Best Hikes near Denver - Saint Mary's Glacier Hike, Colorado

Best Hikes near Denver - Saint Mary's Glacier Hike, Colorado

Saint Mary’s Glacier is an easy 2.4 mile round trip hike with about 1,030 ft of elevation gain. It’s in Idaho Springs and about 45 minutes from Downtown Denver. Saint Mary’s has a glacier that has snow year round. Sometimes people will be skiing in August like they were when I last visited! There is a $5 cash fee to park in the lot and the views are worth any payment. The colors from the wildflowers in the summer are so lush. The lake is cold, but good for cliff jumping and swimming. There is a stream of water from the snowmelt near the glacier with lots of nice places to sit and enjoy the views. I love coming to this place to hike in different seasons throughout the year. This is a great hike to take visitors from out of town for beautiful views in a short distance. The drive up to the parking lot is gorgeous too!

Rocky Mountain National Park Lake Hikes - Dream Lake & Emerald Lake

August 10th, 2019

I had been to Dream lake once in October of 2018. It was a foggy, rainy/snowy day. The visibility was only as good as about 20 feet in front of me. Going back to this lake and up to Emerald Lake in August of 2019, I got to see the mountains in the distance that I had never seen before! I loved this difference in weather patterns and season.

These lakes are great hikes to get to with stunning views and beautiful at any time of the year.

Southwest Colorado Road trip

My parents have always taken my sister and I on vacations every July. Our trips varied from driving to Northern Minnesota from Iliinois or driving 2,000 miles from Illinois to Glacier National Park in Montana when I was about 8 years old. Years later, we occasionally made trips out to the Rocky Mountains, but it had been at least 4 years since we were all out West again. This year, although we weren’t all together, my parents drove out to Colorado and met me in Boulder. We left for a week long trip through Southwest Colorado. This is a collection of images from this trip through the Great Sand Dunes, historic Durango, Mesa Verde National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Breckenridge. It was incredible to spend a week straight with my parents. Since I moved away from home, we hardly ever get to spend so much time together. It was so important and meaningful to me.

Go tell someone you love and appreciate them today :)

Boulder Colorado Adventure Photographer

Boulder Colorado Adventure Photographer

Boulder Colorado Adventure Photographer

Boulder Colorado Adventure Photographer