Table of Content
Matanuska Glacier | Introduction
Matanuska GlacierThis glacier is a private property. Since this glacier is relatively flat and unregulated, tourists can actually walk on the glacier, so word of mouth spreads and tourists who know about it will come here to touch the glacier. After I came here, I think it is the most impressive attraction in my whole trip to Alaska.
Matanuska Glacier | How to get there
If the accommodation is in Anchorage, Matanuska Glacier is considered close by and can be found in Anchorage including Hiking and transfers forDay tourI think if you just want to see the glacier and don't plan on traveling too far, it would be a great option.
If you are traveling on your own, like us, you can drive there on your own, but you need to research the route beforehand. when we came in 2014, we couldn't find it on Google Map, but now we can find the general location on Google Map, but it's still not really easy to find the entrance.
Matanuska Glacier is actually very close to the main road, Highway 1. Driving towards Glacier view, you can see the flat glacier when you get close to it. To get down to the entrance of the glacier, you need to drive an unpaved road, then you will see a small store and a gate. There is an entrance fee for private property, so if you go in and pay, the shopkeeper will open the gate for you, and then you will arrive at the mouth of the glacier after driving for a while.
Matanuska Glacier | Glacier Adventure
After stopping the car, we had to start hiking. Even the flat glacier has its ridges when you look at it from a close distance. Since this is a private land, there are no organized trails like other public attractions, but just some triangular cones on the ground to show the way forward. Although it is not obvious from the photo, there is actually water flowing on the ground, which is melted water from the glacier. Walking on the glacier is quite slippery, which is actually dangerous, so please pay attention to your safety.
However, the first part of the trail was quite easy to walk, except for some muddy areas which were quite slippery, there were a few older tourists walking slowly in front of us. Closer to the glacier, we could see the lake in front of us. A little bit closer, a notice appeared on the ground, which said that the owner is not responsible for our safety if we go further.
However, the attraction of the glacier seemed to be much greater than the power of warning, and as it was rare to find a glacier that we could easily walk on, we were just as brave as the tourists in front of us. Within a few steps, the ground was already covered with ice. At first, we thought it was just mud and sand from afar, but when we stepped on it, we realized that it was a big piece of ice underneath our feet. It was very cold to walk on such a big piece of ice, the cold air would blow up under your feet, and the watery area would be slippery, so you had to slow down your pace.
Even the seemingly flat surface of the ice has actually been cut by the glacier water into many deep grooves. To get closer to the center, you have to walk around it, which is a very interesting experience and will take a little more time than expected. If you look closely at the ice on the ground, there is still a little bit of blue color coming through.
You can also find a tour guide at the store where you pay the entrance fee. If you hire a guide and rent professional equipment, you can go up for another 2 hours. However, like most people, we turned back after walking up to this point, and it looked more dangerous to go further.
Further reading
- Alaska 9 Days | Self-drive Itinerary Overview
- Alaska Driving】Anchorage Museum | Anchorage Museum
- Alaska Driving | Denali National Park Day Trip Tips | Denali National Park
- Alaska Marine Highway Ferry | Whittier Scenery
- Alaska Self-drive] Valdez 2 Days | Richardson Highway | Worthington Glacier | Wrangell St Elias National Park
- Matanuska Glacier | The Best Glacier in Alaska
- Kenai Fjords National Park Day Trip | Seward Township
- Ididaride | Super exciting dog sledding trip @ Seward
- Homer | Halibut Capital | Sea Kayak
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