3000 feet or 914 metres. The profiles were compared to U.S. Geological Survey topographie maps made in the 1950s, to obtain elevation and volume changes. The other big thing we wanted to do in Kenai Fjords National Park, besides glacier kayaking, was hiking the famous Harding Icefield Trail.. There are Ranger led Harding Icefield hikes from 9am on Saturdays in July to August. Up there, just out of sight, sprawled the Harding Icefield. I read online that the Harding Icefield Trail is the most beautiful trail in the National Park system, and it very well may be. The Harding Icefield Trail is easily one of the most stunning and photogenic hikes I’ve ever done. Camping is allowed along the Harding Icefield Trail, but you must travel at least 1/8 mile from the trail on bare rock or snow before setting up your camp. Much of the interior is covered by the Harding Icefield. We did the Harding Icefield Hike at the end of August and were constantly wowed by the beauty and stunning views. I’d learned to identify those same flowers weeks ago at a lower elevation. Take the Seward Highway … The meadows about halfway up are amazing and then at the top its otherworldly. Unwilling to wait two weeks for a coastal steamer, Kilcher walked to the Homer area, probably by way of the Resurrection River valley. Length of the Harding Icefield Trail. Retrieved December 14, 2006. View from the end of the Harding Icefield Trail. Two parties attempted to cross the icefield in the mid-1960s. Cresting the final ridge of bedrock and loose debris, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Hiking Tip. Ian Malone. Top of the cliff is probably a good return point if you are short of time. It's probably 9 miles round trip, a little longer than the sign says, with plenty of elevation gain, but it is well worth it. 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. Volume and surface elevation changes were calculated for six icefields throughout Alaska and British Columbia by differencing Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) that represent glacial elevations from different time periods. The 8.2-mile round trip Harding Icefield Trail is a spectacular day hike. End of the Trail … The hike to view the Harding Icefield is about 4 miles (oneway) with 3,500 feet elevation gain. Harding Icefield is displayed on the Seward A-8 USGS quad topo map. Ten people were involved in the crossing, which went from Chernof Glacier east to Exit Glacier. Expect to encounter a variety of weather conditions while hiking the trail it is best to check on trail conditions before setting out for the icefield. Hiking. Overview. The park is bordered on the west by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and on the south by Kachemak Bay State Park. Sharp nunataks (lone peaks) break the white horizon, glaciers spill from the ice field’s edge, and mountains fill the frame in every direction. Harding Icefield Trail at about 1 mile of the hike and 1000 ft elevation gain Above the treeline, thick wildflowers start to appear, and the combination of alpine glaciated peaks, the forest below, glaciers, river flowing across the valley floor and wildlflowers made it feel like almost hiking in heaven. If you have visited Harding Icefield … 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. The Trail. He was headed for Kachemak Bay, where he intended to take up residence, but was so intrigued by the icefield he had seen from the steamship that he vowed to cross it before long. The hike starts from the foot of Exit Glacier just outside Seward and takes you to the top of the enormous Harding Icefield. In about 1000 ft elevation the forest disappears to allow a hike that overlooks the Harding Icefield. About 1940, two Kenai Peninsula residents, Eugene "Coho" Smith and Don Rising, apparently were successful in their attempt to cross the icefield. For those looking for an easier outing, the Exit Glacier can be viewed from an accessible trail that is about one mile in length. The trail had contoured along a hillside of tundra festooned with the nodding white flowers of bell heather. Be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles. Hiking conditions are best from June to September. View over Harding Icefield from end of trail. The Harding Icefield, pictured Saturday, July 2, 2016, spans 700 square miles and feeds over 30 glaciers, including Exit Glacier, according to the National Park Service. Camping: Yes, along the Harding Icefield Trail corridor, though you must be a decent ways from the trail on bare rock or snow. I took my time and soaked it in. Lush trees, bears, and vast icefields of Exit Glacier. Elevation Gain of the Harding Icefield Trail. For the Harding Icefield on the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska, United States Geological Survey (USGS) DEMs from the 1950s were differenced with Shuttle Radar Topographic … Answer 1 of 4: I