For a century, the snowfield known as St. Mary’s Glacier has been a popular Colorado destination that captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands of visitors. Only an hour or so from Denver, the snowfield had, until this year, always been known to last year-round, bringing sightseers as well as skiers and snowboarders seeking summer turns.
Though it is called a glacier, scientists say St. Mary’s hasn’t been a true glacier — which is defined by ice so dense that it moves under the weight of Earth’s gravity — anytime in recent history. After the ice melted completely for the first time in recorded history this September, St. Mary’s isn’t even a perennial snowfield…