Alaska Adventure 2021: Portage Glacier, Global Warming In Action
This is the fifth part in a series of articles in which the author returns to Alaska to adventure with his family. Check back here every week to follow Joe Byers and his family on their 2021 Alaska adventure. Check out last week’s entry HERE.
By Joe Byers
The Portage Glacier is just a few miles from Route 1, the main highway that transects the Kenai Peninsula. When I last visited the giant ice flow in 1986, a huge iceberg floated just off the parking lot, and the edge of the glacier was within plain view. Today, the glacier has melted until cannot be seen from the main parking lot.
Nonetheless, I wanted my grandchildren to learn about glaciers and how the world is changing. If they could not see the glacier, they could get a good understanding of the phenomenon at the visitor center.
Luckily, there was a small iceberg floating in the lake that was formed by the glacier thousands of years ago, and pieces of that ice flow had reached shore. We found a dozen or more children and their parents enjoying the sunny day along shore, and my youngsters were quick to join them.
Glacier ice is much colder than regular ice cubes from your refrigerator. Back in the pre-refrigeration days, Alaskan fishermen learned to use glacial ice to ship their catch to ports to the south, because the ice, formed by great pressure, kept fish from spoiling until they reached the markets on the West Coast.
The Portage Glacier Visitor’s Center is an excellent learning experience for anyone interested in the science of glaciers. It has numerous models and many pictures of the Portage Glacier in various stages. Additionally, it has an interesting gift shop, so you purchase something to remember your experience or display proudly that you have visited the cool place, no pun intended.
The short drive from to the glacier makes a great side trip before or after other Kenai adventures. One area is designed for salmon viewing, and you may see salmon on their journey to spawn. On the right of the highway to Portage is a smaller glacier that is an easy hike from the campground below it.
Take the Cruise.
The Ptarmigan, operated by Portage Glacier Cruises, is the only boat operating on Portage Lake.
The one-hour cruise on Portage Lake aboard the Ptarmigan is one of the best deals in Alaskan travel. The price is $45 for adults and just $25 for children. The trip by boat to the glacier takes just 15 minutes, and you will have a half hour to view and experience the glacier. Often staff will harvest small chunks of floating ice for visitors to hold and possibly taste. The glacier retreats an average of 20 feet per year, so see it while you can. The portage glacier tour departs five times daily and is an adventure you will not forget. Check out their website for more information.
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