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Just a mile and a half walk from Kennicott in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Root Glacier is a trip visitors can do solo or with a guided operation.Safety. A person should never walk on a glacier alone. The risk of slipping on the ice and sliding into an open crevasse, or of breaking through and falling into a hidden crevasse is too great.Come see Exit Glacier as it flows down from the Harding Icefield. The Exit Glacier area is the only part of the park accessible by road. Here you can explore the trails, walk very close to an active glacier, or take a ranger-led walk.
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| Taku Glacier | |
|---|---|
| Length | 58 km (36 miles) |
| Terminus | Taku River |
| Status | Retreating |
| Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap |
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Seeing icy blue glaciers is a quintessential Alaskan experience. Here’s where and how to do it on your trip to Alaska.
Perhaps you’ll drive or hike to Matanuska Glacier, take a day cruise through Prince William Sound, flightsee over the impressive Ruth Glacier, or kayak up close to the dramatic Columbia Glacier. No matter how you do it, seeing an Alaskan glacier will be a memorable adventure.
Was this video helpful? Read the full article here! https://www.alaska.org/advice/glaciers-in-alaska
And check out our other tips for planning an Alaska vacation at http://www.alaska.org. We show independent travelers a better way to see Alaska. Visit the highlights without the crowds or cookie-cutter experiences. #youneedalaska
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5 Glacier Hikes Near Anchorage – Andrea Kuuipo Abroad
The hike to Byron Glacier is one of the easiest glacier hikes in Alaska. It’s also a great option if you want to explore ice caves. The trail is …
Source: andreakuuipoabroad.com
Date Published: 9/11/2021
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Can you walk on glaciers?
Safety. A person should never walk on a glacier alone. The risk of slipping on the ice and sliding into an open crevasse, or of breaking through and falling into a hidden crevasse is too great.
Can you walk on Exit glacier?
Come see Exit Glacier as it flows down from the Harding Icefield. The Exit Glacier area is the only part of the park accessible by road. Here you can explore the trails, walk very close to an active glacier, or take a ranger-led walk.
How deep are the glaciers in Alaska?
…
| Taku Glacier | |
|---|---|
| Length | 58 km (36 miles) |
| Terminus | Taku River |
| Status | Retreating |
| Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap |
Can you walk on the Matanuska Glacier?
Yes, and that makes for spectacular glacier viewing. Get your snow gear on and join us for an unforgettable hike out over the Matanuska Glacier. Matanuska Glacier Adventures offers daily winter glacier tours, winter activities, and winter glacier access to Alaska’s largest glacier accessible by road.
Where can you walk inside a glacier?
Into the Glacier is the largest man-made ice tunnel in the world. Located inside Iceland’s second largest glacier, Langjökull, it’s been one of Iceland’s top attractions since its inception in 2012. Go Into the Glacier for an awe-inspiring opportunity to explore a glacier from the inside.
Can you live on a glacier?
Glaciers are fairly devoid of nutrients or conditions that might support life. While birds and large animals such as polar bears might visit a glacier, only a few small, specialized animal are capable of truly living on these massive blocks of snow and ice.
Can dogs hike Exit Glacier?
Pets are not allowed: on trails, such as the trails of the Exit Glacier area or the Harding Icefield Trail. in the coastal backcountry.
Is Exit Glacier worth visiting?
A stop at the Exit Glacier Nature Center is worth a visit. Located at the end of the Exit Glacier road, this facility is a great place to start as it provides information and exhibits about not only Exit Glacier, but the surrounding Seward area as well.
How long of a hike is Exit Glacier?
Try this 2.2-mile loop trail near Seward, Alaska. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 57 min to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking and walking, so you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring.
Why is the bottom of the glacier very dirty?
The warmer water penetrates down through the ice to the bottom of the glacier, where it becomes trapped beneath the immense weight of the ice and becomes “supercooled.” Eventually the water freezes again and becomes attached to the bottom of the glacier, along with whatever dirt and silt it can pick up.
