St. Mary's Glacier... again ;)

Three years ago, I hiked up to St. Mary’s Glacier and really enjoyed it. So when last Saturday I asked myself where I should go to escape the searing heat, the answer was simple - head to the mountains, see a glacial lake, and find some snow that never melts. This place is always a treat for the eyes, so I didn’t think twice. :) 

It was still early in the morning when I pulled into the parking lot, and found it completely empty. That surprised me. This place is popular, and 8 a.m. isn’t too early for weekend hikers. A few minutes later, I figured it out: they had recently built another parking lot - and that one was already full. :)
Anyway, I grabbed my backpack and started walking up the trail. And oh boy… this trail is tough. But it didn’t surprise me, it just reminded me to take it slow and enjoy it as much as possible.

 

The rocky, uneven trail winds through thick woods, so there’s little chance of taking a shortcut. But the hike is short, just about 20 minutes and 400 feet of elevation to reach the lake.

Almost there… just a couple more minutes, a couple hundred steps :)

The dried-out pines around the lake stunned me again. Tall and twisted, bent by relentless wind, they look really cool.

And here it is - the lake! That’s when I realized how lucky I was on my previous visit: calm water, perfect reflections (you can check for yourself - St Mary's Glacier hike). This time, the wind was strong, and the surface was choppy. But hey, no one promised beauty would show up every time, right?

There’s the glacier - a long tongue of snow reaching almost to the lake. When I squinted, I saw three slow-moving figures. Zooming in...

…they were skiers, carrying their gear up. I had a feeling I’d see them again soon.

Meanwhile I was circling the lake and something white caught my eye. Well... I guess there is a nice place for getting married too ;)

A newlywed couple was holding hands and posing for photos. What a great memory of the day!

The lake looked stunning, though not quite as magical without reflections. Maybe that's a good reason to come again - hoping for still water and perfect skies (yeah, clouds would be nice, right?).

I reached the far end of the lake and walked through a blooming meadow. Yellow, white, and purple flowers were everywhere, and the view of the lake from the glacier was breathtaking.

More skiers were climbing the glacier, getting ready to ski down.

Honestly, I enjoyed the views in all directions. Mountains, snow, flowers, pine trees, and fresh, fragrant air... it didn’t matter where I turned.

Then I noticed something at the edge of the meadow: a yellow-bellied marmot having breakfast! I love these animals! Such charming little fellows. :)

But it was hard to stay focused on just one thing. I turned back toward the glacier and saw the skiers preparing for their descent. I can only imagine what it feels like to ski down a snowy chute… in the middle of June!

When they reached the bottom, I turned my attention back to the flowers and marmot, who was now just 15 feet away, munching on grass and flowers like a gourmet. This guy has style. :)

Another skier zoomed down solo, fast and carefree.

At this point I decided to say goodbye to the marmot and continued walking along the lake.

I noticed some white flowers growing where streams joined the lake. You’ll always find these little blooms where water trickles into bigger bodies.

Well… it turns out you can’t really circle the lake without climbing near-vertical walls and crossing slippery snow fields (also almost vertical), while cursing yourself for being so stubborn. :)

But I made it around in one piece and found myself looking at the cliffs where people were gathering.

I didn’t realize anyone would actually jump into the lake, until I heard a loud slap followed by laughter. I turned just in time to catch a few more jumpers in action. Don’t worry, they didn’t swim or linger in the water long, it’s just above freezing, around 35°F. A quick jump and dash out was the only option. Definitely refreshing… and definitely a rush of adrenaline!

I spent nearly three hours up there and was a bit tired, mostly from climbing around the lake, so I wrapped up and headed back to Denver.

This time, I didn’t climb the glacier itself but still gained nearly 1,000 feet of elevation. And even with all the wandering, the total hike was under 3 miles. Sweet location - so close, and so beautiful!

Click here to see the hike on Google Maps: St. Mary's hike 2025-06-21

Specials thanks to ChatGPT for proofreading :)

Photos were take on June 21, 2025