How do you get to portage glacier

Hi Kay, There are no kayak rentals near Portage Lake. Thanks for the article! If driving from Anchorage or Seward, is there any way to avoid the tunnel? The other option to see the glacier in summer is from Portage Lake, which is before the tunnel. Table Of Contents. Can you hike to Portage Glacier? Can you walk on Portage Glacier? How deep is Portage Lake? Notify of.

Recipe Rating Recipe Rating. Oldest Newest Most Voted. Inline Feedbacks. Andrea Kuuipo Abroad. Reply to David. How long would it take to walk across the lake to see the glacier in the winter? Reply to Jenna. Reply to Francie. Kay Davis. Reply to Kay Davis. Sean B. Reply to Sean B. Question of the day: Is cereal soup? Want to spend more time exploring Alaska? Check us out on Facebook for real time updates. Online bookings must be made at least 5 days in advance and phone reservations one day in advance.

Another view of Portage Glacier is waiting on the Whittier side. The trip up the 3-mile Portage Pass Trail gives hikers a great view of the glacier from the summit and lakeside.

Many day tour companies include Portage in trips beginning in Anchorage, and visiting Girdwood and the glacier. Gray Line operates the Ptarmigan and also offers packages with transportation to and from Portage Lake. Short on time? There's no shortage of Anchorage hiking trails, with peaks within Chugach State Park alone. Trails there and beyond seem infinite, but Alaskans know the territory like the back of their hand.

After steadily retreating over the 20 th Century and exposing a chilly, foot-deep lake between sheer mountain walls, Portage finally slipped from view in the s.

Its face is now behind the left-side mountain, about three miles from the lakeside parking. Scientists say it appears to be currently stable and has not retreated much since Still, Portage remains a very active glacier, with its face regularly shattering and dropping great hunks of ice into the lake like a giant conveyer belt. Depending on recent events and weather, icebergs and brash will be visible in the lake near the visitor center.

The vessel will motor within feet of the craggy face and its royal blue fractures. For weather-free virtual viewing, the visitor center also has many photos and interactive exhibits about Portage Glacier and its stunning retreat over the past century.

People are permitted to paddle non-motorized craft like kayaks from a parking area on the north side of Portage Lake after the first tunnel on the road to the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to Whittier.