How long does a glacier last?
It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene.
Why are glaciers blue?
Glacier ice is blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.
Is Matanuska Glacier hike easy?
Discover this 1.6-mile loop trail near Sutton, Alaska. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 36 min to complete. This is a popular trail for hiking, rock climbing, and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.
Do you have to pay to see Matanuska Glacier?
This valley glacier is found in the Mat-Su Valley and ends in the Matanuska River. You can pay to visit the glacier and it is worth it!
Can you walk on Matanuska Glacier in winter?
Matanuska Glacier is open year around. In summer, the visitor can access the glacier either by their own or with guided tours. However, in winters, the glacier can only be accessed with guided tours. We visited in winters and signed up with Matanuska Glacier Adventure for walking tour.
Seven Glaciers You Can Walk On in Alaska
Natural Feature
Just a few hours north of Anchorage, Matanuska is often the first glacier that those new to Alaska get to visit. It sits just off the Glenn Highway, its impressive breadth spans more than four miles wide and 27 miles long, meaning you can get rather impressive views even from a roadside pullout. Though to really appreciate the might of the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States, pay the $30 fee to get onto the private land the glacier flows upon and spend the day exploring the moulins, ice walls, and electric blue ice.
Glacier Power – How Dangerous are Glaciers? – ASF
Glaciers can be dangerous in many ways. However, as long as you keep safety in mind, visiting a glacier can be a wonderful experience.
Walking too close to a glacier can be hazardous! Often the ice will form cliffs at the terminus (the end of the glacier) or at the margins (the sides). Sometimes the ice makes towers called seracs.
Be Careful!
These cliffs and ice towers are unstable and can fall. Glaciers are always moving slowly, even though you usually can’t see them move. The movement causes stress. The stress causes cracking, which causes blocks of ice to break off and fall. Sometimes an entire serac or section of the ice front can collapse. People standing too close could be killed by falling ice.
Exit Glacier Area
Come see Exit Glacier as it flows down from the Harding Icefield. NPS photo / S. Wright (2017)
The Exit Glacier area is the only part of the park accessible by road.
Here you can explore the trails, walk very close to an active glacier, or take a ranger-led walk.
It is a place where you can witness up close how glaciers re-shape a landscape and learn how plant life reclaims the barren rocky land exposed by a glacier’s retreat.
There is no cell phone service or wifi at Exit Glacier.
Taku Glacier
Glacier in Alaska, United States
Taku Glacier (Lingít: T’aaḵú Ḵwáan Sít’i) is a tidewater glacier located in Taku Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, just southeast of the city of Juneau. Recognized as the deepest and thickest alpine temperate glacier known in the world, the Taku Glacier is measured at 4,845 feet (1,477 m) thick.[2] It is about 58 kilometres (36 mi) long, and is largely within the Tongass National Forest.
The glacier was originally named Schultze Glacier in 1883 and the Foster Glacier in 1890, but Taku, the name the local Tlingit natives had for the glacier, eventually stuck. It is nestled in the Coast Mountains and originates in the Juneau Icefield. It is the largest glacier in the icefield and one of the southernmost tidewater glaciers of the northern hemisphere.
The glacier, which converges with the Taku River at Taku Inlet, has a history of advancing until it blocks the river, creating a lake, followed by a dramatic break of the ice dam. The most recent of these advances occurred in 1750. The glacier has advanced 7.75 kilometres (4.82 mi) since 1890, and as of June 29, 2012 is 1.26 kilometres (0.78 mi) from Taku Point.[3] It is the only advancing glacier of the 20 major glaciers of the Juneau Icefield.[4] If the advance continues it will again block the river, but this appears unlikely at present. Since 1946, the glacier has been monitored by the Juneau Icefield Research Program, which has documented its rate of advance since 1988 at 17 metres (56 ft) a year. The advance is due to a positive mass balance; that is, more snow accumulates than snow and ice melt. Until 1948 the glacier had a calving front; since then the terminus has been grounded.[5]
Due to the positive mass balance and the fact that it was no longer losing mass to icebergs, Taku Glacier has become insensitive to the warming that has impacted all other glaciers of the icefield. This has driven its advance. The recent negative mass balance 1989-2005 is not large enough yet to stop the advance, but it is the first sign that the glacier’s advance may not take it to Taku Point.
