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3 Ways to See Glaciers |
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By Sea: Glacier & Wildlife Cruises and Sea Kayaking Trips |
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Perhaps the most intimate way to experience the awesome scale of Alaska's glaciers is on the water. The tidewater glaciers of Prince William Sound and the Kenai Fjords extend down from mountain peaks and out into the sea. Hundreds of feet high and miles long, you can the hear ice crackling and sizzling as trapped air bubbles slowly escape. One of the most dramatic events in all of nature is witnessing a tidewater glacier unleash a house-sized block of ice into the ocean. The resulting icebergs can create enormous waves when they hit (kayakers beware!) and can continue bobbing up and down for a full day or more until they float out into open waters or beach themselves along the Alaskan shoreline. Cruises and sea kayak trips also let you see lots of marine life, such as playful sea otters and shy harbor seals |
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View all Glacier & Wildlife Cruises» |
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By Air: Flightseeing |
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From the air, you won't feel the power of calving, but you will gain a perspective you can't experience from the ground. You'll see how massive icefields, dozens of miles long, spill into valleys to create glaciers. These expansive sheets of ice leave only the highest mountain peaks and ridges peeking through. The Harding Icefield near Seward is a classic example, and is one of the few icefields easily accessible by foot (a five-hour hike from Exit Glacier, rising from sea-level to 3,500ft). Also best seen from a plane are piedmont glaciers, where several glaciers join at the foot of a mountain range to create a fan-like pattern of ice and rock. These beautiful formations are best spotted in Southeast Alaska. |
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By Land: Roadside Glaciers |
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While traveling the state by road, you can readily see valley glaciers (like Matanuska Glacier which flows from the peaks of the Chugach Range, stopping just short of the Glenn Highway), cirque glaciers (like those all along the Seward Highway which seem to fill bowl-like hollows up on the mountains), and hanging glaciers (like Explorer and Middle Glaciers along the Portage spur of the Seward Highway which literally dangle off the mountainside). Childs Glacier, near Cordova, is the only roadside glacier with calving-Cordova, however, is only accessible by boat or plane. Stepping out of your car and up to the face of a blue glacier is an awe-inspiring event, though even on a warm, sunny day it feels like standing in front of an open refrigerator! |
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