Portage Glacier is the most visited glacier in Alaska because of its easy accessibility from Anchorage via the Seward Highway, and the scenic iceberg filled lake the glacier has left behind in its retreat. Unfortunately the glacier has retreated behind some rocks making it impossible to see from the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. However, the visitor center and surrounding decks provide great views of the lake and several nearby hanging glaciers clinging to the mountainsides. To really see Portage Glacier, the one that created the lake and is responsible for those icebergs, you will need to take one of the boat tours onto the lake, or continue down the Portage Glacier Rd. through a short tunnel toward the Whittier Access Tunnel.
This was my second visit to Portage Glacier, so I decided to stop by on my return to Anchorage after the visitor center had closed, rather than spend the early part of the day visiting a place I had already seen before. Even after the visitor center is closed you are welcome to park in its parking lot and go out onto the sidewalks overlooking the lake. I arrived at Portage Lake around 8:00 p.m. and I was one of about 15-20 people who were there. Despite it being late summer, there were still icebergs floating in the lake, although they were smaller and fewer in number than what I had seen during my previous visit in November 2002. After a brief walk around the visitors center area, I proceeded on toward the Whittier Tunnel, pausing briefly along the road for some views of Portage Glacier and the lake from a different angle.
Portage Lake and Glacier makes a great short sidetrip from Anchorage. If you do not have time to see all of the Seward Highway and drive southward to Exit Glacier and the other glaciers of the Kenai Peninsula, Portage is a good place to see a glacier. And, the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center has some excellent displays and a short film about the glacier. There are also several short hiking trails in the area that help you get up close to the glaciers.
Additional Information:
- Visitor center hours: Summers, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., seven days a week; Winter, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., weekends only.
- Begich, Boggs Visitor Center website
- Phone number: (907) 783-2326