One of the best things about spending time in Alaska is getting to visit glaciers, whether it’s for hiking, dog sledding or just enjoying the ancient ice as it slides down the mountains towards the sea… or lake. From Juneau to Fairbanks there are lots of glaciers you can visit either on your own or as part of a tour. We’ve put together a great list of options for glaciers to visit in Alaska no matter what region you’re visiting or budget you’re working with.
As you read on, think about the type of glacier experience you want to have when you come to Alaska, and also what season you’re visiting in. Some Alaska glaciers are very different to visit in winter than summer, and they may just make you want to come back for the winter experience or change your trip altogether. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need additional suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great trip to Alaska.
Alaska Glaciers Map
With more than a thousand glaciers in Alaska you can’t possibly plan to visit them all, but you can see quite a few on each trip you make. Some days you can check off thirty glaciers and some days you’ll be on a ten mile hike and just see the one. Check out the map below for a better understanding of where many of Alaska’s glaciers are located and which ones you can plan to visit with each trip.
As you look at the Alaska glacier map, take note that there are clusters of glaciers that you can easily visit from Anchorage, Seward or Valdez. While there are lots of ice fields and glacier areas visible on the map, not all are accessible or easy to visit in the same trip. Let the Alaska glacier map guide your planning for an amazing trip full of blue ice and epic views.
What is the BEST Glacier in Alaska to Visit?
With so many Alaska glaciers to visit, it’s hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, I think I would choose the Knik Glacier, which is easily accessible from Anchorage and Palmer. The Knik Glacier stands out to me as the best because it is a different experience in each season, and when it comes to visiting in winter, the Knik Glacier is EPIC. The glacier lake at the face freezes solid and turns into a mystical frozen land.
Visiting the Knik Glacier in the summer means either a UTV trip through the forest and along the river, looking for moose and bear before coming to the view point, or it can be visited via helicopter for an amazing glacier landing. The Knik Glacier is, I think the best glacier in Alaska to visit.
Are any Glaciers in Alaska GROWING?
When you’re visiting tidewater glaciers it seems like they’re all just shedding ice continually and that is true, most glaciers are indeed receding, but there are actually some glaciers in Alaska that are advancing. While it’s difficult to access many of them, the Meares Glacier is a great example of an advancing glacier where you can see the forest actively being crushed by the ice as the Meares Glacier grows. You can visit this one from Valdez (more on Meares Glacier below).
Other advancing glaciers in Alaska include the Johns Hopkins, the Bering and Hubbard Glaciers.
Anchorage Area Glaciers to Visit
Anchorage is the easiest place in Alaska to visit, and there are quite a few glaciers that you can get to from Anchorage on a day trip. You wouldn’t think that a major city had such a wonderful natural feature as glaciers within an hour’s drive, but it’s true, and there are a lot of them!
Knik Glacier – Palmer
I was just speaking about Knik Glacier a moment ago. I think this is the best glacier to visit in Alaska because it’s so accessible via a variety of tours and experiences. The Knik Glacier melts into the Knik River which flows into the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet, which is the body of water Anchorage is located on. At less than an hour from downtown Anchorage and just ten minutes from downtown Palmer to start your visit, you can easily add the Knik Glacier to your Alaska trip.
Glacier visit options: private or guided ATV/UTV trips, helicopter tours including SUP and polar plunges in the glacial ponds (book through this link for an automatic 5% discount), access via off-road vehicle on public lands.
Best time to visit: winter, without question.
Matanuska Glacier – Chickaloon
The Matanuska Glacier is huge. HUGE. There are several ways to visit, but the most popular is to do a guided glacier walk. Access to the glacier is via private land so if you want to actually hike or go ice climbing on the Matanuska Glacier you do need to set it up as a tour. There are also helicopter tours that visit the Matanuska Glacier from the Sheep Mountain Lodge.