An aerial view of a small corner of Taku Glacier, 2007.
Taku Glacier at the glacial snout
Taku Glacier is the namesake of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry M/V Taku.
Taku Glacier was reported to be in retreat as of 2019.[1]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
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MATANUSKA GLACIER WALK ⋆ 2 Hours from Anchorage, Alaska
Baby, it’s cold outside! Yes, and that makes for spectacular glacier viewing. Get your snow gear on and join us for an unforgettable hike out over the Matanuska Glacier. Matanuska Glacier Adventures offers daily winter glacier tours, winter activities, and winter glacier access to Alaska’s largest glacier accessible by road. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the glacier, a vast river of ice surrounded by snowy peaks and wilderness.
When you’re not sure what to do on a brisk, winter day, give us a call to plan a winter glacier hike for your family and friends.
Summer Glacier Tours
11 glacier adventures near Anchorage
Matanuska Glacier Park guide and caretaker Bill Stevenson walks along a narrow slot of ice at the foot of Matanuska Glacier on February 23, 2017. Matanuska Glacier Park now requires first-time winter visitors to take a $100 guided tour. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)
Whether you live in Alaska or are visiting, glaciers are one of the state’s most awe-inspiring and unique attractions. Alaska is, after all, home to most of the glaciers in the United States.
There are glacier trips for people of all ages and athletic abilities. We narrowed those trips down to the glaciers under 150 miles — or a two- to three-hour drive — from Anchorage.
But before we get to the adventures, let’s talk briefly about glacier safety.
Michelle Dalps, a park ranger at Kenai Fjords National Park, urges all glacier travelers to bring warm, layered clothes, sturdy shoes or boots, and a windbreak layer. Glaciers are colder than surrounding areas, and often windy.
Walking on glaciers can be dangerous unless — and sometimes even if — you have proper training and equipment.
“Ice is unpredictable,” Dalps said.
Crevasses and moulins (deep holes) form in the glacier. Crevasses especially are not always visible. If you want to trek the surface of a glacier, you need to either know what you are doing (i.e. be an experienced outdoorsperson with training in glacier travel) or hire a guide.
If you are on a kayak or boat near a glacier, stay half a mile away, as glaciers shift and calve without warning and create massive waves, Dalps said. Land on a beach at least a mile from a glacier, and camp 2 miles away.
When walking around the toe (where the glacier ends), keep a distance of twice the glacier’s height. Same goes for paddling around an iceberg.
Got it? Phew. Now for the fun stuff.
Disclaimer: This list explores some of the most popular glaciers and ways to see them, but for brevity’s sake it does not include many of the tour operators that offer hikes, scenic flights, kayaking, etc. More information about tours can be found with a simple online search.
View of Byron Glacier in the Kenai Mountains from across Portage Lake in the Chugach National Forest. (Bill Roth / ADN archive)
1. Portage Valley
About an hour’s drive from Anchorage on the Seward Highway is Portage Valley and the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. Two glaciers are easily accessible in the valley.
Byron Glacier is touted as being highly accessible for all ages. The 1.4-mile trail is a flat, easy walk. The first half is well-maintained, with a wide path. The second half is rocky, and to get closer to the glacier, visitors must cross boulders and small streams.
Then there’s Portage Glacier. The glacier has receded out of view from the visitor center, but in the summer there’s a daily cruise, and a pull-off where you can see the glacier from the road. A little farther down the road, Portage Pass trail is a 4-mile round-trip hike with glacier views.
During the winter, frozen Portage Lake is a popular spot for skiers and bikers traveling to the toe of the glacier, although there are no park rangers around in case of emergency.
