We loved our hike on Matanuska! It only takes a 10-15 minute walk from the parking area to get on Matanuska Glacier whereas Exit requires up to 1.5 hours of hiking to reach the glacier for trekking. 4. In contrast, Matanuska glacier is in a broad valley surrounded by mountains. Another question .. Is it true that Matanuska glacier is on a private land, so a hefty admission fee can be expected?

Portage Glacier. That is a much longer hike up the mountain, and you will need to bring a few things with you like water, some clothes, etc. To get there, turn onto the Herman Leirer/Exit Glacier Road at mile 3 of the Seward Highway. It would add 3 hours of drive time to our trip. Hatcher Pass Scenic Drive – The Hatcher Pass is a little over an hour from Anchorage and is yet another opportunity to admire a plethora of stunning Alaskan scenery. Exit Glacier.

IS it worth going out of our way to take a three hour guided hike? The Mendenhall, Byron, and Matanuska glaciers are to name a few.

I’ve been reading through the trip reports and posts on the forum and have found an itinerary I think would suit our interests, incorporating Denali, Seward & Matanuska Glacier.We’re used to very fast paced, active vacations and packing up and moving around a lot. It only takes a 10-15 minute walk from the parking area to get on Matanuska Glacier whereas Exit requires up to 1.5 hours of hiking to reach the glacier for trekking. The hike to exit glacier … I am doing some research for a possible 8 day trip to Alaska in June 2016. The Matanuska Glacier feeds into the Matanuska River which is a waterway that drains through the Matanuska Valley for a distance of around 75 miles (121 km).

From my research, I found that while Exit Glacier would have been magnificent, there was a lot of hiking just to get to the glacier and not as much time on the glacier as I wanted. IS it worth going out of our way to take a three hour guided hike? The 8.6 mile road to the Exit Glacier Area is paved, making it easily accessible to all types of vehicles. Answer 1 of 8: Sorry to ask yet another question but this site is just the BEST place to get all the real answers from real people... and starting a new thread as it is not related to my last question at all.

The Exit Glacier is especially notable for being a drive up glacier (similar to the Mendenhall Glacier of Juneau). Byron Glacier.

Matanuska is a really "pretty" glacier because it's so white and sculpted looking....exit glacier is more Xtreme with huge moulins and crevasses and deeper blues. But we could also just hike that one ourselves.

If just visiting, there’s no question Matanuska Glacier would be a better experience.

Answer 1 of 19: Has anyone ever hiked on Matanuska Glacier. Answer 1 of 12: Thinking about adding Matanuska Glacier to our July trip before heading up to Denali. There are also guided hikes on Root glacier at Kennecott - a spectacular glacier at the front door … And the photos don't quite look as stunning as the Root Glacier photos from St. Elias with the pools and caves.