to the altitude I'd be careful and get ready for a possible head ache. Thankfully we aren't smokers and are moderately active (you may struggle if you are one or both of the above). The view up there is very serene and even in October with little ice it was still beautiful. When driving up Fall River road, take it slow and keep going up until you see a few de-mountable toilets on a large dirt parking lot. Park there and walk up the LHS of the road until you see the sign for St. Mary's glacier. Enjoy :-)

We drove to Idaho Springs from Golden on a road that went through the mountains and followed Clear Creek all the way to the top. The drive was beautiful, and the lake and mountains were even better when you get there. Make sure you pay attention to the weather before you go. We had breakfast in Golden and it was high 50's and partly sunny. When we go to the lake and trail it was 36, and cloudy with light snow (end of September). My wife and I weren't dressed for the weather and didn't do the hike at 10,355' so we didn't do the hike, but the lake and the sights were fantastic. Idaho Springs is a cool little town, and we enjoyed lunch and walking around for a while after going to the top.

First and foremost, once you actually reach the glacier and the lake it is absolutely beautiful. There really wasn't a whole lot of the glacier left when my mom and I went early October, but the lake and surrounding mountains were gorgeous. My mom is 65 years old and does have heart problems and we are both from the Midwest and not used to high altitudes,but that being said, we did make it to the top of the trail. Lol. We took a lot of breaks to catch our breath and made sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated and when we made it to the top we were pretty proud of ourselves! The trail almost all up hill and we saw a sign that said "St Mary's Glacier 10,000 feet", so I assume that was the altitude at the top. A large majority of the trail is made up of large rocks, almost like maybe it was a rockslide at one point(?), which did make it a little tougher. One slight issue is that the trail is not marked in any way. So there were a couple times when we weren't sure which way to go, but luckily there were plenty of other people going up and down that were able to tell us the right way. It was tough going up, but going down was no problem and overall it was well worth it. I don't know about taking small children up there. I think it would probably be too much for them and fairly dangerous due to all the large rocks. We saw a lot of people with dogs running around, so do beware the of the dog poo unless you want to wear it home on your shoe like we did... not exactly the souvenir I was hoping for. Oh, and parking is $5 and does require exact change. And there's a little walk from the parking to the start of the trail.

Fun but kinda hard to find if you don't know the trail. Fortunately there are a lot of people going up and down, so it's fairly easy to find.

The hike was easy and not far to get to the glacier. It's pretty melted right now, but it's still cool to see! The lake was beautiful and the trees becoming yellow made the ride even more stunning.