Root Glacier Trail
Root Glacier Trail
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
26 reviews
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22
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2
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AdamNish
Columbus, OH104 contributions
Jun 2022
Spectacular hike! We brought our own crampons and walked out onto the glacier exploring. The glacier appeared to be fairly stable and safe to be on. We were on the glacier for around 2 hours, it was a spectacular experience! My 3rd time out on a glacier!
Written July 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christian E
Santa Barbara, CA65 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
While taking the guided tour will certainly get you around the glacier faster, is poor college students chose to find our own way and did just fine. We didn't have crampons or hiking poles and neither of us fell once or felt unsafe. The glacier was easy to walk on and incredibly beautiful. If you have $90, then the safety and security of having crampons and a guide is worth it. But you will be absolutely fine without one as long as you stay away from crevasses and the edges of the glacier. This is an absolutely incredible hike.
Written August 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara S
386 contributions
Jul 2019
Have wanted to walk on a glacier for several years. Most people at Kennicott were taking a tour along the Root Glacier Trail to Root Glacier which took from four to six hours. Time did not allow that many hours for me to do this activity, so did it on my own. The trail was winding, narrow, and steep in places. There was a steep area to get on the glacier, but not a difficult climb. This was a great hike and was back in Kennicott in about three hours.
Written August 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rex C
Council Bluffs, IA79 contributions
Jul 2019
This park is very remote and not easy to get to, but once you are there words cannot bestow the magnitude of beauty that is spread before you. The root glacier is so very big and mysterious. The guide tour we took with Wrangle Adventures with our guide Merritt made this part of our trip oh so very good. Merritt is a very good guide who knows his stuff about this big old slab of ice.
Written August 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda A
Hope, ME145 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
We chose to use a guide service- St. Elias. And it was a great choice- 2 miles to the glacier, put on crampons and then another 2 hours walking and about 2 more miles on the glacier and 2 miles out. Our guide knew where there were some spectacular glacier features, made us hot tea and had many stories and much information about the glaicer and mines.
The hike was moderate, steep in places, loose stones, etc. The crampons allowed us to go anywhere on the glacier safely.
Having a guide gave us a better trip, more parts of the glaicer and safety. It was well worth the money. And the fee included a shuttel to and from the footbridge at McCarthy.
The hike was moderate, steep in places, loose stones, etc. The crampons allowed us to go anywhere on the glacier safely.
Having a guide gave us a better trip, more parts of the glaicer and safety. It was well worth the money. And the fee included a shuttel to and from the footbridge at McCarthy.
Written July 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sherri M
Plainville, MA177 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
I just have to weigh in and say that our family did not think the 2 mile hike to the glacier was easy. We were with a guide, so maybe the pace was faster than we would have done well with, but all of us (mom, dad, two boys 12 and 14) were pretty exhausted by the time we got to the actual ice of the glacier, so much so that it was hard to enjoy it at first. And I don't think we were alone; at dinner that night, two other couples who had also done Root Glacier that day with a guide both said that they thought the hike was much longer and harder than they were expecting, and that they too were too exhausted to enjoy the glacier at first.
The initial part is steady uphill, but the really killer part is at the end, when you leave the graded trail and begin going up and down the lateral moraine and then the rock-covered edge of the ice field while trying to get to the exposed ice. The footing is tricky, and it is a lot of steep up and steep down, back and forth.
The glacier is nice; but I wish I had been mentally more prepared for the effort to get to it.
The initial part is steady uphill, but the really killer part is at the end, when you leave the graded trail and begin going up and down the lateral moraine and then the rock-covered edge of the ice field while trying to get to the exposed ice. The footing is tricky, and it is a lot of steep up and steep down, back and forth.
The glacier is nice; but I wish I had been mentally more prepared for the effort to get to it.
Written August 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IndependentTravelAK
Bartlett, IL153 contributions
Jul 2015
On a clear day, this is one of the best day hikes in Alaska. As picturesque as the Harding Icefield trail without the 3,500 foot ascent, this trail offers forest, wash plain, mountain, and of course, glacier views as you make your way to the Stairway Icefall. Trail is well maintained for most of the hike, but it does get more sketchy the further out you get. There are also several boulder fields to scramble over, so you want to have good hiking footwear. Besides that, bring a snack and plenty of water. And, of course, your camera!
Written August 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
warrenville111
Warrenville, IL997 contributions
Sept 2021
We enjoyed this hike. I would rate it as an easier day hike. I wouldn't step on the glacier if you don't have crampons...too risky in my opinion. If you have crampons and poles - you will be fine without a guide. The first part of the hike is somewhat boring, but it gets much better the second half with views. The campsites along the glacier looked optimal. Make sure you stop and have lunch and listen...you can hear the ice cracking under the silt/boulder section of the glacier...and occasionally a rockfall will happen. This was fun. Would totally do the hike again if ever in the area. The hard part is getting to McCarthy/Kennicott. Once there...the beauty is all around!
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RMabe_PA
Monroeville, PA151 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
Mostly level wide trail to a view of the glacier. The walk down to the glacier (and onto it) gets a bit more challenging and may not be for everyone. There are a couple of pit toilets along the way.
Overall a nice afternoon hike from the mining town.
Overall a nice afternoon hike from the mining town.
Written July 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mnbiker
Saint Paul, MN286 contributions
Oct 2017 • Family
The trail is well-maintained, and there are a couple of tent camping sites along the way. The hike ends at the glacier, and it's possible to hike onto the glacier without crampons or other special equipment. A really beautiful hike.
Written October 19, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My daughter and I will be visiting the Kennecott Mine and spending the night there. I am 66 and my knees aren't the best. I would love to do the glacier hike. but am concerned about the distance, keeping up or worse, holding others up. Is there plenty to see if we just hike around on our own? Can we get to the glacier and on it on our own? I don't want to invest in the hike when I am not sure it is the best idea.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.
Written January 31, 2019
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