To just view it, you can see it as you drive the Glenn Highway from Anchorage. Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site is also an option for a beautiful, unobstructed view of the glacier, a great interpretive trail all about glaciology, and even camping. The most fun way to experience the outflow of the Matanuska Glacier is whitewater rafting on the Matanuska River! NOVA Alaska does trips on the river through the Class III and IV whitewater rapids and it’s a blast!
Glacier visit options: guided hiking ON the glacier, viewpoints from Glenn Highway, whitewater rafting on outflow river (Use code MyAKtrip10 for a 10% discount on adventures with NOVA Alaska)
Portage Glacier – Girdwood
If you don’t have time to make it to a tidewater glacier or if you’re solely doing a big Alaska road trip, the Portage Glacier is the next best thing. Less than an hour from Anchorage the Portage Glacier flows into the Portage Lake, where you can board a boat tour to take you across one of the prettiest lakes in Alaska to see the face of the glacier. If you’re lucky you’ll see some glacier calving into the lake, and if not it’s just beautiful with waterfalls all around, pouring into this pristine turquoise lake. Be sure to stop into the Begich Boggs Chugach National Forest visitor center to learn about Portage Glacier and see where it used to come all the way up to.
Glacier visit options: Portage Glacier Cruises for a 60 minute boat tour, hike the Portage Pass trail from Whittier for a view from the neighboring mountains.
Byron Glacier – Girdwood
You actually pass the trailhead for the Byron Glacier on your way to the Portage Glacier Cruise. This is a glacier to hike to, and it’s an easy one good for nearly any fitness level. You’ll hike along the glacier stream and through a low forest before it opens up into the Byron Glacier Valley. There’s either a viewpoint or you can continue onwards to the icefield. Sometimes there are ice caves, but these should only be approached with absolute caution. If you go in, they’re amazing, but can be really dangerous.
Glacier visit options: Byron Glacier is only accessible by hiking on the 2 mile out and back trail.
Kenai Peninsula Glaciers to See
Living on the Kenai Peninsula I never fully appreciated all the natural wonders directly around my town. There are some beautiful Alaska glaciers to visit when you’re on the Kenai Peninsula. Some of them are rather tricky or expensive to get to though, so here you really need to consider your budget for which glaciers to visit when you’re on the Kenai Peninsula.
Exit Glacier – Seward
Exit Glacier is the most famous glacier on the Kenai Peninsula, located within Kenai Fjords National Park. It’s actually the only part of the National Park that you can drive to as part of your Alaska road trip. When I was younger you used to be able to drive right up to Exit Glacier and climb on the ice. Now you can drive to the visitor center and then do the loop hike to the overlook, or continue onto the Harding Icefield. It’s pretty, and the hike is fun and not very difficult, but remembering what Exit Glacier used to be like is bittersweet for me.
Glacier visit options: you can self-drive to the Exit Glacier trial or do a guided hike to the glacier and Harding Icefield.
Godwin Glacier – Seward
I wish you could hike to Godwin Glacier but it’s a bit too far. Instead you visit Godwin Glacier via helicopter tour from Seward. This is actually one of the coolest helicopter flightseeing options in Alaska because of the sheer mountainsides the helicopters have to run up. The views are amazing, and then when you land on Godwin Glacier there is dogsleeding! You get to meet the dogs at summer mushing camp and then actually ride in a dogsled around the glacier. It’s really cool and one of the most fun glaciers to visit in Alaska.
Glacier visit options: accessible via helicopter tour only.
Spencer Glacier via Train – Seward
Spencer Glacier is a unique one to visit, as it’s accessed by a tour that leaves from the Alaska Railroad. A 1.3 mile hike from the whistlestop, Spencer Glacier is beautiful and one of the least visited glaciers on the Kenai Peninsula. This activity will take up most of your day because it includes a train journey from Anchorage and back. This is a great option if you’re using Anchorage as a home base for your Alaska glacier adventures.
Glacier visit options: accessible via Alaska Railroad tour only.
