St. Mary’s Glacier

FUN FACT:

There are 135 permanent snow or ice sheets in Colorado. Only 14 of them are named glaciers-all in the front range. (Source: http://glaciers.research.pdx.edu/Glaciers-Colorado)

One of the wonderful things about Colorado is the diversity of hiking available. From hiking the Colorado trail, to climbing 14ers, or leisurely strolls along the river, there is something for everyone to get out and enjoy nature. Ronen and I have done a lot of hikes around Conifer but years ago I did a hike up to St. Mary’s Glacier and I remembered loving it, so I decided to take Ronen. Afterall, we are running out of time to do all the cool things we have been talking about doing while in Colorado this summer.

The hike is only 3/4 of a mile and although it is a rocky trail, it’s fairly easy. Even though we went during the week, it was pretty busy with all ages and sizes making the little hike up to see a glacier. It was beautiful. A calm lake surrounded by funky trees, the glacier in the middle of a wildflower covered mountainside, its something you feel special for having seen it.

   

Since my first visit to the glacier 7 years ago, I noticed a few things have changed, some for the good, some, not so good. First of all, you now must pay to park. I was unaware that the land up to the glacier is privately owned and now, in order to protect his property, the owner requests you pay $5 prior to starting on your hike. I feel that this is a fair deal, after all, he is nice enough to allow people to hike through his land everyday. This view is worth the $5 don’t you think?

  

The second thing that is different is the trash along the trail and around the lake. I was so disappointed to see broken glass and garbage as well as dog feces that had not been cleaned up. I mean, come on people, respect the land! This is only a 3/4 mile hike, is it really that hard to pack out what you pack in?! I think not!

Besides, the garbage, we really had a great time. The dogs loved playing on the beach by the lake, I loved all the wildflowers, and Ronen enjoyed the whole experience. After all, it’s always nice to get out and enjoy nature.