From U-shaped river valleys to huge boulders (called glacial erratics) randomly scattered along otherwise flat plateaus, glaciers have left their mark across the state. We are a Seward based guiding and hiking company focused on providing affordable Alaskan Adventures on the mountains and glaciers of Alaska. If you would like to compare where services are located, you can Add to My Alaska to compile a list and see all the points on the same map. Inside Passage © 2020 Alaska Travel Industry Association The mountains surrounding the glaciers and the Lodge, born of volcanic activity as recent as a 1992 eruption of Mt. Request your free official State of Alaska vacation planner. With nearly 100,000 glaciers, 5 percent of Alaska is covered by ice year-round. See all of the businesses offering services for Glacier Hiking & Climbing, Up to 30% Off All-Inclusive Package – Summer 2021. Visitors to Southeastern Alaska have only one option when it comes to up-close ice-gazing: Mendenhall Glacier. Visitors can try kayaking near the mouth of a tidewater glacier, take a guided hike across a valley glacier, or drive to Southcentral Alaska’s easily accessible Exit and Worthington glaciers. The best time to hike is from May to September when the weather conditions are the most favourable. Call or email us today to set up a Matanuska Glacier adventure designed just for you. In front of me, a broken and weathered engine of a TB-29 Superfortress. Glaciers are still slowly carving Alaska’s landscape. When glaciers crack, it sounds like thunder striking. Featuring epic flightseeing, glacier landing and guided hiking, this helicopter glacier hiking tour is the trip of a lifetime! Take your itinerary with you using our My Alaska Trip feature and the TravelAlaska app. I haven't done the glacier hike from Girdwood, but I think that involves a helicopter ride. You can raft or kayak through a sea of ice to the face of a tidewater glacier, fly over mountain cirques, take an afternoon helicopter tour and land on a glacier or test your footing across icewater rivers along a glacial moraine. Alaska’s glaciers are massive and majestic, bright white and deep blue, icy cold and oh so cool, and truly must be seen to be believed. Juneau These tiny creatures, related to earthworms, thrive at 32 degrees F (0 C). Your heli glacier hiking tour starts from the magnificent Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood, or the Girdwood Train Depot if coming from Anchorage by the Alaska Railroad. Alaska’s glacier hiking and climbing adventures are designed for a variety of interest and experience levels. Spur, provide the backdrop for our glacier explorations. Leaving from Kenai, you’ll fly in a floatplane with your glacier guide to a remote lake adjacent to the glacier. Hiking. Matanuska Glacier is really nice, but you don't gain much if any elevation, so the views are not as spectacular. The Bagley Icefield, comprised of multiple glaciers, is the largest non-polar icefield in North America. HELICOPTER GLACIER HIKING TOUR. Several tour companies provide flightseeing or helicopter glacier landings, while boat cruises in the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, and Resurrection Bay take you through berg-y waters to the glacier’s face. The trip to Raven Glacier is hike 60 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 5 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage. Start your day in Anchorage or Girdwood and join one of glacier day tours to get off the beaten path on a small group adventure, led by friendly and knowledgeable guides. This website uses cookies to analyze traffic and customize content on this site. Photo by Thomas James Caldwell licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 Head to Harding Icefield for views of surrounding peaks and fjords. I reached out and touched the metal. Wilderness Hiking There are no maintained trails in park wilderness, but beaches, recently deglaciated areas, and alpine meadows offer excellent hiking. The highlight of many a trip to Alaska! Alaska glacier cruises, hiking and flightseeing offer all visitors one of the 49th state’s most iconic traveler experiences. The Root Glacier is a 2 mile hike from our office in Kennecott. You can order special guided tours; there are plenty to choose from. Perhaps the most intimate way to experience the awesome scale of Alaska's glaciers is on the water. Matanuska Glacier Adventures provides road access to the glacier, guided tours, self-guided tours and more for both summer and winter explorers. This rarely visited segment of the Alaska Range is the location of two accessible glaciers – the Trimble and the Hayes. Most our trips require a bush flight to access the backcountry but on this one we shoulder our packs and simply start walking out of town from the historic Kennicott site. College Glacier is a relatively short, receding, and thinning glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range near the Richardson Highway. TravelAlaska.com is a registered mark of the State of Alaska. Kennicott / McCarthy This content is for educational purposes only. After an exhilarating hike to the glacier’s edge, you’ll put on your glacier hiking … Exit Glacier Road, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. Or, to learn more about glacier caves , check out this article on Mendenhall Glacier ice caves , part of our Nature & History series. The power of Alaska’s glaciers moves mountains, carves rivers, and stirs the imagination. Bicycling This is strictly an introductory with no steep walls and low heights of 50+ feet. "The largest glacier accessible by car in Alaska". Minimum two persons. We couldn’t wait to go glacier hiking in Anchorage! © 2020 Alaska Travel Industry Association The Bering Glacier, just outside the park boundaries, is the largest glacier in North America. The... Make a plan for Wow. Glaciers may be big, but they are accessible. This is an ideal trip if you are looking for a shorter trip but lots of drama and