Alaska Glaciers

Alaska glaciers are a quintessential piece of what makes Alaska so incredible. These huge masses of flowing ice are quite the spectacle, especially if you’ve never seen one before. They definitely top the list for visitors as a must-see while in the state.

Alaska has 616 officially named glaciers. As far as unnamed glaciers go, it’s hard to know for sure, but it’s estimated to be around 100,000. About a quarter of those glaciers exist in a national park. If you combine all the glaciers in the lower 48, it still wouldn’t amount one of Alaska’s larger glaciers.

Washington and Alaska are the only states in the U.S. that gets most of their water from glacial melt. Washington receives around 470 billion gallons of water every summer. Alaska glaciers, on the other hand, empties around 50,000 billion gallons of water. In case you wondering, that’s half of the water in the world that flows into the ocean. Most of Alaska’s glaciers have been retreating for the last century and their recession has dramatically increased in recent years.

Some of the most popular glaciers include: Matanuska, Mendenhall, Spencer, Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard, and Portage. Matanuska Glacier is the most accessible glacier in all of Alaska. Mendenhall and Portage are the most visited in the state. Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska at around 76 miles. Glacier Bay is fun because it encompasses more than just one glacier and is known for it’s cruise experience.

There is a reason the Alaska glaciers bring visitors from far and wide. We are confident that any glacier you choose to visit will leave a long lasting impression on you for years to come. We even recommend seeing more than one if you have the time while you are here!