Kenai Fjords National Park guide · 1 min read
Harding Icefield: Source of Nearly 40 Glaciers
The Harding Icefield is the dominant feature of Kenai Fjords and one of the major reasons the park was created.
It is the largest icefield located entirely within the United States, and it ranks among the four major ice caps in the country. Nearly 40 glaciers flow outward from its edges, and the ice once carved the fjords and coastline below.
Bear Glacier is the largest of those glaciers. Because the icefield is hard to reach on foot, a flight is one way to see it, and flightseeing over the ice offers a different angle on Bear Glacier and other glaciers. A scenic overflight also shows the fjords and wildlife below, and it gives a clear sense of the icefield's vast size.
Exit Glacier is the most accessible of the park's glaciers, and it is the only one you can drive to. A one-mile accessible walk leads to Glacier View, an overlook of the ice. Several other trails reach viewpoints, and with an experienced guide, visitors can also hike on the glacier or go ice climbing.
The Harding Icefield Trail is a strenuous day hike of 8.2 miles round trip that begins in the Exit Glacier area. It starts on the valley floor, winds through cottonwood and alder forest and crosses heather meadows, then climbs well above tree line. At the top, ice and snow spread to the edge of sight, with only an occasional nunatak, or lone peak, breaking the surface.
Walking on the icefield itself is a different undertaking. Anyone exploring it should know glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques and be an experienced skier.