incredible views. Alaska has many accessible glaciers across the state that allow visitors to experience a frozen wonderland in the height of summer, and professionally guided glacier tours let you have safe, firsthand encounters with Alaska’s magnificent glaciers. From tidewater glaciers, to mountain cirques, to enormous icefields spanning across the horizon, Alaska has more active glaciers than anywhere else in the world. Access to the College Glacier begins at the same location as the Gulkana Glacier Hike. Hiking and backpacking in the Last Frontier. Day hikes can transport you into dramatic wilderness just outside one of Alaska’s cities in 15 or 20 minutes. We pioneered glacier guiding on the Kenai Peninsula and have the most experience to safely guide our clients onto the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park and the Chugach National Forest. ▼, Community: Today, most Alaska glaciers are retreating, but some occasionally surge forward when more meltwater reduces friction at the glacier’s base. It was cold. Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information. Monthly travel tips, highlights and savings! Spencer Glacier, Raven Glacier, McBride Glacier, and Portage Glacier are the most famous among them. Many of them are surprisingly accessible by land, air, or water. *Please accept our privacy policy I have read and agree to the terms and conditions in the privacy policy. The tidewater glaciers of Prince William Sound and the Kenai Fjords extend down from … *Please accept our privacy policy I have read and agree to the terms and conditions in the privacy policy. EXPLORE THE SCENIC DENALI HIGHWAY IN A 4 DOOR JEEP WRANGLER! Glaciers are located throughout the Inside Passage, Southcentral Alaska’s coastal waters, and the high mountains of Interior Alaska. Much of the remaining landscape shows evidence of a glacier’s passing. By Water Glacier & Wildlife Cruises, Sea Kayaking, Rafting, Canoeing, and Jet Skiing. Exit Glacier is one of the few glaciers in Alaska that you can practically get within arm’s length of. Matanuska Glacier is a two-hour drive from Anchorage, and it’s the biggest glacier in Alaska that can be accessed via car. Utilizing the Alaska Railroad or helicopter flights provides backcountry access off the road system. Make a plan for Wow. See photos, videos, trip ideas, suggestions from Alaskans and more. This area of Alaska gets little snow making it a great early season hiking destination. Luckily, we have compiled a list of some of the best glacier tours and have categorized each experience by sea, air, or land. A nuclear-capable strategic bomber, similar to the ones that delivered their atom-splitting payloads over Japan in August 1945. The 4,000-acre wildlife refuge provides protected habitat for terrestrial and aquatic life Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge is where land and and sea meet and intermingle in saltwater wetlands. Hiking is an inherently dangerous activity, and Alaska is an inherently dangerous place; so no matter what I or anyone else says, you are responsible for your own safety and choices. And, if you’re lucky, you may even see an ice worm! A new trip added to our line-and it's a real winner offering both glacier hiking and ridge walks. We are happy to point you in the right direction and help you obtain maps of these trail systems. Cool summers and abundant snowfall in winter, especially at higher elevations, transform snow into ice, building layer on layer over hundreds or thousands of years. Join us for guided hiking, glacier walks, and heli-hiking excursions near Alaska's hiking hotspots like Denali National Park, Talkeetna, Seward, Homer, and Anchorage. Whether you’re driving along on of Alaska’s Scenic Byways, on a cruise, flightseeing, or hiking, it’s easy to see Alaska’s glaciers. For stunning glacier-front views and somewhat less hiking, you might consider the Private Mendenhall Glacier Paddle & Trek. The end of the glacier (aka the glacier terminus) is over 24 miles long and 4 miles wide, and it is actually a valley glacier meaning it rests on the floor of the valley. The best lodges for guided hiking: Kenai Backcountry Lodge, where you'll hike through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; Kenai Riverside Lodge, which offers hikes in Chugach National Forest; Camp Denali / North Face Lodge in the heart of Denali. -- Choose Subcategory -- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is home to the country’s largest glacial system. In a land of superlatives, Alaska’s glaciers reign supreme. Most days, hiking guides will be leading 5 or 8 hour hikes on the Root Glacier. This website uses cookies to analyze traffic and customize content on this site. See photos, videos, trip ideas, suggestions from Alaskans and more. One of the most popular glaciers in Alaska, Mendenhall sits just 12 miles outside of Juneau.The West Glacier Trail, a roughly four-mile jaunt, is the easiest way to get there. This is a non-technical hike (no ropes are required) and we will teach you the glacier skills needed for the position. Click on the individual trip below for more details, photos, and reservation information. If you see blue ice, you are looking at history. TravelAlaska.com is a registered mark of the State of Alaska. There are many beautiful day hikes in the area both within the Glacier Bay National Park and also on the lodge property and Gustavus. One of very few road-accessible glaciers in the world, it’s simply an incredible […] The 13-mile long floe ends in an iceberg-studded lake 30 minutes outside of Juneau. Want to Do All of the Crow Pass Trail? You can raft or kayak through a sea of ice to the face of a tidewater glacier, fly over mountain cirques, take an afternoon helicopter tour and land on a glacier or test your footing across icewater rivers along a glacial moraine. For those who want to spend more time experiencing Alaska's glaciers and are feeling more adventurous you can you can take a one-day trip to an