As is the case for all our species of Picea, the needles of P. glauca are sharp-pointed and stiff. In cross-section they are four-angled and roughly as thick as wide (not conspicuously flattened). The needles and cones of Picea glauca both tend to be a little longer than those of Picea mariana and the twigs are glabrous (smooth), whereas the twigs of Picea mariana are covered by short stiff hairs (look carefully with a hand lens near the branch tips).

Picea glauca is a common tree found primarily in northern Wisconsin. Unlike our other native spruce (Picea mariana), it grows mostly in upland habitats.