Aialik Glacier – Kenai Fjords NP, Boat from Seward
When you’re doing the different Kenai Fjords National Park boat tours, there are different options for which glaciers you can visit. Aialik Glacier has long been my favorite glacier in Kenai Fjords NP because it’s such an active tidewater glacier. Besides all the wildlife you’ll see on your way to the face of the glacier, its calving activity is awesome. Aialik Glacier is beautiful at the end of the fjord, and when it’s dropping ice, it’s phenomenal.
Glacier visit options: book THIS TOUR through Kenai Fjords Tours or THIS TOUR through Major Marine Tours from Seward
Northwestern Glacier – Kenai Fjords NP, Boat from Seward
I like visiting Northwestern Glacier because it’s further away from Seward so you have a longer boat ride. Northwestern Glacier is one of the fastest receding glaciers, and as you approach via boat, you’ll see where the terminal moraine used to be and where the face of the glacier now is… fifteen minutes away up the fjord. When you’re at the face of the Northwestern Glacier, because of its shape and the surrounding mountains, its calving patterns are very different and it’s more prone to large ice falls. It’s pretty cool and a great option if you have the time for this longer tour from Seward.
Glacier visit options: book THIS TOUR with Kenai Fjords Tours
Grewingk Glacier – Boat from Homer
Located in Kachemak Bay State Park, you access the Grewingk Glacier by boat and then hike. It’s got an amazing glacial lake and the ice bergs you can see are just beautiful. Getting to Grewingk Glacier is half the fun and having it on your Alaska trip. The water taxi to the trailhead is fun and you’ll see wildlife, and then the hike itself is just enough of a challenge. At the glacier lake, you can walk the shore or just sit and enjoy the view as ice floats by.
Glacier visit options: passenger ferry from Homer or guided tour via boat and hiking
Prince William Sound Glaciers to Visit
There are two main access points to Prince William Sound, which is a body of water off the Gulf of Alaska. You can visit either from Whittier or Valdez, and if you’re up for it, you can take the Alaska Marine Highway between Whittier and Valdez and see Alaska glaciers from the ferry as well!
Harvard Glacier, Boat from Whittier
The thing that makes visiting Harvard Glacier so great is actually that you get the chance to see many more glaciers as you travel through College Fjord. Here are all the Alaska glaciers you’ll see as you sail through this beautiful stretch off Prince William Sound:
- Amherst Glacier
- Baby Glacier
- Barnard Glacier
- Bryn Mawr Glacier
- Crescent Glacier
- Downer Glacier
- Harvard Glacier
- Holyoke Glacier
- Smith Glacier
- Vassar Glacier
- Wellesley Glacier
- Williams Glacier
- Yale Glacier
Harvard Glacier itself is beautiful, and it’s pretty wide so there is a lot of the face to watch calf off while you’re there. The whole 26 glacier journey is fun and gorgeous, and one of the best places to see glaciers in Alaska.
Glacier visit options: the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise from Whittier
Blackstone Glacier, Boat from Whittier
A less visited glacier but just as beautiful as the famous ones, Blackstone Glacier is a fun boat ride from Whittier and around the corner to the south of Passage Canal. On the western edge of Prince William Sound, Blackstone Glacier is one that very few tours visit, so when you arrive you’ll likely be the only boat there. It feels like a taller face than most tidewater glaciers, and because of the valley walls around the fjord, it seems completely detached from the rest of the world.
Glacier visit options: via boat tour with Lazy Otter Charters from Whittier
Columbia Glacier, Boat from Valdez
Columbia Glacier is one of the most active tidewater glaciers in both Prince William Sound and Alaska as a whole. Columbia is very wide and puts out an extraordinary amount of ice, so much so that it’s in the waterway that the Alaska Marine Highway and other large ships travel through.
