10 Magnificent Glaciers in Alaska

 

1. Columbia Glacier

Located on the eastern side of Prince William Sound, this glacier is 200-400 feet tall. 

2. Hubbard Glacier (Lingít: Sít'Sít' Tlein)

With a length of 76 miles, a width of 6 miles, and ice cliffs as tall as a 30-story building, Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America.

3. Valdez Glacier

This valley glacier, located in the Chugach mountains, is easily accessible from the town of Valdez and is the perfect glacier to explore by kayak or canoe. 

4. Worthington Glacier

If you want snow, visiting the Worthington Glacier is a must. Located 28 miles from Valdez, this glacier is the snowiest place in Alaska and one of the easiest "walk-ups."

5. Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay is where you want to go if you want to see some glacier calving action. With dozens of glaciers and all sorts of Alaskan wildlife, this place is a paradise for glacier lovers and photographers. 

6. Mendenhall Glacier ("Sit" in Tlingit Language)

Mendenhall is the most famous glacier in Juneau. Stretching 13 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake, it ranges from 300 to 1,800 feet deep. At its widest point, Mendenhall Glacier is over half a mile wide! 

7. Sawyer Glacier

The twin North Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers are in Tracy Arm, 45 miles south of Juneau. The North Glacier is the most accessible and easy to spot since it is located at the end of Tracy Arm Fjord.

8. Denver Glacier

If your cruise stops in Skagway, you need to visit this snowcapped glacier 6 miles into the coastal rainforest of Alaska. The glacier is accessible by taking a short train ride from Skagway to the Denver trailhead, where you can walk to the glacier.

9. Dawes Glacier

The 600-foot tall and mile-wide active Dawes Glacier is quite a show you can admire from the comfort of your cruise ship's deck or your cabin's balcony.

When the ship sails near this glacier at the end of Endicott Arm Fjord (50 miles SE of Juneau), you will hear the "white thunder," a sound produced when a colossal piece of ice splashes into the water.

10. Portage Glacier

Located south of Portage Lake on the Kenai Peninsula, around 60 miles from downtown Anchorage, this active glacier has been quickly receding and can no longer be seen from the visitor center. To admire Portage, we recommend a boat tour, or if you are there in the winter, you can walk on the frozen lake and see the glacier from there.

Honorable Mentions

11. Matanuska Glacier

At 27 miles long by 4 miles wide, it is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. Its terminus feeds the Matanuska River. If you are visiting Anchorage, you don't want to miss this amazing blue maze of ice. The glacier lies south of Glacier Park, near the Glenn Highway, about 100 miles northeast of Anchorage.

12. Exit Glacier

Located in the Kenai Fjords National Park, just 15 minutes from Seward, Exit Glacier is one of the most visited glaciers in Alaska and one of the few you can easily drive or hike to and experience the magnificent blue ice while listening to it crackle.