St Mary’s Glacier

St Mary’s Glacier

Saint Mary’s Glacier (or Saint Marys) is a semi-permanent snowfield located in Arapaho National Forest in the state of Colorado. Unofficially Colorado’s most popular “glacier,” Saint Mary’s Glacier, isn’t actually a glacier at all according to many experts. It’s actually just a semi-permanent snowfield. This might not seem like a big deal, but there’s a big difference between these two distinct designations. According to Google Dictionary, a glacier is “a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains.” Capable of amassing a huge amount of weight, glaciers are responsible for carving out much of the Colorado landscape. This is where a glacier differs from a snowfield – a snowfield doesn’t really move, which means it’s not altering the landscape in a big way.