Am Fuß des Exit Glacier befindet sich ein Besucherzentrum, welches aber am 6. Winding through the valley floor, the trail passes through a forest of alder and cottonwood, over meadows abundant in heather with a climactic ascent above the tree line to a stunning vista of the Harding Icefield. Exposed mountain peaks called nunataks can be seen poking through the icefield on the right. The Harding Icefield is obviously stunning, and I recommend you hike the Harding Icefield Trail if you are wanting to take some photos of the icefield and Exit Glacier from above. The Harding Icefield is over 300 square miles (777 km 2) in its entirety (although, if one were to count its glaciers which descend from the icefield in all directions, the icefield measures in at over 1,100 square miles (2,849 km 2) The icefield spawns up to 40 glaciers of all types. Hiking. This area has long been studied for the effects that climate change has on glaciers. Es sind ca. The trail is one of the few designated trails in all of Kenai Fjords National Park. Von hier führt der 6,6 km (one way) lange Harding Icefield Trail mit knapp 1.000 Höhenmetern entlang am Exit Glacier konstant nach oben. Check out the Resurrection River Trail at Mile 7 of Exit Glacier Road. Some of the more notable glaciers include the Tustumena Glacier, Exit Glacier, and McCarty Glacier. The Icefield is the largest in North America, and it remains as a 300 square mile vestige of the last ice age. (More on that later.) Ich war froh diesen Weg genommen zu haben und nicht nur den zum Glacier View. The vast expanse of the Harding Ice Field is absolutely mind-boggling. Dort beginnt auch der Harding Icefield Trail. The mountaineering party ‘exited’ the Harding Icefield by descending the glacier. Exit Glacier, at right, can be reached by turning off the Seward Highway at Milepost 3.7 and following a gravel road several miles to a parking lot. A glacier is born. Die Landschaft ist so herrlich, hier könnte man es Stunden lang aushalten. Went all the way down to stand on the icefield. The Harding Icefield hike is a must-do hike in Kenai Mountains. Geography. Erschreckt haben mich die Jahreszahlen an … The Harding Icefield is one of 4 major ice caps in the United States. 1,5 km dorthin und ich empfand den Weg nicht besonders anstrengend. The view you see in the photo above is not even from the top of the hike- only from halfway! Photo by Emily Stone. Where is the trail head for harding icefield exit glacier hiking trail in alaska. The flowing ice dates from the Pleistocene period, and feeds dozens of glaciers that spill onto both land and sea. The Harding Icefield located in Kenai Fjords National Park is the largest icefield contained entirely within the United States, 300 square miles and if you included the glaciers which descends from the icefield it would be over 1,100 square miles. Ian Malone. Einfach überwältigend. September 2019 schon geschlossen hatte. The trail rises through the forest and ultimately ends up well above tree line to an awe-inspiring vantage point of the icefield. Trails from the parking lot lead to the face of the glacier. The Harding Icefield is quite accessible in the context of massive glacial systems. Be on the look out for mountain goats, black bear, and marmots--- they are common sightings up here. Guests are in for a remarkable day hike on an 8.2-mile loop along the Harding Icefield Trail. Make sure you are dressed properly, as the weather on top is often different than in the Exit Glacier area below. After leaving the Harding Icefield, we continued south on smaller glaciers. Es war nicht der Weg zum Harding Icefield sondern zum Exit Glacier Overlook. The Harding Icefield collects more than 400 inches of new snow each winter to replenish what evaporation and the glaciers take away. Aboard a warm and spacious vessel customized for comfort, cruise past alpine and tidewater glaciers among the fjords and take in a bounty of wildlife sightings, including whales, sea lions and birds. I took my time and soaked it in. The Harding Icefield spawns more than 38 glaciers of which some are tidewater and others are land-based, or wholly or partially terminate in lakes. For physically fit hikers, a strenuous four-mile trail parallels the glacier’s north edge on a 3,000-foot ascent to the ice field, offering spectacular views of the glacier and surrounding mountains along the way. It is strenuous, but throughout the hike, and especially at the end, hikers are highly rewarded for their efforts. Altogether the hike to and from Harding Icefield is 8.2 miles. We hiked this trail around the end of July in 2020 and here is a guide of what you need to know before diving into this epic adventure. The Harding Icefield, pictured at top, is the source of around 40 glaciers in south-central Alaska, including the alpine Exit Glacier, featured on the bottom photo. A definite must hike if you are in the Seward area. Sharp nunataks (lone peaks) break the white horizon, glaciers spill from the ice field’s edge, … Enjoy a delicious lunch on board, and visit the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge for great views of seabird rookeries. Our journey began at the Exit Glacier Visitor Center, just outside of Seward. Harding Icefield Trail, Exit Glacier Area, Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward Alaska 8.2 miles round trip, the Harding Icefield Trail is strenuous. Lage / Anfahrt: Das Exit Glacier Besucherzentrum liegt ca. Später wandert man dann … Our group size will be limited to 6 clients for each trip and will spend our time exploring the vast main body of the Harding. This trek climbs 3000 feet alongside Exit Glacier as it passes through several climatic zones. October 4, 2020. The Harding Icefield trail can really be broken up into two sections: hiking out of the forest to the cliffs for an amazing view of Exit Glacier and then climbing on up to the Harding Icefield above it. The Harding Icefield Trail is easily one of the most stunning and photogenic hikes I’ve ever done. This 8.2 mile round trip hike is strenuous, but the breathtaking view of the icefield, is well worth the effort. Don’t miss one of Alaska’s most popular wildlife and glacier cruises! If you could do only one hike, exit glacier with a guide