Portage Glacier
A glacier at the head of Portage Lake, with blue icebergs floating on the lake. In summer, a one-hour boat trip takes you right up to the ice face.
Portage Glacier once reached all the way to the lake, but it has retreated beyond the mountain bend at the far end of the lake. From the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center on the shore, the ice face can no longer be seen, but blue icebergs often float on the lake. In summer, tour boats leave from the south shore and take about an hour to reach the glacier, where you can watch ice faces calve up close. The visitor center has exhibits and films about glacier formation. The site is within Chugach National Forest. It is about 80 km from Anchorage and can be combined with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Byron Glacier Trail.
Opening hours
Visitor center approx. 09:00–17:00 in summer; boats May–September
Nearby sights
- Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
- Portage Pass Trail
- Byron Glacier Trail
- Whittier & Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise
- Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
- Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop
- Crow Creek Mine
- Winner Creek Trail & Hand Tram