Glacier visit options: you can see the output of ice from Prince William Sound on any passing boat (including the ferry), some cruise ships go to Columbia Glacier, or the Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruise from Valdez goes directly to the face of the glacier. Book THIS TOUR here (Viator) or book it direct and save 10% with code MYAKTRIP10
Meares Glacier, Boat from Valdez
I mentioned the Meares Glacier previously, as it’s one of the only advancing glaciers in Alaska. Getting to visit in interesting because you can see the old terminal moraine from when the Meares Glacier went much further out its arm, showing that it was much bigger and receded, but then when you get to the face of the glacier you can see how it’s now advancing and creeping over the long established forest at its face. Very interesting if you’re into geology and glaciology!
Glacier visit options: Stan Stephens Wildlife and Glacier Cruise from Valdez, book THIS TOUR here or book it direct and save 10% with code MYAKTRIP10
Valdez Glacier, Valdez
I think the Valdez Glacier is my second favorite of all the glaciers in Alaska you can visit. It’s not one that you can just drive up to and you can’t really do a short hike to a viewpoint, but you have to kayak or canoe to the face of the Valdez Glacier. Navigating through floes of glacier ice and then across a lake with countless waterfalls pouring into it, it’s a truly unique and beautiful Alaska experience.
Glacier visit options: rent kayaks at the glacier lakeshore from Valdez Stay & Play or do a guided tour to the face
Richardson Hwy and Wrangell-St Elias NP Glaciers
The Richardson Highway connects Fairbanks and Valdez, and is one of the prettiest drives in Alaska. The highway goes along the edge of Wrangell-St Elias National Park, which is the largest National Park in the USA. This part of the state is very different from the Anchorage area or Seward, and it’s much less developed.
Worthington Glacier, Valdez
As you leave Valdez on the Richardson Highway and cross Thompson Pass, you’ll come to the Worthington Glacier. It’s just off the highway at Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site, and is an easy visit. You can either park and walk to the viewpoint of the glacier or you can continue on the unmaintained trail to the toe of Worthington Glacier. If you’re not familiar with how glaciers change and melt, or don’t know about safety around glaciers, you should just admire it from a distance, but getting up close is pretty cool if you can do it safely.
Glacier visit options: you can only visit by car and a short hike.
Kennicott Glacier, McCarthy
You’ll like a unique Alaska road trip for this one. Located within Wrangell-St Elias National Park, the Kennicott Glacier is HUGE and it doesn’t look like what you expect. Instead of being white with brilliant blue crevases, the entire thing is actually covered in rock. Due to multiple moraines merging and stacking thousands of years of crumbled rock on layer after layer, the ice is not visible in most areas you can see of Kennicott Glacier. The view from the Kennecott Mill Town is fascinating as you can see brown, black and red stripes from the moraines. You can get up close to it though, and then it’s even more interesting as the glacier lake has grounded icebergs and floating ice all through it, and then empties into the Kennicott River.
Glacier visit options: View from Kennecott Mill. For access, packrafting on the Kennicott Glacier Lake OR book a Kennicott River trip here!! OR book directly and save with McCarthy River Tours here and use code MyAKtrip10 for a 10% discount on adventures with McCarthy River Tours.
Root Glacier, McCarthy
The Root Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park is another fun one to visit. It’s best visited on a guided hike because walking on glaciers can be dangerous, but the Root Glacier can also be trekked on your own. Leaving from the town of Kennicott, it’s an easy hike for the most part until you get to the downward path to the edge of the glacier. This is a great glacier for getting to see some of the features that form on the ice including waterfalls, moulins, glacier ponds, streams and deep blue ice. It’s a really fun hiking adventure.
Glacier visit options: self-led hike if you have your own gear, guided hike for either glacier trekking or ice climbing. Book THIS TOUR here OR book direct with Kennicott Wilderness Guides and use discount code 2traveldads for a 5% discount on your booking (except fly-outs).
