Portage Glacier
Chugach National Forest, Portage Valley · Girdwood, Alaska
A glacier at the head of Portage Lake in Chugach National Forest, about an hour south of Anchorage, which has retreated so far that it can no longer be seen from the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center built on the shore to view it in 1986. Today visitors see its blue ice face from the MV Ptarmigan, a heated boat that cruises among icebergs and approaches within about 300 feet, or from the Portage Pass Trail on the Whittier side of the mountains. Portage Valley below holds the Byron Glacier Trail, the Trail of Blue Ice, salmon-viewing platforms, campgrounds and the ghost forest of trees killed when the 1964 earthquake dropped the land. In 2026 the one-hour cruise ran five times a day from 11 May to 16 September. The Forest Service also warned in 2026 of a potential landslide above Portage Lake that could send a tsunami across it, and reported avalanche debris on the Byron Glacier Trail.
Portage Glacier Road, Portage Lake, Girdwood, Alaska, 99587, United States
Portage Glacier cruises: 11 May-16 September 2026, five departures daily. Begich, Boggs Visitor Center keeps seasonal hours (check the Chugach National Forest site). Check Forest Service alerts before visiting.