TRAVEL AWAITS ARTICLES: Five Fabulous Glaciers of Alaska

The full article was published by Travel Awaits on Dec. 20, 2019

The Southwest where we live often experiences a heatwave. During such times, our trips to cold places come to mind. In three separate trips to Alaska, we experienced the cold at five fabulous glaciers which form when more snow falls than melts over time, compacting into ice. And this often occurs in regions least reached by solar heat — near the poles. Here are the glaciers we recommend you explore. It is so easy to get to them!

1. Worthington Glacier In Valdez, Alaska

 Because of a lot of wildfires around Anchorage, we proceeded to Valdez in the southeastern corner of Alaska north of Juneau. As we lost cell signals and our broadband communications, I exclaimed, “Gosh, the glaciers are puny around here! They’re just tiny patches of white.” A few minutes later,  a huge white mountain suddenly appeared on Richardson Highway. It was Worthington Glacier. At almost 6,000 acres, the glacier is part of the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site and designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. My husband excitedly climbed it and brought me a chunk of blue ice to keep in our freezer. 

2. Surprise Glacier In Prince William Sound

The following week, we took the four-hour Glacier Bay Cruise from Whittier, Alaska only 62 road miles southeast of Anchorage. We had to go through a 2.5 mile long tunnel that is shared by alternating one-way auto and railroad traffic. That turned out to be an experience in itself. We rode in a high-speed catamaran with huge picture windows plus extensive outside viewing areas. The cruise took us to Resurrection Bay and the College Fjords to see 26 glaciers up close.

One strikingly blue glacier suddenly appeared as we slowly approached Prince William Sound. It was like a scene before tragedy struck the Titanic. And that’s why it’s called the Surprise Glacier. Many pieces of ice had calved and were floating on the icy waters around us where sea otters were playing. And the crew served us glacial blue margaritas from ice they harvested. This Inside Passage cruise was one of our most memorable  Alaska adventures.

3. Salmon Glacier

On the way back to the lower 48, we drove down the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, also known as Glacier Highway. I grew impatient because I did not see a glimpse of a glacier-topped mountain for a couple of hours — until we turned right to take a peek at the town of Stewart, British Columbia, toward the coast. The bigger surprise, however, is the small town of Hyder, Alaska, with its population of almost a hundred people, only two miles from Stewart’s border. It is Alaska's southernmost tip and home to the fifth largest glacier in North America.

As we drove slowly up the hill, all of 15 miles from downtown Hyder and Stewart, the long glacier slowly made its appearance. When we reached the summit, we saw its entire extent. The pictures do not give it any justice. But the road was dirt/gravel and since it was also rainy that day, it was also very muddy. But there was no other way to get there and we paid the price for the beautiful sight.

4. Exit Glacier In Seward

The following year, we flew to Alaska and rented an RV to camp at other places we had not covered. One of the weekends, we headed off to the town of Seward at the mouth of Kenai Fjords National Park. Eight and a half miles west of the town is the famous Exit Glacier that is part of the huge Harding Ice Fields (which span 500 square miles). It is so named because it has been receding slowly since the earliest recorded terminus in 1815 — the recordings are so marked all along the way—about two miles from the most recent one. I finally walked on this glacial ridge. But it felt like I was inside a freezer so I quickly turned back after the very short photo opportunity.

5. Matanuska Glacier North Of Anchorage, Alaska

On our third trip, we went to see the Matanuska Glacier with my sister and her husband who had also relocated there. From the access at Mile Post 102, we drove through an “unsafe road” to the small cabin office two miles down the valley. There, we paid an entrance fee of $20 and drove another two miles to park close to the glacier. We braved the challenging, muddy, and slippery hike on the ice, using the cleats lent to us by my husband’s daughter. Finally, Matanuska gave me a true glacier walk!At 27 miles long and 4 miles wide, Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier accessible by car in the U.S. 

You can find many glaciers that are car-accessible, walkable, and photographable in Alaska. Go during the summertime to have unparalleled thrills, escape the heat where you are, but not suffer extreme cold!

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