In search of adventure, we started the drive from Anchorage, Alaska to McCarthy & Kennecott. Posted by Brandon Sturm on December 05, 2018. Hike to Root Glacier and Explore the Ice Caves. Alaska Ice Climbing Itinerary. What to Pack for the Root Glacier Trail From there, itâs a 1.8 mile hike to the white ice of the glacier. Reminds me of riding in Glamis . Your Alaska ice climbing adventure begins at our office in the historic copper mining town of Kennecott. Definitely the best glacier ⦠Root Glacier is great for further adventures if youâre up for the challenge. (The trail continues up the valley, roughly paralleling the glacier.) A short, steep descent brings you right to an apron of grit-covered ice. The rest of your day can be spent exploring the rivers, blue pools, canyons, and waterfalls of the Root Glacier. Tours are offered by two local companies, St. Elias Alpine Guides and Kennecott Wilderness Guides. The hike is entirely within the Wrangell-St Elias National Park, the largest National Park in the US, and one of the least visited. Because early melt usually leaves the Root snow free by the end of May, this access may offer one of Alaskaâs best spring and early summer opportunities to explore a remote, wilderness glacier on foot. The Rootâs source is the great ice fields of the Wrangell peaks. The Root, like all glaciers, is like a river. Ice climbing and mountaineering are popular in addition to mountaineers and hikers training for future endeavors. Words and photos by Coalatree Ambassador John Rosano. From the deck of our office, donât miss breathtaking views of 16,390â Mt. The Root Glacier hike is a rare opportunity to hike on a large, active glacier that is easily accessible by car. Blackburn and the Kennicott Glacier as your guide fits you for a ⦠For maximum safety, travel in groups, be noisy when you are walking, and never give any food to a bear. Crampons are strongly recommended. A hike up the Root Glacier and beyond toward the Erie Mine in Alaska's Wrangell St Elias NP and Kennecott country took us as close as we could get to the Stairway Ice Fall, which is the second largest ice fall in the world, and remains un-climbed. Notes: Avoid walking along the edge of Root Glacier as rotting ice and swift, cold water are potentially dangerous. Bartholomaus says he'd like to go back to Root Glacier again and do a good, long hunt for the moss balls that were tagged over a decade ago. The ice pours out of the fields and then, like a waterfall, cascades over the steep ⦠Glacier Hiking and Ice Climbing. It has a point of origination, like a riverâs headwaters. The glacier moss balls are commonly referred to as âglacier mice,â and were the subject of a recent study published online in Polar Biology this month. In 2006, while hiking around the Root Glacier in Alaska, glaciologist Tim Bartholomaus encountered something strange and unexpected on the ice ⦠The Root Glacier can be very slippery and dangerous. Bears are present along the entire route. According to a report from NPR, each ball resembles a soft, wet and squishy pillow of moss.The studyâs authors believe that they develop from impurities on ice surfaces and represent a relatively rare phenomenon. On a map itâs easy to trace your finger straight from where I started in the town of Kennicott up Root Glacier to the base of the Stairway Icefall, but in reality you have to continually navigate around ice walls, fins, and crevasses, always searching for the nearest most gradual route available. ⦠Most Alaskan visitors will see a glacier, but here in Kennicott, you can actually hike onto the Root Glacier and explore the fascinating world of moulons, pressure ridges, fathomless blue water pools, and exquisite and mysterious ice formations.