For those who want to experience skating on wild ice, Portage Lake can offer an unforgettable experience—weather permitting. Once the lake's surface freezes in the winter, those who choose to skate across it can see not only the wall of blue ice on the banks of the lake, but also the Portage glacier itself.
Portage Pass Trail is a 4.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Whittier, Alaska that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October.
This 1.4 mile trail offers an easy walk for all ages. It allows a close-up view of a glacier with rugged, mountains in all directions. A good family outing with a variety of things to do for the whole family.
Only one person was involved in 68% of events, although up to 6 people fell through the ice in one case.
Characteristics of people involved in unintentional fall-through-the-ice events, Alaska 1990–2010.
| n = 449 |
|---|
| No report/unknown | 375 (83.5) |
Portage Lake (Alaska)
| Portage Lake |
|---|
| Max. length | 3.0 mi (4.8 km) |
| Max. width | .89 mi (1.43 km) |
| Average depth | 600 ft (180 m) |
| Islands | none |
The Matanuska Glacier is in Glacier View, Alaska. It makes for the perfect day trip if you're staying in Palmer or Anchorage. If you're traveling from Palmer, it's only an hour and a half drive. If you're traveling from Anchorage, the journey is a little over two hours.
The glacier is part of the Chugach National Forest, located south of Portage Lake. This lake is being formed by the melting of the glacier which has been retreating substantially for the past fifty years. A large amount of Portage Glacier is actually in the waters of Portage Lake extending more than 100 feet deep.
Portage Glacier is the most well-known of the valley's five glaciers. Meltwater from the glaciers deposits gravel, creating the flat floor of the valley. Portage Glacier deposited a gravel ridge called a terminal moraine during its advance in 1893. The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center sits on this moraine.
Portage Valley is a 14 mile isthmus that connects the Kenai Peninsula to mainland Alaska. Portage Glacier once extended the entire length of the valley. The glacial remnants seen today are Explorer, Middle, Byron, Burns, and Shakespeare glaciers.
The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as part of the 5,815 acres (2,353 ha) Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest.
| Mendenhall Glacier |
|---|
| Status | Retreating |
Welcome To Whittier, Alaska, A Community Under One Roof This sleepy town on the west side of Prince William Sound is remote, and it's hit with brutal winter weather every year. Most of the residents live in a single 14-story building called Begich Towers.
There are 616 officially named glaciers in Alaska (see USGS Geographic Names Information System online data base), and many more unnamed glaciers. The Alaska Almanac estimates that Alaska has 100,000 glaciers -- that's a pretty good estimate.
This was our first trip to Anchorage, so we wanted to see/touch a glacier. After visiting the Exit Glacier in Seward and the Portage Glaciers (viewing from a distance), we wanted to walk on and touch a glacier. Drive another 2 miles on the dirt road to get to the glacier.
A visit to Alaska is never complete without taking the iconic Portage Glacier Cruise Tour. It leaves from Anchorage and takes about an hour to drive to one of the best Alaska glaciers in action. Here's why it is worth carving out time for a visit to Portage Glacier during your stay in Alaska.
On Byron, ice worms are common, if you get down and look. There are also beautiful ice caves and rivulets to see, but be careful not to walk too far onto the ice of this tempting glacier.
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.
Castner GlacierThe closest major city to the glacier is Fairbanks, roughly 2.5 hours away. Take the Richardson Highway to milepost 217 where you will find the main trailhead to the glacier and its ice caves. The hike to the Castner Glacier is roughly 2.2 miles round trip and includes stunning mountain views.
Just 15 miles from Seward—where many cruises embark and disembark—Exit Glacier is one of the most popular road-accessible glaciers in the state. In fact, you can walk almost right up to the face of it in 30 minutes, by way of the Edge of the Glacier Trail.
The gates are locked at 11:00 pm. Traffic starts at 7:00 a.m., continuing until 10:45 p.m. during the winter, accommodating vehicles most of the time.
