See or Hike on Exit Glacier, Alaska

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Exit Glacier is a glacier derived from the Harding Icefield in the Kenai Mountains of Alaska. It received its name because it served as the exit for the first recorded crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968. At Exit Glacier you can stroll the trails, take a ranger-led walk, and get close enough to hear the creaks and groans of an active glacier as it slowly sculpts the landscape. The Exit Glacier is especially notable for being a drive up glacier (similar to the Mendenhall Glacier of Juneau). A spur road of the Seward Highway takes visitors to the only road accessible portion of the Kenai Fjords National Park and a number of hiking trails that take visitors to the terminus of the glacier or even up to the Harding Icefield itself. Although one of the Harding Icefield's smaller glaciers, because of its easy accessibility and abundant hiking trails around and above the glacier, the Exit Glacier is one of the most visited glaciers in Alaska. Ranger-led walks to Exit Glacier are offered at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm daily from May 25 to September 6 (2013 summer season). These walks are approximately 1-2 hours in length. No reservations are required. Meet outside the Exit Glacier Nature Center. To get there, turn onto the Herman Leirer/Exit Glacier Road at mile 3 of the Seward Highway. The 8.6 mile road to the Exit Glacier Area is paved, making it easily accessible to all types of vehicles.Taxi/shuttle service is available from Seward in the summer. In the winter, snowcoach service is available. Exit Glacier is open year-round. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road is closed to cars but open to a wide-range of winter recreation - from snowmachines to dogsleds and cross-country skiers. The road often remains closed through early May so be sure to check current conditions if you are visiting during the shoulder seasons (spring or fall). From the Nature Center a network of short trails leads to different views of Exit Glacier. Start by turning left at the Nature Center and following the accessible trail through the cottonwood forest to Glacier View, a panoramic vista of Exit Glacier spilling down from the Harding Icefield. This one-mile accessible trail loops back to the parking area, but if you turn left at the trailside kiosk you can continue on toward the Toe of the Glacier and Edge of the Glacier. Getting to the Toe of the Glacier requires crossing the rocky outwash plain. This area may be not be accessible due to frequent floods and there is no set trail across the outwash plain. If water levels are low, you can make your way to Exit Glacier's terminus, but don't approach the glacier in places where the ice is over your head - huge, heavy chunks of ice fall off without warning. There is a well maintained trail to the Edge of the Glacier. This moderately strenuous trail brings you near a wall of blue ice providing the most dramatic close up view of Exit Glacier. Exit Glacier has a 12-site, walk-in, tent-campground. Sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no reservations or camping fees. There is a fourteen day stay limit. The campground frequently fills by early evening in July and August.

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