Glacier Club Webcam – Golf and Cliff Views Near Durango

The Glacier Club Webcam looks out from the Mountain Clubhouse of a private golf community 29 kilometers (18 miles) north of Durango, Colorado. The camera pans slowly across a wide arc, from banded cliffs above slopes of ponderosa pine and aspen to green fairways down in the valley and long forested ridges on the far side, where the highest crests can hold early snow by mid-October. In autumn the aspens just below the clubhouse roof turn gold and orange against the dark pines. A second tab switches to the VIP tee box on the first hole of the Mountain Course, where a fixed camera looks down through tall ponderosas to the fairway far below.

About the Glacier Club

The Glacier Club sits at an average elevation of about 2,195 meters (7,200 feet), west of the Animas River and just south of Purgatory Resort, with the San Juan National Forest along its edge. The land was first developed in the early 1970s as a collection of hotels, a convention center, meeting facilities and a ski area, and it was reimagined as a private club and residential community in 2001. The entrance is on Glacier Club Drive, beside The Lodge at Tamarron on US Highway 550.

Golf is the center of the place, with 36 holes on two courses. The Valley Course is an Arthur Hills design from 1975, renovated in 2004, and plays to par 71 over 5,977 meters (6,536 yards) from the back tees. The Mountain Course, laid out by three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin with Todd Schoeder, gained nine new holes in 2017 and now stretches to 6,433 meters (7,035 yards), also at par 71. Carts are required on the Mountain Course, while golfers may walk the Valley Course. The Mountain Practice Park adds 5.3 hectares (13 acres) of turf and target greens, and the club has been a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary since 2010 for its wildlife habitat and water management.

The main camera is mounted on the 1,858 square meter (20,000 square foot) Mountain Clubhouse, which the club describes as perched on a cliff above the first fairway of the Mountain Course. That is why the two views on this page belong together. Brown shingled roof edges and two white posts of the building slip into the frame at one end of the sweep, and the tee box camera watches the same opening hole that the clubhouse looks down on.

Weather and Climate at the Glacier Club

At this height the seasons are sharp. Ten years of weather records for the club’s elevation put typical July highs around 28 C (82 F), with nights dropping to about 11 C (51 F), so summer tee times start cool even in the warmest month. June runs close behind at about 25 C (77 F). By October, highs fall to around 16 C (60 F) and nights sit near freezing, which is when the aspens on the slopes under the cliffs turn yellow and orange.

Winter is long and cold. January highs average about 3 C (37 F) and lows about minus 11 C (12 F), and December is nearly as cold, so most winter precipitation falls as snow. The pines keep their color, and the clubhouse camera can show snow-covered fairways under dark forest and banded cliffs. Spring comes late at this altitude: April highs reach about 12 C (53 F), and nights stay close to freezing into May.

Things to Do Near the Glacier Club

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has run since 1881, and its 72 kilometers (45 miles) of track between Durango and Silverton cross part of the San Juan National Forest. The line has a depot at Rockwood, a hamlet about 1 kilometer (0.7 miles) south of the clubhouse. Haviland Lake, a state wildlife area about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) north at 2,472 meters (8,110 feet), has a campground and a trailhead. To the southwest, the Hermosa Creek Trailhead, about 6 kilometers (3.9 miles) away, leads up Hermosa Creek, with the Lower Hermosa Campground close by.

Purgatory Resort is about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) north, where lifts such as the Purgatory Village Express and the Hermosa Park Express serve the ski slopes. Farther north, Engineer Mountain rises to 3,940 meters (12,927 feet) about 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) away, with the Engineer Mountain Trail close by, while Twilight Peak tops out at 4,007 meters (13,146 feet) to the northeast. Durango, 29 kilometers (18 miles) south, is where the train rides to Silverton begin, and its Animas Museum sits on the north side of town.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of Durango, the San Juan Mountains and golf with a mountain backdrop, try these cameras.

• Ouray Webcam
• Fort Lewis College Webcam
• St. Eugene Golf Resort Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Glacier Club located?

The Glacier Club is at 600 Glacier Club Drive, about 29 kilometers (18 miles) north of Durango, Colorado, off US Highway 550. It lies west of the Animas River and just south of Purgatory Resort.

What can you see on the Glacier Club Webcam?

The clubhouse camera sweeps from banded cliffs and aspen slopes across ponderosa forest and fairways to the ridges on the far side of the valley. The second tab shows the VIP tee box on Hole 1 of the Mountain Course, looking down to the fairway and the bunkers by the green.

Why does the view on the Glacier Club Webcam keep moving?

The Mountain Clubhouse camera pans continuously instead of holding one angle, so the cliffs, the forest and the fairways come round in turn over several minutes. The tee box camera in the second tab has a fixed view.

What is the weather like at the Glacier Club?

Summers are warm by day and cool at night, with July highs near 28 C (82 F) and lows near 11 C (51 F). Winters are cold, with January highs around 3 C (37 F) and lows near minus 11 C (12 F).

How high is the Glacier Club in Colorado?

The club’s two golf courses sit at an average elevation of about 2,195 meters (7,200 feet). Haviland Lake, just to the north, is higher still at 2,472 meters (8,110 feet).

Who designed the golf courses at the Glacier Club?

Arthur Hills designed the Valley Course, which opened in 1975. The Mountain Course is the work of Hale Irwin and Todd Schoeder, and it gained nine new holes in 2017.

Is the Glacier Club open to the public?

It is a private club and residential community. The club’s own fact sheet lists the Mountain Course as private and the Valley Course as private and resort, so ask the club about guest play before planning a round.

How far is the Glacier Club from Purgatory Resort?

Purgatory Resort is about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) north of the clubhouse in a straight line, and US Highway 550 links the two.

Source: The Glacier Club