(I did this hike twice so far -once with SN and once with SU. The first was on Dec 28, 2014, the second was on January 14, 2015.)
Reaching St. Mary's Falls Trailhead/Trail -This trailhead was so hard to find! It took me 6 trips to find it, and I thought I was special until a friend told me she has yet to find it!
So, first take Cimarron from downtown which turns into 24. Then turn left onto 8th Ave. Then turn right onto Lower Gold Camp Road. Follow this up for a long time. The pavement will turn to dirt. You will pass through at least 2 tunnels. You will pass a parking area on the side of the road, maybe a few parking areas, and then a parking lot which I have on occassion mistaken to be the Gold Camp Road 4-Way. (Number 32 on the Atlas). Alas, you should know when you're at the 4-way. It is a big parking lot where four ways intersect. One is Lower Gold Camp, which you should be on. Another is Cheyenne Boulevard (see post on Cutler Mountain Trail for more about this). Another is the High Drive, which has been closed and still is. (See here for an article: http://gazette.com/popular-colorado-springs-trail-will-remain-shut-down-until-next-year/article/1518042). The fourth is where you are going. It is the closed portion of Gold Camp Road, according to the Atlas.
As you pull in the parking lot, the closed portion of Gold Camp Road -the road for accessing St. Mary's Falls -is right across from you. You will see a gate blocking it. Park, and walk up this road for what the Atlas says is a mile. You will pass a sign for some watershed or creek, and then a trail will lead off to the right. THIS IS THE TRAIL FOR SEVEN BRIDGES. I mistakenly went down this once thinking I'd found St. Mary's Falls, and only upon further investigation on the Atlas did I realize it was Seven Bridges instead.
Keep hiking down the road. You will eventually see a crumbled tunnel on the right. The Atlas says this is Tunnel 3. (Apparently there is some hefty legend of the haunted variety around this tunnel -see http://pikespeakcourier.net/stories/Ghostly-Gold-Camp-Road,47562 for example). I guess Gold Camp Road went through it at one point -I will have to check this out the next time I go! (You can see Gold Camp Road continuing, and the tiny tunnel, on the Atlas Map) Keep walking straight. The road narrows into a trail and takes you uphill, which will wrap around and go over the tunnel. You are on St. Mary's Trail! Congrats! Hike for what seemed to us like longer than the signage posted tells you it is. Eventually you will reach the falls. For us, it was hard to tell because both times I hiked in the winter. The falls were frozen solid and covered with snow so it just looked like part of the mountain. But I brushed off a bit of snow to reveal the frozen pillars of the falls underneath. (See photo above). It was an interesting winter hike.
The trail itself was moderately difficult. I say this because it was a bit long (though we took it in winter without snowshoes, undoubtedly making it more tiring and longer-seeming.) There is also a lot of gradual uphill. Pay attention to signs and where you are turning, etc. as the trail is not one you can auto-pilot, but should be easy enough if you pay attention (sometimes hard for me, ha).
Stats -The Atlas says St. Mary's Falls is 3.5 miles roundtrip. Everyone I have hiked with says it feels like more. I don't know if the 3.5 miles was meant to include the mile up the road to access the trail, or therefore the mile back. So the trail up to St. Mary's Falls might be 5.5 miles roundtrip. This, including the drive up on Lower Gold Camp, should mean you reserve at least a half a day (safer in the morning) for this hike.
Other options from this area -Of course, there are loads of options off Lower Gold Camp. I intend to check out what that other parking lot that looks like the 4-way leads to.
Once you get to the 4-way, you can hike up the High Drive and consult the Atlas for stuff to do up there.
Also, if you continue down from the 4-way across the "way" on Cheyenne Boulevard, you can see Helen Hunt Falls and all the hiking points along Cheyenne Boulevard (though this wouldn't be the most direct route to get there -for that see the Cutler Mountain Trail blog post).
Finally, once you are actually on the road off the 4-way that leads to the St. Mary's Trailhead (Gold Camp Road), you can also do the Seven Bridges Trail, as mentioned above (also, see Seven Bridges Trail blog post).
Once you get over Tunnel 3, there will be an option to continue straight (St. Mary's Falls trail is up and to the right). This seems to be the continuation of Gold Camp Road and you can discover Tunnels 4 and 5. Consult the Atlas map for extras.
If you keep hiking up St. Mary's Trail past St. Mary's Falls, you can reach Mount Rosa (see the Atlas, this would be a good day-long trip). Consult the Atlas for other options.
Not the best view from the Falls at the top, but interesting...
When one confronts a bend in the road (here, you will come downhill after going uphill, and then bend towards the right, there will be another trail leading down towards the left), make an arrow to remind one's spacy self on the way down. Idea courtesy of SN.
First time up St. Mary's Falls with my true love
A better view from the Falls at the top the first time around...
Sign along the trail for St. Mary's Falls -1.5 miles, Mt. Rosa Summit -5 miles, and Frosty's Park -5 miles. Other options from this trail. Keep in mind there is probably already a 1 mile hike in along the access road, whether or not that is included in the 3.5 miles roundtrip for St. Mary's Falls (although this sign's distances are some ways along the St. Mary's Trail). So all in all, to reach Mt. Rosa or Frosty's Park, it is anywhere from 8.5 miles to 10.5 miles, add in round trip for these and its 13.5 miles to 15.5 miles. But I think you are allowed to camp overnight up here...or just access Mt. Rosa and Frosty's Park from the other side -Old Stage Road (see Frosty's Park blog post).
One of the tunnels you pass through on Lower Gold Camp Road on the way up to the 4-way.
Some fun photos with my friend's Go Pro. This is hiking on the closed portion of Gold Camp Road that leads to the St. Mary's Falls trailhead.
A visitor from Indonesia, my best friend and room mate for all four years of college, who introduced me to Colorado, among many things.
Always have enough water!!
Awe inspired.