2. Whittier and Prince William Sound
Continue down Portage Glacier Road another few miles — including a trip through the 2.5-mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel — and you wind up in the town of Whittier.
Whittier is the launching point for many cruises in Prince William Sound, which boasts more tidewater glaciers than any other region in North America. (Valdez is another launching spot, about a five-hour drive from Anchorage.)
Columbia, Meares and Blackstone glaciers are just three of the oft-visited glaciers in the area. There are many different types of tours, kayaking opportunities and public-use cabins in Prince William Sound.
Kids explore the waterline at Spencer Lake with a good view of Spencer Glacier and some of its icebergs. Hikers can access the area, south of Portage in Chugach National Forest, by way of Alaska Railroad’s whistle stop service, which drops passengers about a 1.3-mile walk from the lake. (Marc Lester / ADN archive)
3. Spencer Glacier
About 60 miles southeast of Anchorage, Spencer Glacier is only accessible via the Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery Train, which runs daily from May 26 through Sept. 17.
Visitors get off at the Spencer Whistle Stop in Chugach National Forest at 1:45 p.m. You can hike about 1.3 miles one way to the glacier viewing platform, or another 1.7 miles to the edge of the glacier (but be mindful of getting back to the train in time for the 4:40 p.m. pickup). Hike on your own or take a hike guided by a U.S. Forest Service ranger.
Campsites and a cabin are open mid-June and can be reserved through the railroad. Tour operators offer guided kayaking, ice climbing or trips down the Placer River.
The train continues past Spencer Glacier to Grandview, where Bartlett and Trail glaciers can be seen. There’s a short, 20-minute stop before the train loops around and heads back to Anchorage. A train ride to Seward has the same glacier views.
Jim Saylor, left, and Tucker Spohr in the meadows on the lower east flank of Benign Peak with Eklutna Glacier and 7,040-foot Peril Peak beyond them. (Shawn Lyons / ADN archive)
4. Eklutna
About an hour northeast of Anchorage is Eklutna Glacier, which provides most of the drinking water for Alaska’s largest city. Part of Chugach State Park, Eklutna Lake Campground has a large campsite, bike and kayak rentals, and a trail system that leads out to the glacier.
Glacier access is a bit of a journey — to get up close, take the Eklutna Lakeside Trail, 12.9 miles one way. The path follows the shore of the lake, then to the river and glacier. Alternatively, the Bold Ridge Trail is about 4 miles long with a steep 3,600-foot elevation gain that rewards you with glacier views.
A tour of the toe of Matanuska Glacier one year included a view of a cavelike channel. (Marc Lester / ADN)
5. Matanuska Glacier
The Matanuska Glacier is about a two-hour drive on the Glenn Highway northeast of Anchorage. It’s touted as one of the few major ice sheets in the world that visitors can drive to and explore on foot. The glacier itself is gigantic — about 26 miles long and 4 miles wide at its terminus.
The Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Area has 12 campsites, and a 20-minute walk to glacier-viewing platforms, but no direct access to the glacier.
The only road-accessible route directly to the glacier face is through property owned by Matanuska Glacier Park LLC. Tours are sold out of a gift shop and information center. Then, it’s a short drive and hike to reach the glacier. Guided tours are available.
The Glacier Park access costs $25 for Alaska residents, $30 for those from out of state in the summer. Winter access is $100 for first-time visitors, guided only.
6. South Fork Valley Trail
The South Fork Valley Trail is a relatively easy hike to Eagle and Symphony Lakes in Eagle River, about half an hour east of Anchorage. The hike is about 10 miles round-trip. Flute Glacier can be reached by walking to Eagle Lake, then heading another 2 miles up the valley to the toe of the glacier.
Glacial moraines stripe the surface of a glacier in Denali National Park. The glaciers are like conveyor belts for moving rocks and gravel downward with the flow of the ice. (Anne Raup / ADN archive)
7. Talkeetna
A little over two hours north of Anchorage, the town of Talkeetna is the staging point for climbers heading to Denali. It also has flightseeing options for those who want to bask in the splendor of North America’s tallest peak without climbing it.
