Exploring Alaska: MacLaren Glacier

I will never see all 600+ named glaciers in Alaska, but why not try??? The 13-mile long MacLaren Glacier at about 3,500 feet has been on my list for years because it is “semi-accessible.”

“Semi-accessible” is the operative word, and in Alaska, it’s a relative concept. To reach the MacLaren Glacier, we had to drive about 5 hours from home 100 miles east on the Denali “Highway.” Most rental cars are prohibited to drive on the Denali Highway, so that should give you an idea what kind of highway it is—complete with no cell service, gravel, potholes, etc. And that is just step 1!

Once we arrived at the MacLaren River Lodge at mile marker 42 along the Denali Highway, they took us on a jet boat upstream the river to their remote camp (all of which costs $150/person). At the camp, there are several, large tents outfitted with cots and camp chairs, which makes it more like a glamping than camping. 

From camp, we set out on a 5-mile flat hike that wove its way across vegetated gravel bars. You are basically walking in a wide glacial-carved valley, so there is no set path. We chose to avoid the braided outwash channels of the river and only had to battle some overgrown willows for a tiny bit. (Pro tip: somewhere along the way there is actually an old jeep road and airstrip that makes for easy breezy walking. We found this on our way out). We had views of the glacier in the distance the whole time. It feels like it is so close, but alas, it is miles away. Of course I had to land snorkel along the way to admire the rocks, mosses and lichen. 

Once we climbed onto the higher terraces, we came upon the glacial ponds and lakes. Glacial water has tons of mineral-rich silt, which gives it that otherworldly color. MacLaren Glacier carves through the mountains about 13 miles, but it’s not a particularly shelf-y glacier that calves. It’s flattish. So I was actually surprised to see so many icebergs floating on the milky waters. While it was raining for most of our hike to the glacier, it stopped once we arrived. We sat there for at least an hour admiring this raw untouched wilderness. It’s always humbling to be on the edge of something from nature so immense and powerful. We could have trekked another mile or so to actually step onto the glacier, but walking on unstable, dirty ice is not really my jam! I do kind of wish we brought packrafts so we could float around the lake & get closer to the icebergs, but oh well. 

It was an easy 5 miles back to camp, especially since we stayed to the southwest side of the valley and discovered that old jeep track that took us past what looked like old cabin dwellings and garbage piles. 

Camp was comfy, but didn’t lose the spirit of the wild being so remote and with a front-row seat to the glacier. The area around the glacier is state land, and MacLaren River Lodge leases the land for the remote camp, a genius move on their part to give people greater accessibility. There are shorter trails around camp and TONS of blueberries for picking. 

I highly recommend for anyone looking for an overnight adventure to a magical spot that is equally off the beaten path, but also accessible!