Exit Glacier

The marquee attraction of Kenai Fjords National Park and one of Alaska's most accessible glaciers, Exit Glacier was named by explorers crossing the Harding Ice Field who found the glacier a suitable way to 'exit' the ice and mountains. Now 3 miles long, it's believed the river of ice once extended all the way to Seward.

From the Exit Glacier Nature Center, the Outwash Plain Trail is an easy half-mile walk to the glacier's alluvial plain - a flat expanse of pulverized silt and gravel, cut through by braids of grey meltwater. The Overlook Loop Trail departs the first loop and climbs steeply to an overlook at the side of the glacier before returning; don't skip the short spur to Falls Overlook, a scenic cascade off the upper trail. Both trails make for a short hike, not much more than a mile in length; you can return along the half-mile nature trail through cottonwood forest, alder thickets and old glacial moraines before emerging at the ranger station. Note how the land becomes more vegetated the farther you get from the ice - the result of having had more time to recover from its glacial scouring.

Despite all the warning signs, some folks still cozy up to the face of the crackling, calving glacier for photos. Please note that this glacier has removed such people from the gene pool before, by dropping large chunks of ice on their heads. It's a great spot to explain global warming and natural selection to the kids.