There are hundreds of unnamed glaciers on Denali, and 40 named ones, according to the National Park Service. The longest ones — Ruth, Kahiltna and Muldrow — are each more than 30 miles long.
Multiple Talkeetna air taxi operators offer trips around the mountain. Some land on the different glaciers.
Linda Keys, visiting from Korea, takes photos of Exit Glacier from the lower level of the Harding Icefield Trail in Seward. (Yereth Rosen / ADN archive)
8. Seward
Exit Glacier is the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park accessible by road (and received a visit from former President Barack Obama in 2015).
The Exit Glacier Nature Center is the starting point for a system of trails leading to the glacier. Those wanting more can make the strenuous 8.2-mile round-trip hike up the Harding Icefield Trail for spectacular views of the massive ice field.
There’s also a 12-site, tents-only campground near the nature center.
Exit Glacier Road is only open to cars during the summer, usually mid-May. In the winter, snowmachines, skiers, dog sleds and fat bikes are still allowed on the road.
Then, there’s the rest of Kenai Fjords National Park. The park website highlights Bear Glacier Lagoon and boat tours that take visitors along the park’s tidewater glaciers.
Hikers brave a stiff breeze at the top of Bodenburg Butte. The 360-degree view includes the Talkeetna Mountains, the Knik Glacier and River and the Chugach Mountains. (Anne Raup / ADN archive)
9. Knik River
Excursions to Knik Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough exploded in popularity this winter, with fat-bikers taking a northern route that crosses a river.
Summer access comes by way of Knik Glacier Trail. There’s an 8-mile trail starting from Knik Glacier Tours that requires river crossings. Biking and boating are common. Tours are also offered through Knik River Lodge.
There’s also flightseeing available to Knik and Colony Glacier.
A Crow Pass Crossing racer begins the descent from the vicinity of Raven Glacier toward Eagle River in Chugach State Park. (Marc Lester / ADN archive)
10. Crow Pass Trail and Raven Glacier
Raven Glacier can be seen on the 23-mile Crow Pass Trail, which has trailheads at Girdwood (40 miles from Anchorage on the Seward Highway ) and the Eagle River Nature Center (about 26 miles east of Anchorage). This hike is recommended from late June to early September due to snow and avalanche danger.
For a glacier view with an 8-mile round trip, start from Girdwood’s Crow Creek trailhead. Hikers follow a series of switchbacks uphill, passing Jewel Glacier to the east of Crow Pass Cabin, and eventually arrive at Crow Pass and Raven Glacier. Hikers can continue on past the glacier, or turn around.
11. Hatcher Pass
About 80 minutes north of Anchorage is the Hatcher Pass Management Area, a popular recreational area.
Gold Mint Trail is a 16-mile round-trip journey that follows the Little Susitna River to the Mint Glacier Valley, where hikers can follow a fairly undeveloped trail up to Mint Glacier. There’s also good glacier viewing — and traversing — on the multiday Mint-Bomber Traverse for more advanced outdoor explorers.
5 Glacier Hikes Near Anchorage + Directions
Alaska has over 100,000 glaciers and seeing one is a bucket-list item for many visitors. There are so many ways to see glaciers in Alaska: by car, plane, bike, and even on foot.
Most of my favorite glaciers experiences in Alaska are when I get to hike right up to the face of the glacier! The glaciers near Anchorage are some of the most accessible and there are a ton of glacier hikes to choose from.
Here are five glacier hikes near Anchorage. I’ve listed them in order, by level of difficulty. All of these glaciers are within a 3-hour drive from Anchorage.
5 Glacier Hikes Near Anchorage
1. Matanuska Glacier
Distance: 0.5 miles
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Very Easy
Distance From Anchorage: 99 miles north
Matanuska Glacier is a 2-hour scenic drive north of Anchorage and it’s the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States! This makes it not so much of a hike, but it’s definitely one of the easiest ways to stand on top of a glacier in Alaska.
