Root Glacier hike from McCarthy: Private guide on white ice
Walk onto white ice and stand inside a living glacier.
A half-day private glacier hike from McCarthy that starts with a shuttle and a walk through the abandoned Kennecott mining town, then crosses two miles of marked trail to the Root Glacier's white ice. Your guide (trained in glaciology and geology) leads you across crevasses and around moulins, stops you at blue pools, and shows you the Stairway Icefall. Crampons and a pre-trip orientation are included. The hike takes five hours total.
The experience
The day starts in McCarthy, where you get fitted with crampons and a quick orientation before a five-mile shuttle up the road to Kennecott. Your guide walks you through the historic mining buildings and explains the copper operations that once ran here, using their insider knowledge to bring the abandoned structures to life. From there, a two-mile trek along a marked glacier trail takes you through wildflowers and past Alaska berries toward the white ice, with photo stops along the way.
Once you're on the Root Glacier, the guide leads you across fields of ice and around the glacier's most distinctive features: blue pools fed by meltwater, moulins (vertical shafts where water drains into the ice), and crevasses that open into the glacier's interior. You'll drink from a glacial stream and stand in front of the Stairway Icefall, a soaring formation of ice and rock. The guide's background in glaciology means the landscape itself becomes legible. You'll understand what you're looking at and why it's there. The whole experience spans roughly five hours from pickup to return.
What’s included
- Private transportation from McCarthy to Kennecott and onto the glacier.
- a local guide trained in glaciology and geology.
- crampons for walking on ice.
- trekking poles on request.
Information
Lasts 5h, from US$ 285 per person, with a live guide in English and as a private tour.
Operated by McCarthy River Tours
Is this one for you?The five-hour commitment and moderate fitness requirement mean this hike suits travelers who can handle a full morning or afternoon of walking on ice with a guide, not a quick stop. The private format keeps the group small and the pace flexible for questions about glaciology and the landscape.
Traveler reviews
Top questions
What do I need to bring on a Root Glacier hike?
Sturdy hiking shoes or boots, rain gear (top and bottom), sunglasses, sunscreen, lightweight gloves, and a backpack for layers and a camera. The operator provides crampons, trekking poles by request, and a guide. You bring everything else.
How far is the walk before I get onto the glacier?
The trek from the Kennecott bus depot to the white ice is roughly two miles along a well-marked trail, with stops for photos and wildflowers along the way.
What makes the Root Glacier different from other glaciers in Alaska?
The Root Glacier is known for its blue pools, moulins, and the Stairway Icefall: a dramatic formation of ice and rock that rises above the glacier's surface. Your guide will explain how these features form and what they reveal about how the glacier moves.
Is this hike suitable for children?
Children as young as eight can go, but they must be accompanied by an adult. The hike requires at least moderate physical fitness and involves walking on ice with crampons, so younger children should be comfortable with that level of activity.
What happens if the weather is bad?
The tour operates in all weather conditions, so bring rain gear and dress for the temperature. Bad weather doesn't cancel the hike. It just means you'll be hiking in it.
Root Glacier hike from McCarthy: Private guide on white ice
5h · EN
from US$ 285 per person