Margerie Glacier is one of the most well-known attractions in the park, and we left our anchorage early to have it to ourselves for awhile. We motored up Tarr Inlet in calm conditions and first saw Grand Pacific Glacier winding its way down to the sea.
Grand Pacific Glacier at the head of Tarr Inlet – all of the hills in the picture are actually in Canada, to the north of SE Alaska
First view of the corner of the snout of the Glacier
We heard Margerie before we saw it – the sound of rolling thunder echoed down the inlet as huge chunks of ice calved off the face. Rounding a small headland, the mile-and-a-half wide, 200-300 foot tall face of the glacier came into view. We motored slowly forward, avoiding large and small chunks of ice, as far towards the face as felt safe, eventually stopping about a mile and a half out.
Happy sailors at the glacier
We switched off the engine and drifted for a while in awe – the silence of the inlet only broken by the cracking of the ice. As the tide continued to fill in, much of the ice pushed further into the inlet and we were able to drive to within a quarter mile of the glacier face. Given that house-sized blocks of ice regularly plummeted from the top of the glacier into the water below, that felt close enough!
Mike scouting a path to the glacier face by dinghy
Nearly every day of our trip so far has featured fantastic views, but any fears that we were becoming jaded and immune to the natural beauty around us were dashed by spending some time in front of Margerie Glacier.
Drifting in front of the glacier