The glacier is 27-miles long and 4-miles wide and is definitely not to be missed on your trip to Alaska, especially on a bluebird day.
However, access to this glacier is private and requires payment. You can find information on Matanuska Glacier Adventure Tours. During the summer, you can walk around unguided or go on a guided tour. It’s a great place to try ice climbing.
During the winter months, you can only access the glacier on a guided tour. If you’re on a budget, I recommend visiting a different glacier.
How to get to Matanuska Glacier from Anchorage:
Take the Glenn Highway North and exit towards Palmer. Continue to Glacier View. Turn right onto Glacier Park Road. Continue onto Island Road and stay straight. Gate access will require payment to be made inside the building to your right. Turn right to stay on Island Road. The Matanuska Glacier parking lot will be at the end.
Matanuska Glacier
Planning a trip to Alaska? Check out my Alaska Travel Guide.
2. Byron Glacier
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Distance From Anchorage: 55 miles south
The hike to Byron Glacier is one of the easiest glacier hikes in Alaska. It’s also a great option if you want to explore ice caves.
The trail is mostly flat, which makes it perfect for families and all fitness levels. The main trail ends when you reach the benches, and offers views of Byron Glacier.
If you want to reach the face of the glacier, stand on top of it, or get inside some ice caves, then you will have to continue past the benches.
There is no real trail from this point on. You can scramble over the boulder field, or try to cross the river to your left and find a trail around the boulder field. This is when it can become more challenging.
Byron Glacier sits on the other side of the boulder field. This area is known for avalanches and rock falls, so explore the glacier at your own risk.
How to get to Byron Glacier from Anchorage:
Take the Glenn Highway South for 48 miles. Turn left towards Portage at Portage Glacier Road. Follow Portage Glacier Road for 6.5 miles. Keep right to continue on Portage Lake Loop, follow signs for Portage Glacier/Begich Boggs Visitor Center. Turn right onto Byron Glacier Road. The parking area for Byron Glacier trailhead will be on your right, one mile down the road.
Byron Glacier Ice Cave (Photo credit: Justin Ewing Photography)
3. Portage Glacier (Winter Hike)
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Distance From Anchorage: 55 miles south
Portage Glacier is only accessible on foot during the wintertime when the conditions are just right. Portage Lake needs to completely frozen over, allowing you to hike across to see the glacier hidden around the bend. This usually happens around February.
Crossing the frozen lake makes for a fun day trip. You can also ski or bike across the lake, if you wanted to.
This is a very popular winter hike, so it’s more than likely you’ll find an existing trail. If there is fresh snow on the lake and no trail, it will be much harder to cross. You will be exhausted trying to break trail.
If you want to see Portage Glacier during the summer, you can hike the Portage Pass Trail from Whittier or take a boat tour on the lake.
How to get to Portage Glacier from Anchorage:
Take the Glenn Highway South for 48 miles. Turn left towards Portage at Portage Glacier Road. Follow Portage Glacier Road for 6.5 miles. Keep right to continue on Portage Lake Loop, follow signs for Portage Glacier/Begich Boggs Visitor Center.
Portage Glacier
Read more: How to See Portage Glacier: Summer vs Winter
4. Raven Glacier
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance From Anchorage: 45 miles south
The Crow Pass Trail to Raven Glacier is one of my favorite glacier hikes in Alaska. The trail is actually 23 miles from Girdwood to Eagle River, and most people see Raven Glacier along the way. But, I really love Raven Glacier as a day hike!
The trail is easy to follow as it goes through the forest and gradually up the valley. You’ll gain around 2000 feet in elevation.
As you follow the trail, you’ll stay right of the waterfalls and make your way past Crystal Lake. You will see the Crow Pass Trail sign post and Raven Glacier is just beyond it.
This glacier is incredible to see. You can bring some crampons along if you want to walk around on it.