understand that hiking out to the Harding Icefield is one of the best day hikes in Alaska. Camping in the emergency shelter is not allowed. The day we started there were bear sightings along the trail, so make sure to buy bear spray ahead of time. Photo by Emily Stone. I think it's 4.5 miles one way with about a 3000 foot elevation gain. Dense clouds hung low and fingers of fog crept up the valleys. The trail ascends steeply over the 4.1 miles, gaining around 3500' of elevation. Starting on the valley floor, the trail winds through cottonwood and alder forests, passes though heather filled meadows and ultimately climbs well above tree line to a breath-taking view of the Icefield. The park's glaciers have retreated through the twentieth century, … Such a fun and beautiful trail. The strenuous 7.7-mile roundtrip Harding Icefield Trail starts on the valley floor and climbs through alder and cottonwood forest, and wildflower meadows before reaching the stark landscape of the icefield gaining approximately 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile. Overview. Located atop Exit Glacier where it stretches for 700 square miles, the Harding Icefield is worth the climb. Although the view from the top is well worth the effort, you need not hike all the way to the top to experience the wonders of this trail. After I had such an awesome time at Exit Glacier with mom, dad, and Matt (photos to come...sometime), I couldn't wait to get back to Seward with Daniel to hike the Harding Icefield trail, a 7.8 mile round-trip, 3000 ft. elevation gain trail of wonders. The Harding Icefield, pictured Saturday, July 2, 2016, spans 700 square miles and feeds over 30 glaciers, including Exit Glacier, according to the National Park Service. There is a day parking area and a small nature center. This 500-square-mile frozen mass feeds almost three dozen glaciers, including Exit. Some of the more notable glaciers include the Tustumena Glacier, Exit Glacier, and McCarty Glacier. In 1963, a party consisting of Don Stockard, Tom Johnson, and Carl Blomgren tried a westbound crossing. The Harding Icefield is an expansive icefield located in the Kenai Mountains of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. The icefield spawns more than 38 glaciers some of which are tidewater, some of which terminate in lakes, and others terminate on land. The snow covered unnamed mountain peak in the background is 5,900 feet on the western side of the icefield. Some of the more notable glaciers include the Tustumena Glacier, Exit Glacier, and McCarty Glacier. This strenuous trail climbs approximately 1,000 feet every mile, but spectacular views along the way make it well worth the effort. My Arctic Tern at 4,000 feet elevation ASL on the Harding Icefield. At only 4 miles to the end of the trail, hikers might assume that it is an easy hike; it’s not. Length 8.2 mi Elevation gain 3,812 ft Route type Out & Back Along the way, the party made a first-ever ascent of Truuli Peak, a 6,612—foot eminence that protrudes from the northwestern edge of the icefield near Truuli Glacier. Hike the Harding Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park. Unfortunately, Daniel is a trail master. You will begin the hike to Harding Icefield in the Exit Glacier area. The Harding Ice Field is a bit more boring in its uniformity, in that most of its glaciers are retreating, he said. … Covering approximately 700 square miles, and at a maximum depth … A short hike up the trail affords impressive views of the valley floor and Exit Glacier's terminus. In the spring of 1968, the first documented mountaineering party succeeded in crossing the icefield. This trail is a tough day hike, gaining 3,000 feet of elevation in only 4 miles. Harding Ice Field Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park: Address, Harding Ice Field Trail Reviews: 5/5. However, there are no glacial channels at the middle of the icefield so the new ice has nowhere to go. We could have stayed much longer admiring the icefield, but the day was getting towards the end of the day and we had to start on the return. 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. Allow at least 6-8 hours for the hike. Camping is not permitted in the emergency hut at the end of the trail. Kenai Fjords National Park is dominated by a glaciated landscape. The other big thing we wanted to do in Kenai Fjords National Park, besides glacier kayaking, was hiking the famous Harding Icefield Trail.. I have never so many sitting on the cliffs just staring out at nature for so long. Although the view from the top is well worth the effort, you need not hike all the way to the top to experience the wonders of this trail. Alaskan pilot, Bill Quirk tells me, “Make a visit to Alaska to enjoy the best in ski flying operations. You'll gain approximately 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile so be sure to allow at least 6-8 hours for this trip. The Harding Icefield hike in Alaska easily makes our top 3 list of most memorable and wow-factor hikes. The National Park entrance is located about 7 miles back the road. You'll gain approximately 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile so be sure to allow at least 6-8 hours for this trip. The icefield spawns more than 38 glaciers some of which are tidewater, some of which terminate in lakes, and others terminate on land. Harding Ice Field Trail is a 8.