When a friend asked to do a hike with snow in July, I laughed. Especially this year when we've had so little snow. Then I remembered: St. Mary's Glacier, near Idaho Springs.
St. Mary's Glacier has snow year-round, but the snow field is getting smaller and smaller. Clear Creek County's website says St. Mary's was "originally named a glacier," but "has been re-categorized as a "semi-permanent snowfield" as it does not move and is stationary." I'm not sure the term matters if you're looking for a place with snow in the middle of a hot summer.
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The hike is near the town of Alice, about a half hour drive from Idaho Springs. There are multiple parking lots near the trailhead. In 2026, most cost $10 or $20. You can pay online, with a check or with cash. Most of the parking lots have portable toilets.
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The hike starts on an old rocky road next to a fenced-off cabin. There are two small signs here. One says, "St. Mary's Glacier Trail, 1.6 mi, 528 feet elev gain, out & back." The other says, "James Peak Trail via St. Mary's Glacier, 8 mi, 2,952 feet elev gain." If you look at a map of the area, there are actually more options including Loch Lomand, but for the hike today, we decided to just hike the "glacier."
While the trail is short, it's not easy. It starts at 10,400 feet in elevation and it goes uphill right away. If you're not a hiker and/or not used to elevation, this will have you breathing hard.
The first turn is less than a half mile from the parking lot, depending on which parking lot you choose. Just after the turn, you'll likely notice a large wall of rocks and a series of signs that say:
Please help us
Restore this trail
Place a rock on the wall
It's fun to choose a rock and add it to the wall. It's also a good spot to catch your breath.
From here, it was less than 0.2 miles to the lake. There are some dead trees at the southeast end of the lake, but the lake is quite pretty.
Depending on when you visit, you may be able to see a little snow on the hillside at the other end of the lake — that's St. Mary's Glacier.
After some photos, walk the shoreline or take the bridge over the outflow of the lake. As you walk, you'll notice two options. You can keep following the shoreline, or take the high trail into the trees.
Either way, you'll end up on the hillside with the glacier. Below it, you'll likely see a couple cascades or waterfalls. The hillside is very rocky, so watch your step. If you decide to walk on the snow, you'll want to be careful because there are some crevices and some spots where the snow has melted underneath. The best dirt trail is on the right of the glacier, but there's also one on the left side, too.
Now it's decision time. You can enjoy the snow, the waterfall and the lake or you can climb higher. If you want to go to the top of the glacier, you'll need to keep hiking up, even when the snow runs out, because there's now a gap between the main snow field and another smaller snow field above it.
The snow finally stopped at about 1.35 miles from the main road. It was about 1,000 feet of elevation gain to get to this spot.
If you hike a little higher, you'll get a view of the large wilderness above St. Mary's Glacier, including a view of James Peak in the distance.
Details: The hike can be as short as 1.1 miles roundtrip if you want to hike to the lake, 1.6 (ish) miles roundtrip for the glacier, or 2.7 miles roundtrip to the top of the snow field.
Consider bringing water shoes and a towel, because a lot of people like to put their feet in the lake and cool off. We even saw people with skis and helmets getting a few turns on the snow field, but that looked dangerous.
If you have any questions, or hike suggestions, email me at HikingDebbie@gmail.com and find more great hikes by following me on Facebook at Facebook.com/DenverHikingExaminer.