How to get to Raven Glacier from Anchorage: Take the Glenn Highway South and take a left at Alyeska Highway towards Girdwood. Turn left onto Crow Creek Road. Crow Creek Road turns slightly left and becomes Pack Trail. You will find parking for Crow Pass Trail at the end of the road.
Raven Glacier
5. Exit Glacier and Harding Icefield
Distance: 2 to 8.2 miles
Time: 2 to 8 hours
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance From Anchorage: 132 miles south
Exit Glacier and Harding Icefield is a scenic 2.5-hour drive south of Anchorage. The Exit Glacier is a short 1-mile loop that offers easy and epic views. You can continue past the Exit Glacier area to make your way to Harding Icefield.
The Harding Icefield Trail is 8.2 miles roundtrip. You’ll climb the valley through cottonwood and alder forests until you make it well above tree line to a breath-taking view of the 700-square-mile Icefield.
The Harding Icefield trail can be challenging as you gain 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile. So be prepared and bring enough water. The views are worth it.
The road to access Exit Glacier is usually closed during the winter at mile 1.3, but still accessible by ski, bike, or on foot. Make sure to plan accordingly.
How to get to Exit Glacier from Anchorage: Take the Seward Highway South towards Seward. Turn right onto Herman Leirer Road. Continue onto Exit Glacier Road. Follow the road to the end and you will see the Exit Glacier trailhead parking.
Exit Glacier
Read More Glacier Posts
Hike Root Glacier Trail
Knik Glacier Fat Bike Winter Trip
How to See Portage Glacier: Summer vs Winter
Hike Castner Glacier Ice Cave Trail
Hike Gulkana Glacier Trail in Alaska
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Where to See Alaska Glaciers Without Taking a Cruise
Portage Glacier
This is one of the most popular glaciers close to Anchorage—about a 1-hour drive away. Portage Glacier used to be visible from the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, which was built in the 1980s on the terminal moraine at one end of Portage Lake. But the ice has been receding more than 180 feet every year since Portage Lake formed in 1914. Now it’s out of sight. To reach the tip of the glacier today, you can take a 1-hour boat tour with Portage Glacier Cruises. The boat, the mv Ptarmigan, leaves five times every day for the quick journey narrated by a U.S. Forest Service ranger. During the summer months, Forest Service interpreters also host free campfire programs and guided hikes. But you can also see the ice on the short (4 miles round-trip) but taxing trail, which starts on the side of the Portage tunnel nearest to the town of Whittier.
The Boggs Center is also the starting point for the “Trail of Blue Ice” (a 5-mile system of gravel paths and boardwalks that connect nearby glaciers and campgrounds), and visitors can also walk a 1.4-mile path (suitable for all ages) to the neighboring Byron Glacier. Watch for icebergs in the lake, right next to the parking lot. They often bump into shore.
WINTER & SUMMER Alaska Glacier Tours ⋆ MATANUSKA GLACIER
Overall I enjoyed the hike, very scenic, but I do recommend bringing a sweatshirt and jeans because it does get cold. Our tour guide Madison remained professional, kind and calm… read moreOverall I enjoyed the hike, very scenic, but I do recommend bringing a sweatshirt and jeans because it does get cold. Our tour guide Madison remained professional, kind and calm throughout the hike. One reason I gave it a four star review though is because, a couple came along with a group of kids on the hike and were very rowdy and rambunctious. I had a problem with this because the tour guide previously explained that there were crevices bigger then themselves and to be careful, luckily no kids were hurt. The second reason I gave it a four star review is because, with these kids being so rowdy, one kid ran in front of me and I fell, thank goodness is wasn’t major and just a scratch and a bruise, I just kept trucking through the whole hike. The whole time Madison did an excellent job, but you could tell the kids were distracting her to ensure their safety. One recommendation is to raise the age limit to 10 or 11. This way, kids are starting to mature more and be more in tune with the world around them and worry about other people. To leave this review on a good note, I do recommend this hike to anyone who enjoys hiking and exploring. The views are spectacular, and is truly a once in a lifetime experience. read less
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