There are lots of glaciers in Alaska, but few are more accessible than Exit Glacier. It is only a few miles outside of Seward.
The glacier got its name because of its steep descent from the massive Harding Icefield — about 3,000 feet drop in just a few miles. Grateful mountain climbers could slide their way out of the icefield. It’s the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park that you can access by road. If you look carefully at the park maps below, you’ll find Exit Glacier on the northeastern edge of the park.
Exit Glacier has an informative visitor center where you can obtain information about the region, and there is a network of good trails that let you explore the rugged landscape around the glacier, providing several nice viewpoints of the glacier (although the trail does not take you directly to the face of the glacier, which could be quite dangerous).
(Map courtesy of the National Park Service)
Like most glaciers in Alaska, Exit Glacier is retreating and markers along the trail show where the glacier’s toe has been for the past century. This retreating has exposed the gravel outwash plain and the growth in scrubs and trees that occurs in such regions.
An excellent destination for most is the (fairly gentle) climb up the Glacier Overlook Trail, where you have a good view of the toe of the glacier and its surroundings, including Exit Creek and the glacier’s outwash plain.
(Views from the Exit Glacier overlook, including Exit Creek)
For very fit hikers, there is a difficult four-mile trail that parallels the glacier’s edge along the north. It’s a 3,000 foot ascent but provides amazing views of the Harding Icefield — which covers 700 square miles. I didn’t walk this trail, so can’t say much more about it.
In a few hours’ time you can have a nice experience at Exit Glacier. For example, the views below are of some other glaciers in the region.