icefield, explore ice caves, learn technical ice-climbing skills during a multi-day climbing workshop or take an overnight camping trip on a slow-moving glacier. Visitors can try kayaking near the mouth of a tidewater glacier, take a guided hike across a valley glacier, or drive to Southcentral Alaska’s easily accessible Exit and Worthington glaciers. The Matanuska Glacier, the massive valley glacier just 100 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, has easily accessible shallow ice cliffs suitable for introductory ice climbing. MATANUSKA GLACIER PARK: Year-round Glacier Hiking, Glacier Climbing & Guided Glacier Tours. If you would like to compare where services are located, you can Add to My Alaska to compile a list and see all the points on the same map. Feel the wind blowing off the glacier and be inspired. Click here to find businesses that can help you explore Alaska's glaciers. By clicking OK and using this website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy regarding the use of cookies. Hiking the Bomber Glacier, Alaska Garland | Last Updated: May 30, 2020 Bomber Glacier. To the south of the Lodge lie the Tordrillo Mountains. learn technical ice-climbing skills during a multi-day climbing workshop or take an overnight camping trip on a slow-moving glacier. Exit Glacier Ice Hiking This 7-8 hour tour is popular with clients that don't shy away from exercise on their vacations. ▼. The Malaspina Glacier, a National Natural Landmark, is the world’s largest piedmont glacier (and covers an area larger than Rhode Island). If you’re an ambitious hiker, you can make a day out of it and follow the switchbacks up to Harding Icefield.This 500-square-mile frozen mass feeds almost three dozen glaciers, including Exit. A Custom Glacier Experience PRIVATE MATANUSKA GLACIER HIKE PRICE FROM $150/PERSON CHART YOUR OWN PATH NOVA welcomes the opportunity to create a custom, private or group glacier hiking adventure with our experienced glacier guides. Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information. ▼, Region: We’ve heard time again from visitors that exploring Matanuska Glacier was the highlight of their Alaska vacation. Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, and the Nabesna Glacier is the world’s longest interior valley glacier. Whether it’s your first time glacier hiking, paddling or you are an experienced adventurer, we offer a variety of … The picturesque path to the glacier is a mixture of back-country and on-trail trekking and the view from the top of the 1400ft of elevation that we gain while traveling over 1.6 … Several tour companies provide flightseeing or helicopter glacier landings, while boat cruises in the Inside Passage, Prince William Sound, and Resurrection Bay take you through berg-y waters to the glacier’s face. Take your itinerary with you using our My Alaska Trip feature and the TravelAlaska app. The Castner Glacier is an easily accessible glacier toe in the Delta Mountains of the Alaska Range. By clicking OK and using this website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy regarding the use of cookies. Monthly travel tips, highlights and savings! It’s only about 2.5 miles long and is fed by two small accumulation areas. Sitka alder is a successional plant that grows in a mass along beach and stream edges, avalanche chutes and up mountain slopes. As they melt, these rivers of ice become the headwaters for many Alaska river systems. One quarter of Alaska’s glaciers - more than 4.5 million acres - can be found within Alaska’s national parks. Younger, less compressed white ice contains many tiny air bubbles. SAVE $30 PER PERSON. Hiking, Biking and Backcountry  »   Get ready for an Alaskan-style glacier hiking adventure in Lake Clark National Park! Alaska's Matanuska Glacier was not my first glacier hike (last year, I climbed on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand). On all of our Alaska glacier hiking trips you’ll have the chance to see an amazing variety of glacial features such as crevasses, canyons, waterfalls, blue pools and moulins (holes drilled in the ice by meltwater). Guided Camping & Hiking Glacier Hiking & Climbing Though there are numerous less known ones as well. Things To Do  »   Donoho Lakes Glacier Hiking Trek Our most popular backpacking trip, this route hits the sweet spot - absolutely stunning vistas every day at our most economical price. And Kennicott Glacier Lodge is great for self-guided hikes. If you’re thinking of doing the entire Crow Pass trail, the best source of information is the staff at the Eagle River Nature Center, which sits at the far (finishing) end of the 24-mile trail. With mountain and glacier vistas, wildflowers galore, wildlife encounters, and the majesty and mystery which makes this destination truly unique, hiking in Alaska is more exciting – we guarantee it! Moraines at the middle, sides, and end of the glacier are the remains of debris picked up by the glacier’s movement. But I'm now convinced that glacier trekking is like bungy jumping: it doesn't matter how many times you do it — it's still guaranteed to be amazing. Compressed by layers of ice and snow, glaciers’ gorgeous blue ice is the densest ice of all. Alaska’s glacier hiking and climbing adventures are designed for a variety of interest and experience levels. Be prepared to tangle with the alder. The scenic two hour drive north east of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway makes it an easy day trip from Anchorage. No Experience Necessary. Join us for a fun filled day exploring the Matanuska Glacier. Southcentral The hike to College Glacier is longer, more strenuous, and more challenging to navigate to than the Gulkana. Request your free official State of Alaska vacation planner. Iceworms tend to hide during sunny days when the surface of the glacier warms, but they are perfectly at home below the glaciers’ surface where the temperature remains just below freezing. 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