or harding ice field on your own. We used Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) scenes to outline glacier areas and terminus positions on four scenes. Several glaciers flow from the icefield, including the large Brüggen Glacier on the right, and the Occidental Glacier on the far left. What to Expect. Starting on the valley floor, the trail meanders through alder and cottonwood forest as well as heather-filled meadows. It feeds at least 38 glaciers, including Exit Glacier. Outlet glaciers of the Harding Icefield‎ (8 C, 1 F) + Maps of Harding Icefield‎ (4 F) Media in category "Harding Icefield" The following 32 files are in this category, out of 32 total. Hier ein Panoramafoto des Icefields. Skiing down the Grewingk was Sarah’s favorite part of the trip. Few scenes in the world compare to the view across the frozen expanse of the 700-square-mile Harding Icefield. The Harding Icefield Trail is a great ambassador for the changing environment because of how easy it is accessed by people from all over the world. So nah kommt man einem Gletscher nicht mehr. This 300 square-mile Harding Ice Field covers a mountain range under ice several thousand feet thick, and flows out into 38 glaciers. This is one of the best places to get a visual of how quickly these effects can take place. Follow the Exit Glacier Paved Path for roughly 1/3 of a mile and look for the Harding Icefield Trailhead on the right. Some of it melts but a lot of it does not, and it’s compressed into dark blue ice over the next three or four decades. However, there are no glacial channels at the middle of the icefield so the new ice has nowhere to go. We planned to exit on the Grewingk Glacier, which would provide an easy summer trail to access Kachemak Bay and a boat ride to Homer. —Credit: Image provided by Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center, courtesy NASA Earth Observatory . Hiking to the icefield starts on the Exit Glacier paved path that begins at the nature center and goes for about a third of a mile before intersecting with the start of the Harding Icefield trail. How to hike harding icefield exit glacier trail. Over 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, but Exit Glacier is the only one you can hike beside. Bear iko 2005220 lrg.jpg 6,500 × 6,500; 6.47 MB. The Harding Icefield can be reached in an all-day hike from the base of Exit Glacier. About the Exit Glacier Nature Trail. Though the elevation profile is not always even, each of these sections is right around 2 miles so it breaks the day up nicely for objectives. The terrain remained interesting throughout the route. The icefield … Such a fun and beautiful trail. Zuerst führt der Trail durch eine Wald und Buschlandschaft. Alles, was Du über die Wanderung zum Harding Icefield wissen musst. Aerial view of harding ice field.jpg 1,732 × 2,625; 153 KB. Overview. Hike the Harding Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park. The path is a series of loops that lead out to different overlook points of the Exit Glacier. Der Weg ist ausgeschildert und gut erkennbar. We will camp, ski tour, climb nunataks and explore the icefield over six days with full guide support. Strong winds, snow and storm are not uncommon here even after the sunniest mornings! Our destination was the Harding Icefield, a 700 square-mile ice cap thousands of feet thick, still grinding the mountains hidden underneath. Alle Gletscher des Kenai Fjords stammen von hier. sechs Kilometer nördlich von Seward auf der Kenai Halbinsel und ist gut ausgeschildert. It's rapidly retreating toe is shown at bottom-center. Das Harding Icefield ist 113km lang und 48km breit, eine der größten durchgängigen Eisfelder außerhalb der Antarktis. Three different climates to pass through and insane views all over the place. In this park intrepid hikers can not only trek to Exit Glacier; they can also venture up a strenuous trail to the Harding Icefield. My husband and I camped overnight so that we could capture photos at both sunset and sunrise, but it’s beautiful even during the day. Harding Icefield Trail Exit Glacier Trails Map photo taken July 2003 North 0 0.5 Miles 0 0.5 Kilometers Kenai Fjords National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Harding Icefield Trail A hike to the top of the Harding Icefield Trail gives you a glimpse of what much of south-central Alaska looked like during the last ice age. The Harding Icefield is located in the Kenai Mountains of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. The amazing views require some effort – the hike is strenuous with a lot of elevation gain. Harding Icefield Trail. Harding Icefield Trail Hike. Ok we have 2 days in Seward, after fattening cruise.We will probably do the 6 hr fjords cruise instead of the $400 per person awesome sounding kayak Aialik bay.. We also would like to do a hike. From cottonwood forests on the lower trail, the trek takes you through some rocky terrain, to green alpine meadows overlooking the blue, crevassed Exit Glacier, past mountain cascades up to a vista of the endless sea of ice that is the Harding Icefield. Many people walk up to, and in some cases onto the glacier using the Exit Glacier trail. Hier sieht man wie der Exit Glacier vom Harding Iceield talwärts geht. Es geht zwar ein bisschen steil bergauf, ist aber gut zu laufen. As many as 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, which is located in the Kenai Mountains of Alaska. Reaching it takes time, sore legs, and patience, but the view of the icefield is incredibly rewarding! This four mile, roughly four thousand foot climb provides a convenient, cheap, and efficient way to access the icefield, and there is good skiing on the nunataks and in bowls at the upper limits of Exit Glacier. In the spring of 2016 Exit Glacier Guides will be offering two expeditions onto the Harding Icefield for one week each. The Harding Ice Field is a bit more boring in its uniformity, in that most of its glaciers are retreating, he said. Harding Icefield Trail is one of the most rewarding day hikes in the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. Exit Glacier, the only area of Kenai Fjords National Park accessible by car, is one of thirty-five glaciers that flow off the vast Harding Icefield.