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Seward, Alaska that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. From cottonwood forests on the lower trail, the trek takes you through some rocky terrain, to … KenaiFjordsNationalPark.com: "Sights To See." Hike it on your own or take this guided tour . 8.2miles or 13km return. All-Day Hike: The Harding Icefield Trail is strenuous! Between the mid-1920s and the early 1930s, the increasing popularity of aviation had given a lucky few the opportunity to soar over the icefield. Guests are in for a remarkable day hike on an 8.2 mile loop along the Harding Icefield Trail. It's probably 9 miles round trip, a little longer than the sign says, with plenty of elevation gain, but it is well worth it. They hiked from Bear Glacier west to Tustumena Glacier. Fin whale in Kenai Fjords. Harding Icefield is in the Glaciers category for Kenai Peninsula County in the state of Alaska. Elevation: 4,488 feet (1,368 meters) Airborne surface elevation profiles of the Harding Ice field, south-central Alaska, were made in 1991 and 1996. Be on the look out for mountain goats, black bear, and marmots--- they are common sightings up here. Suba sa yelo ang Harding Icefield sa Tinipong Bansa. The nearby town of Seward averages 72 inches of rain per year. The weather at Kenai Fjords is difficult to predict and can change rapidly. The amazing views require some effort – the hike is strenuous with a lot of elevation gain. 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. 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. OVERVIEW: The Harding Icefield Trail is an 8.2-mile, 5-hour hike round trip with a 3,150-foot elevation gain. 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. 4.2 Miles – End of Trail and Breathtaking Overlook of Harding Icefield (3512 ft elevation) Weather. The hike to view the Harding Icefield is about 4 miles … The surface can be muddy, slippery, rocky and include snow and ice depending on the time of year. October 4, 2020. The Harding Icefield is located in the Kenai Mountains of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Hike it on your own or Leaves from the Exit Glacier parking lot. The icefield may be a remnant of the Pleistocene ice masses once covering half of Alaska. They are free to join. The hike up to the Harding Icefield is a strenuous, 7.7 mile roundtrip, hike that gains 3000 feet. The Harding Icefield collects more than 400 inches of new snow each winter to replenish what evaporation and the glaciers take away. Length of the Harding Icefield Trail. The area generally enjoys a relatively temperate maritime climate, primarily due to the influence of the Japanese current that flows through the Gulf of Alaska. Ang Harding Icefield nahimutang sa kondado sa Kenai Peninsula Borough ug estado sa Alaska, sa amihanan-kasadpang bahin sa nasod, 5,400 km sa kasadpan sa ulohang dakbayan Washington, D.C. 1,369 metros ibabaw sa dagat kahaboga ang nahimutangan sa Harding Icefield.. Ang yuta palibot sa Harding Icefield kay kabungtoran sa … The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States. Elevation Gain of the Harding Icefield Trail. Hiking Tip. Both attempts were unsuccessful. Elevation Gain: 3,812 feet. Seward Harding Icefield Hike Tour. After securing a homestead, he returned to Seward, and in late July he hiked up the Lowell Creek drainage toward the icefield. The magnificent coastline of Kenai Fjords is steep valleys that were carved by glaciers in retreat. The Exit Glacier, however, is the most accessible of the glaciers being reached by a spur road off of the Seward Highway. Comparison of the changes for the different glaciers shows no significant correlation … Hiking back over the moraine. The Harding Ice Field is a bit more boring in its uniformity, in that most of its glaciers are retreating, he said. Although the view from the top is well worth the effort, you need not hike all the way to the top to experience the wonders of this trail. The construction of the Spruce Creek trail that year, however, made it possible to view the upper portions of the icecap, and President Harding's promise to visit the territory was sufficient to bestow his name on the feature. The icefield embraces Tuuli Peak, the highest point in the Kenai Mountains at 6,612 feet above sea level, suggesting that the Harding is likely a mile deep in some places. Seward residents