Hiking Byron Glacier during the summer is a treat. From the trailhead, the cool breeze from the glacier and the rushing river sounds draw you into a mystical mindset as you approach the ice cave. After hiking for a .08 miles, you reach the entrance to the cave. Looking dark and daunting, as you enter, your eyes quickly adjust and reveal the magic that is the Byron Glacier Ice Cave hike.
Byron Glacier is the most accessible glaciers on the Kenai Peninsula with a short 0.8 mile hike with the reward of ice caves at the end. The Byron Glacier ice caves are considered relatively safe to explore, if you follow the best practices, but children are not recommended to bring. Many visitors of Alaska seek out the Byron Glacier ice cave for their beauty and access.
Read on to discover driving directions to Byron Glacier, how to access the ice caves, what to bring while hiking, safety considerations, and much much more.
Seeing the entrance to the Byron Glacier Ice Cave for the first time, notice the tiny people just to the right of the entrance. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
BYRON GLACIER ICE CAVE HIKE OVERVIEW:
Distance: 1.6 miles round trip
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Elevation change: 100 feet
Type of terrain: Maintained trail to rocky river bed in the ice cave
Difficulty of hike: Easy
WHERE IS BYRON GLACIER?
Byron Glacier is located in Girdwood, Alaska on the Kenia Peninsula, sitting adjacent to Portage Lake and Portage Glacier, this ice cave hike is often paired with a visit to Portage Lake.
Directions to Byron Glacier Ice Caves from Anchorage, you will take the Seward Highway towards Whittier, turning off on Portage Glacier Road (the same turn off for Whittier Tunnel). After roughly five miles of driving, turn right onto Portage Lake Loop. Then you will follow the signs to Byron Glacier Trailhead to start your hike.
Click here for direction to Byron Glacier Trailhead
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HIKE BYRON GLACIER ICE CAVE?
Hiking to the ice cave of Byron Glacier will take 20-30 minutes along a flat, dirt trail for 0.8 of a mile. This short hike has a subtle uphill grade that most will not notice. Once your reach the vista point for Byron Glacier, you will start hiking on an well worn, but non-maintained trail to the mouth of the ice caves. In total, your trip to Byron Glacier could be as short as 45-60 minutes round trip. However, several people take 2-3 hours as they explore deep into the ice cave at Bryon Glacier.
IS byron Glacier hike kid friendly?
Byron Glacier hike is a family friendly outing and hiking to the vista point is safe for all ages. Meanwhile, hiking into the ice caves is dangerous, as the cave could collapse at any time. So, taking children into the ice caves is often viewed as unsafe and not kid friendly. With that said, I did see several kids, 8 years old and older, exploring the ice caves at Byron Glacier with their family.
Is the Byron Ice Cave Safe?
Byron Ice Cave is considered safe, but there is always the risk of the cave collapsing while you are inside. If a cave collapses when you are inside of it, most do not survive. So, mitigating your risk and exposure inside the ice cave is important. To increase your safety when exploring the ice cave follow these best practices:
only visit the cave when the outside temperatures are close to freezing
avoid entering the cave when sunlight is directly on the cave
do not enter the cave after a heavy snow
if the cave is sagging, exit
Best Seasons to visit Byron Ice Caves?
There are two main seasons for best viewing purposes of the Byron Ice Caves; the summer and the winter. During the summer months, this hike is easiest and the cave has the most light shinning through, giving that gorgeous blue glow to the walls. During the winter months, the Byron Glacier is frozen solid and provides the safest conditions to enter the cave.
Best time of day to visit Byron Ice Caves?
The best time of day to visit Byron Glacier Ice Caves is during the early morning for safety reasons. In the morning, the glacier and ice caves are thier most stable as the sun has not yet began warming, and melting, the glacier. However, if you are looking to take iconic images, with glowing blue walls, from inside of the ice cave, you will need to visit the ice cave when the sun is overhead. Be aware, this time of day is the most dangerous.
What to bring while hiking Byron Glacier?
Hiking the Byron Glacier Ice Caves is the most accessible glacier hike on the Kenai Peninsula and requires the least amount of equipment. You should bring:
Other Adventures Near Byron Glacier Hike:
From inside of the ice cave, looking out. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Now that you have discovered how to drive to Byron Glacier, how to access the ice caves, what to bring while hiking, and safety considerations it is your turn to get out and explore this magnificent hike in Alaska. Please, if you have additional information that would be helpful for other hikers leave a comment below. Also, any and all safety tips are heavily encouraged.
