State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length, One-Way: 8.4 miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8600 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11200 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Heavy
Trail Information
The Saint Vrain Glacier Trail continues west where the Buchanan Pass Trail makes a sharp switchback to the east 1.5 miles west of the Middle St. Vrain Trailhead and 5.3 miles west of the Buchanan Pass Trailhead on the Buchanan Pass Trail. This junction is also 3.6 miles west of the Coney Flats Trailhead and 7.0 miles west of the Beaver Reservoir Trailhead on the Beaver Creek and Buchanan Pass Trails.
The St. Vrain Glacier Trail continues west through the Indian Peaks Wilderness for another 3.1 miles to Gibraltar Lake (el. 11,200 feet), at the foot of the St. Vrain Glaciers. The first part is on an old road, but there are two unbridged crossings of Middle St. Vrain Creek which can be difficult, especially in early summer. Near the crossings, the trail breaks up into little paths as hikers seek the easiest route across the creek. The old road ends at a scenic pond with little islands. The outlet can be crossed on a pile of logs, but watch your footing as they are old and getting rotten.
At a large cairn on the far side, a constructed trail continues for another mile. In a field of boulders, even the trail gives up, leaving the hiker to wend through the rocks. Before the small lake in the bottom of the valley, a faint path climbs the hillside towards Gibraltar Lake, running out somewhere in the rocks. The Saint Vrain Glacier Trail ends in a dazzling cirque basin, resplendent with a half-dozen delicate lakes, craggy rock walls and glacial remnants.
Directions
The Buchanan Pass Trailhead is at the west end of the Camp Dick Campground. Camp Dick is one mile west of the Peaceful Valley Campground, accessed off of Highway 72 at mile-marker 50. This is approximately 4 miles south of the intersection of Highways 7 and 72. Turn west onto FDR 114 at Peaceful Valley and drive SLOWLY through the Peaceful Valley and Camp Dick Campgrounds. The section of the road to Camp Dick is paved, but has large speed bumps. Limited parking is available in the lot at the west end of Camp Dick.
In a four-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance, you can drive 3.6 miles further on FDR 114 (a.k.a. Middle St. Vrain Road). This is a rough four-wheel drive-only road, closed from late October through late June or early July. This road parallels the Buchanan Pass Trail on the south side of the Middle St. Vrain Creek and provides access to the Middle St. Vrain Trailhead. Park at the end of the road, cross the creek on the footbridge and hike the old road 100 yards to the Buchanan Pass Trail.
