Exit Glacier
Encyclopedia
Exit Glacier is a glacier derived from the Harding Icefield
in the Kenai Mountains
of Alaska
.
It received its name because it served as the exit for the first recorded crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968.
, Dave Johnston, Yule Kilcher and his son Otto, Dave Spencer, Helmut Tschaffert, and Vin and Grace (Jansen) Hoeman. As noted above, Yule Kilcher, Dave Johnston, Vin Hoeman, and Grace Hoeman were veterans of previous attempts; of the ten, only four–Bill Babcock, Dave Johnston, Yule Kilcher, and Vin Hoeman–hiked all the way across the icefield. The expedition left Homer on April 17, bound for Chernof Glacier; eight days later, they descended Exit Glacier and arrived in Seward. Along the way, the party made a first-ever ascent of Truuli Peak, a 6612 feet (2,015.3 m) eminence that protrudes from the northwestern edge of the icefield near Truuli Glacier.
of Juneau
). A spur road of the Seward Highway
takes visitors to the only road accessbile portion of the Kenai Fjords National Park
and a number of hiking trails that take visitors to the terminus
of the glacier or even up to the Harding Icefield itself. Although one of the Harding Icefield's smaller glaciers, because of its easy accessibility and abundant hiking trails around and above the glacier, the Exit Glacier is one of the most visited glaciers in Alaska. Exit Glacier is open year-round. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road is closed to cars but open to a wide-range of winter recreation –from snow machines to dogsleds, fat-tire bicycles and cross-country skiers.
Guided hikes on the Harding Icefield Trail are offered on Saturdays from July 5 through August 30. The hike departs from the Exit Glacier Nature Center at 9am.
Harding Icefield
The Harding Icefield is an expansive icefield located in the Kenai Mountains of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. It is also partially located in Kenai Fjords National Park. It is named for United States President Warren G...
in the Kenai Mountains
Kenai Mountains
The Kenai Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Alaska. They extend 192 km northeast from the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula to the Chugach Mountains....
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
It received its name because it served as the exit for the first recorded crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968.
History
In the spring of 1968, the first documented mountaineering party succeeded in crossing the Harding Icefield. Ten people were involved in the crossing, which went from Chernof Glacier east to Resurrection Glacier (Later renamed Exit as the newspaper reported that the group would be descending the "Exit Glacier"). Expedition members included Bill Babcock, Eric Barnes, Bill FoxBill Fox
Bill Fox was the lead singer and guitarist of the three-piece Cleveland, Ohio, garage pop band The Mice, which existed from January 1985 to 1988. They released two albums, For Almost Ever and Scooter , and were a major influence on the burgeoning Ohio power pop scene, including Dayton's Guided by...
, Dave Johnston, Yule Kilcher and his son Otto, Dave Spencer, Helmut Tschaffert, and Vin and Grace (Jansen) Hoeman. As noted above, Yule Kilcher, Dave Johnston, Vin Hoeman, and Grace Hoeman were veterans of previous attempts; of the ten, only four–Bill Babcock, Dave Johnston, Yule Kilcher, and Vin Hoeman–hiked all the way across the icefield. The expedition left Homer on April 17, bound for Chernof Glacier; eight days later, they descended Exit Glacier and arrived in Seward. Along the way, the party made a first-ever ascent of Truuli Peak, a 6612 feet (2,015.3 m) eminence that protrudes from the northwestern edge of the icefield near Truuli Glacier.
Access
The Exit Glacier is especially notable for being a drive up glacier (similar to the Mendenhall GlacierMendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about long located in Mendenhall Valley, about from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska....
of Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
). A spur road of the Seward Highway
Seward Highway
The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 127 miles from Seward to Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Arm, for which it was designated an All-American Road by the U.S...
takes visitors to the only road accessbile portion of the Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park is a United States National Park established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park covers an area of approximately on the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska, near the town of Seward. The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of...
and a number of hiking trails that take visitors to the terminus
Glacier terminus
A glacier terminus, or snout, is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality glaciers are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating...
of the glacier or even up to the Harding Icefield itself. Although one of the Harding Icefield's smaller glaciers, because of its easy accessibility and abundant hiking trails around and above the glacier, the Exit Glacier is one of the most visited glaciers in Alaska. Exit Glacier is open year-round. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road is closed to cars but open to a wide-range of winter recreation –from snow machines to dogsleds, fat-tire bicycles and cross-country skiers.
Ranger Programs
Ranger-led walks to Exit Glacier are offered at 10am, 2pm and 4pm daily. These walks are approximately 1–2 hours in length. There are also Ranger Talks held in the Exit Glacier Pavilion at 12pm. These last approximately 20–30 minutes.Guided hikes on the Harding Icefield Trail are offered on Saturdays from July 5 through August 30. The hike departs from the Exit Glacier Nature Center at 9am.