Gulkana Glacier, Paxson
If you want to be the only one at the glacier, do the ten mile round trip hike to Gulkana Glacier. This is off the Richardson Highway up near Paxson by the Denali Highway. You need to be well prepared for the hike to Gulkana Glacier bringing lots of water, snacks and safety gear. Because it’s such a trek, it doesn’t get busy out on the trail even in the peak of summer.
Glacier visit options: this is a self-led glacier hike and you need to have your own gear.
Castner Glacier, Delta Junction
The ice caves at Castner Glacier are what it’s known for. Off the Richardson Highway about 90 minutes from Fairbanks, the Castner Glacier can be hiked on your own if you have the right gear (ice spikes/crampons) or you can do a guided tour. Ice caves are serious business though, so only attempt this if you have the knowledge and skills.
Glacier visit options: self-drive and self-led hike or guided tour from Fairbanks. Book THIS TOUR here.
Juneau Area Glaciers to See
Juneau is located smack in the middle of the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska. It’s the capital of Alaska and is a great tourist town. Juneau is also surrounded by mountains and glaciers, both inland and tidewater glaciers. It’s one of our favorite places to visit for fun and beautiful scenery.
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau
Many cruise guests come through Juneau every day during cruise season and a lot of them venture away from downtown out to the Mendenhall Glacier. You can drive yourself or you can do a tour. The Mendenhall Glacier is a part of the Tongass National Forest so has a great visitor center and interpretive displays both at the viewpoints and along the hiking trail. Hiking to Nugget Falls is a beautiful and easy stroll and gives a beautiful view of Mendenhall Glacier. You can also do kayaking and canoe tours on the glacier lake to get up close.
Note: the Mendenhall Glacier has an annual juklop which is when the ice dam at the Suicide Basin breaks and floodwaters rush down from the glacier and sweep through the valley. There are neighborhoods and businesses here, so this is a big local high-alert time and the Mendenhall Glacier area will close as they anticipate the juklop.
Glacier visit options: self drive or tour to the visitor center and trails or guided kayaking/canoeing on the glacier lake. Book a kayaking tour here or a canoeing tour here.
Taku Glacier – Fly Out from Juneau
There is a lot of flightseeing from Juneau, and the area where the Taku Glacier is located is very popular. Flying over glaciers and fjords is really beautiful, and from Juneau you can find all varieties of lengths of tours, from floatplanes to helicopters. Taku Glacier is really cool to see from the air.
Glacier visit options: flightseeing from Juneau by floatplane
Norris Glacier – Fly Out from Juneau
The Norris Glacier is located right next to Taku Glacier, but this one you can actually get out onto. It’s a process, but it’s awesome. Flying on a floatplane (seaplane) from Juneau, you’ll land on a lake near Norris Glacier, then hike across the old moraine to the glacier lake where you’ll get into pack rafts (inflatable kayaks) to paddle to the toe of the glacier. From here you’ll put on your crampons and explore the ice slopes and crevasses, looking for icy blue ponds and moulins. It’s really fun and beautiful.
Glacier visit options: floatplane tour from Juneau with Alaska Seaplanes and Alaska Backcountry Adventures. Book THIS TOUR here.
Dawes Glacier – via Cruise
South of Juneau is one of the prettiest fjords in Alaska, the Endicott Arm, and at the end of this passage is Dawes Glacier. This is a common glacier for cruise lines to visit, but you can also visit via small ship expeditions like UnCruise Adventures or the Boat Company. Dawes Glacier is a very active tidewater glacier, and because of the shape of the arm, the culmination of icebergs and bergy bits in the arm is really cool to navigate through on the smaller boats.
Glacier visit options: via cruise itinerary, look for Endicott Arm on the schedule.
Glacier Bay National Park Sites
Visiting Glacier Bay National Park is not as easy as visiting Denali National Park or Kenai Fjords. Glacier Bay is either reached via cruise ship or by flying into the tiny town of Gustavus and doing a tour from there. On land you can visit the Bartlett Cove area, which is where you’ll find the Glacier Bay Lodge and Huna Totem House, as well as several hiking trails. This is also where you’ll head out into Glacier Bay to watch for wildlife and see many of the glaciers.
