Matanuska Glacier from a roadside overlook — Glenn Highway, Alaska.

Distant view of the Matanuska Glacier from the Alaska State Rec Site — Glenn Highway, AK.

A small portion of the 4-mile wide terminus of Matanuska Glacier from the state rec site — Glenn Hwy

Glimpse of a hanging glacier — Glenn Highway, AK.

Moose grazing in a pond — Glenn Highway, AK.

Hicks Creek trying to wed with the Matanuska River — Glenn Hwy, AK.

Colorful Sheep Mountain ... closed to hunting of Dall Sheep — Glenn Hwy, AK.

Mama moose and calf crossing the road just ahead of us — Glenn Hwy, AK.

Colorful wildflowers — Glenn Highway, AK.

Day 51 Ends After Views of Matanuska

June 22, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

Although we will be driving the length of the Glenn Highway to Anchorage after our stay in Valdez, we won’t have much time to dally. So, today we did a short day drive from our base in Glennallen ... to see the Matanuska Glacier.

Currently 4 miles wide at its terminus and 27 miles long, the glacier at one time filled the entire valley. In fact, 18,000 years ago, it crowded the area where the city of Palmer is now located ... some 60 miles or so from where we stood today to view the glacier. It is considered a stable glacier and hasn’t changed much in the last 400 years.

Though the glacier is promoted as being one of the few that is accessible by car, that is only true if you take a tour. Since we’ve hiked on many glaciers, we skipped that activity. Instead, we enjoyed the views — distant though they were — from the Matanuska State Recreation Site where we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Other bonuses of the day — a moose grazing in a pond; a mama moose crossing the road in front of us with her calf; colorful wild flowers in the backyard of an old trading post; the clearing of the overcast and low clouds to reveal the beauty of Sheep Mountain ... an area closed to hunting of Dall Sheep.

This was a really nice, relaxing outing ... a good activity before we move on to a much-anticipated part of our road trip.Read more