Kennicott Glacier
A large glacier flowing about 40 km from Mount Blackburn, its lower tongue covered in rubble close to McCarthy and Kennecott, with striking moraine scenery.
The Kennicott Glacier rises on Mount Blackburn at about 5,000 m and flows about 40 km south, ending close to McCarthy. Its lower section is covered by a thick layer of rock debris, looking like a rolling grey hillside until you get close and realise it is ice. You can see where it meets the Root Glacier from the mill town and from the roadside. You can walk along the lateral moraine trail, or view the glacier from the glacial lake at its terminus. In summer there is abundant meltwater on the ice surface, so do not enter the debris-covered ice without a guide, and the glacial lake occasionally experiences outburst floods.
Opening hours
All day in summer
Nearby sights
- Kennicott River Footbridge
- McCarthy
- Kennecott Mill Town
- Root Glacier
- Bonanza Mine Trail
- Stairway Icefall
- McCarthy Road
- Gilahina Trestle