generally ignored the huge icefield west of town before 1922. A recent paper published in Geophysical Research Letters, however, estimated the Harding Icefield lost 0.72 meters in elevation per year in the 1990s, a 50 percent increase in thinning rate. Conditions on the icefield overwhelmed him however, and a week later he was back in Seward. Few scenes in the world compare to the view across the frozen expanse of the 700-square-mile Harding Icefield. The Harding Icefield is over 700 square miles (1813 km2) 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 km2) [1] The icefield spawns up to 40 glaciers of all types. The Trail. All-Day Hike: The Harding Icefield Trail is strenuous! The trail starts climbing … The 700-square-mile Harding Icefield, one of four major ice caps in the United States, crowns Kenai Fjords National Park. Not surprisingly, this accelerating ice melt is due to rapidly … It is named for United States President Warren G. Harding. There are Ranger led Harding Icefield hikes from 9am on Saturdays in July to August. Harding Icefield Trail is an epic 8.2 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of 3812 feet. Early in the season, about half of the trail is covered in snow, but hikers with boots will have little problem walking through it. Details: The magnificent Harding Icefield is the jewel of Kenai Fjords National Park (at least in my opinion!) Would you hike to the Harding Icefield? It was a warm, sunny July day when my wife and I hiked the Harding Icefield trail. It feeds at least 38 glaciers, including Exit Glacier. Indeed, much of it is more than a mile thick. Harding Icefield is the largest icefield located entirely within the United States. Anyone who is interested in visiting Harding Icefield can print the free topographic map and street map using the link above. Can someone who has done it estimate the time it takes ? [2] The icefield itself receives over 400 inches of snow each year.[3]. I’d learned to identify those same flowers weeks ago at a lower elevation. The top of the trail is a window to past ice ages - a horizon of ice and snow that stretches as far as the eye can see, broken … The National Park entrance is located about 7 miles back the road. Harding Icefield, named for former U.S. President Warren Harding, is located in the mountains of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Elevation Gain: 3,812 feet. The trail itself is only 3.8 miles out, but you'll need to access it via the Exit Glacier Paved Path, which adds to the overall distance.Hikers can expect sweeping views of the Exit Glacier area … If you have visited Harding Icefield before, please tell us about it with a comment below. Elevation Gain: 3,070 ft (936 m) Location: Seward – Exit Glacier Nature Center: Map of Harding Icefield Trail (red) and Exit Glacier trails (blue) – map disclaimer and information. The ice is so thick that it extends up to 6,000 feet of elevation. Cresting the final ridge of bedrock and loose debris, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Harding Icefield are 60.0180556, -149.9861111 and the approximate elevation is 4,488 feet (1,368 meters) above sea level. Harding Icefield. The Harding Icefield is over 700 square miles (1813 km ) 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 ) The icefield spawns up to 40 glaciers of all types. If you have visited Harding Icefield before, please tell us about it with a comment below. Up to this point, however, people had walked only on the icefield's margins. We summited in two hours--and there were NO breaks for breathers anywhere on the almost four mile … 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 Harding Icefield hike is a must-do hike in Kenai Mountains. The Exit Glacier, however, is the most accessible of the glaciers being reached by a spur road off of the Seward Highway. Starting on the valley floor, the trail meanders through alder … That’s some serious ice. I read online that the Harding Icefield Trail is the most beautiful trail in the National Park system, and it very well may be. They are accessed from the Herman Leirer Road (also called Exit Glacier Road) off of the Seward Highway about four miles north of town. Harding Icefield Trail Hike This trek climbs 3000 feet alongside Exit Glacier as it passes through several climatic zones. Few scenes in the world compare to the view across the frozen expanse of the 700-square-mile Harding Icefield. DIRECTIONS: Kenai Fjords National Park is about a three-hour drive, south of Anchorage, Alaska. 4.2 Miles – End of Trail and Breathtaking Overlook of Harding Icefield (3512 ft elevation) Weather. The trail is strenuous! 3000 feet or 914 metres. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Harding Icefield are 60.0180556, -149.9861111 and the approximate elevation is 4,488 feet (1,368 meters) above sea level.
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