Because access to glaciers in the National Park is so controlled, most visitation happens as observation from ships or multi-day kayaking journeys. There are very few tour permits granted for access to Glacier Bay National Park, so options are limited. The areas shared below are often visited by cruise lines and expedition boats.
Marjorie Glacier
Large Marge as we like to call her. Marjorie Glacier is a very wide tidewater glacier shedding a ton of ice daily. This is one of the prime locations for large cruise ships that get to visit Glacier Bay National Park because it’s such a wide fjord with great viewability. There are lots of sea otters, seals and eagles in the area around Marjorie Glacier. Having said this, Marjorie is retreating faster than previous years and soon she’ll not be a tidewater favorite anymore.
Lamplugh Glacier
Lamplugh Glacier is a little less visited but is located between the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park and Marjorie Glacier. It’s on a more rounded bay and it’s one of the few areas where visitors can go ashore to explore the glacier. The views are amazing if you get to hike up, but if that’s not your thing, kayaking around the icebergs is another fun activity offered by the ships that can visit. This is another quickly receding glacier that’s losing its broad face and the blueness it’s known for is fading.
Bartlett Cove
The main visitation area at Glacier Bay National Park, Bartlett Cove is the hub of park tours and hiking. You cannot see any glaciers directly here, but it’s your jumping off point for getting into the park. While here, you can visit the Glacier Bay Lodge (or stay) and have a meal, you can do the trails along the beaches and through the forest, and you can do kayaking tours. While you don’t get the chance to kayak with a glacier directly in Bartlett Cove, you do get to explore the intertidal zone and enjoy the wildlife.
Alaska Glaciers FAQ
In case you want to learn a little about glaciers in Alaska before visiting, read up below so you know what you’re looking at, trekking across and enjoying.
What is a glacier? – a glacier is a mass of ice made from intensely compacted snow that is moving, either advancing or receding. They often have moraines on them, which are long bands of fallen rocks and dirt that are being carried by the glacier and deposited at the end. You may see a lateral moraine (sides), medial moraine (center formed by merging glaciers), or terminal moraine (the end of the glacier).
Are all Alaska glaciers melting? – yes, all glaciers in Alaska are melting, but they’re also continually being replenished. Some glaciers have receded incredible amounts, some are static in their position and some even are advancing, but they all do produce melt at some rate.
How do glaciers get their names? – glaciers in Alaska have been named by glaciologists, geologists, surveyors and politicians. They hold namesakes from influential and important people, from the scientists that first studied the specific glacier, from traditional indigenous names that they’ve had for millenia, and random names (like everything in College Fjord being names for schools).
What’s the best Alaska glacier cruise? – the best Alaska glacier cruise varies by what you want from it. Most big cruise lines offer amazing views of glaciers, but the small boats get you up close and personal. UnCruise, the Boat Company, Lindblad National Geographic and others that are much smaller ships are the best for experiencing glaciers as a part of a sailing.
What’s the best tour to see multiple glaciers? – Undoubtedly, the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise from Whittier or the Kenai Fjords Tours Aialik tour are the best for both wildlife and getting to see active tidewater glaciers.
What is Alaska’s biggest glacier? – the biggest glacier in Alaska is the Bering Glacier at 125 miles long. Having said that, there are enormous ice fields, such as the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords NP or the joint glaciers in Denali National Park.
Is Alaska the only state with glaciers? – no! Alaska isn’t the only state with glaciers, but it is the only state with tidewater glaciers. You can find glaciers in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and even Nevada has one.
That should be everything you need to know to visit glaciers in Alaska. You have so many options as there are more than 100K glaciers, named and unnamed. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need additional suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan an incredible trip to Alaska!
