Climbing the Root Glacier Path is without doubt one of the greatest issues to do in Wrangell – St. Elias Nationwide Park and Protect. This nationwide park is roofed with an enormous quantity of glacial ice and the Root Glacier is essentially the most accessible glacier within the park.
Whether or not or not you’ve gotten been glacier climbing earlier than, that is an superior expertise. Not solely do you get to see the uniquely striped glacial ice of the Root Glacier, however you might be additionally surrounded by mountain peaks and one of many highest icefalls on this planet.
Glaciers are harmful, so with a purpose to hike the Root Glacier Path, it’s extremely really useful that you just solely do that with an skilled information and the correct tools.
Root Glacier Path Climbing Stats
There are two components to those climbing stats: (1) the hike from Kennecott to the Root Glacier and (2) the hike on the Root Glacier.
Kennecott to the Root Glacier
Listed here are stats for the one-way hike from Kennecott to the Root Glacier.
Distance: 2.4 miles
Issue: Straightforward to average
Whole Ascent to the Root Glacier: 380 toes
Whole Ascent returning to Kennecott: 450 toes
Size of Time: 70 minutes one-way
Overview of the route from Kennecott to the Root Glacier.
That is the elevation profile for the one-way hike from Kennecott to the Root Glacier. It doesn’t embody any climbing on the Root Glacier. To return to Kennecott, you’ll observe this graph in reverse.
Climbing Stats on the Root Glacier
These are the stats for the climbing that we did on the Root Glacier. This may fluctuate primarily based on the tour information and exercise stage of your group.
Distance: 2.2 miles spherical journey
Issue: Straightforward to average
Whole Ascent: 670 toes
Size of Time: 3 hours
This provides as much as 7 miles and 1,500 toes of complete ascent over the whole hike. Our complete time, together with getting outfitted with crampons previous to the hike, was 6 hours.
Our climbing route on the Root Glacier. This may fluctuate primarily based in your information and your group.
Elevation profile for our hike on the Root Glacier.
Root Glacier Path Guides
There are two guiding corporations that lead excursions out onto the Root Glacier: St. Elias Alpine Guides and Kennicott Wilderness Guides.
We used St. Elias Alpine Guides and extremely suggest them. From begin to end, the guides and the employees have been pleasant, educated, and really skilled.
We took their half-day glacier hike tour, which incorporates the hike out to the glacier plus a number of hours climbing on the glacier. You possibly can flip this right into a full day expertise by spending extra time on the glacier or including on a go to to an ice cave. In addition they supply mountain climbing on the Root Glacier. We went mountain climbing in Kenai Fjords Nationwide Park and it’s superior! The Root Glacier could be an important place to do that, too.
To see extra of what St. Elias Alpine Guides has to supply, plus pricing and hyperlinks to order your tour, click on right here to go to their web site.
Kennicott Wilderness Guides additionally supply half and full day excursions on the Root Glacier, in addition to mountain climbing. Since we didn’t use them, I can’t discuss their companies from expertise, however in addition they get nice opinions. Click on right here to go to their web site.
By the best way, each of those corporations supply many extra guided excursions than only a hike on Root Glacier. You can even hike to Bonanza Mine with a information or take your decide from backcountry multi-day experiences.
The Trailhead
The Root Glacier Path begins on the Kennecott Mill City. Comply with the street in entrance of the Kennicott Glacier Lodge in direction of the Kennecott Mill and the street will ultimately flip right into a path. If you’re doing this with a information, your hike will begin at their check-in location, which can almost certainly be situated throughout from the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Our climbing stats begin from there.
Earlier than setting off in your hike, you’ll meet your information and they’ll get you fitted with crampons.
From Kennecott, the path heads north, away from the mill and the city.
On the Root Glacier Path
It’s a largely flat 2.4 mile hike to get out to the Root Glacier. This stroll is alongside a dust path and there may be not a lot to take a look at, as you might be largely within the timber. Convey alongside insect repellent, as a result of mosquitoes could be a problem for this a part of the hike. However as soon as out on the glacier, the air is splendidly mosquito free.
There might be two creek crossings alongside the path, however there are small foot bridges for each of them.
Jumbo Creek
When you cross Jumbo Creek, you’ll take the spur path to the left to achieve the Root Glacier. When you go straight right here, the path continues as much as the Erie Mines.
As soon as on the spur path, it’s a downhill stroll to the Root Glacier. The view from this a part of the path is superior. In entrance of you is the Root Glacier and Donoho Peak. At this level, you might be strolling a free, gravelly path. That is the lateral moraine of the Root Glacier.
Because the Root Glacier recedes, this a part of the hike will get barely longer annually. We did this hike in 2021.
On the Root Glacier
When you get to the glacier face, you’ll put in your crampons and obtain a security briefing out of your information, in case you are doing this as a tour.
Then the enjoyable begins!
There are not any set trails on the glacier. The Root Glacier is consistently altering, which is a part of its magnificence, and its hazard.
Our information, Jake, led our small group across the glacier for 3 hours. We hiked previous blue swimming pools of water, crevasses, and small canyons product of blue ice. We additionally received to see a number of moulins, large holes within the glacier which have been shaped by the flowing water.
Not too far off within the distance is the Stairway Icefall, the second largest icefall on this planet. The Khumbu Icefall in Nepal is the world’s largest.
Since there is no such thing as a set path, our small group may resolve the place we wished to go. We received fortunate in that we had a really lively group, so we hiked all around the glacier.
Listed here are pictures from our hike on the Root Glacier.
Individuals mountain climbing on the Root Glacier
It’s additionally actually cool climbing onto the lateral moraine and searching again on the immense wall of ice.
After the three hours on the glacier, we stepped off the ice, eliminated our crampons, and walked again to Kennecott.
On the stroll again to Kennecott, maintain a watch for a lookout from the path the place you may get this view of the mill.
In complete, this tour took six hours. A half hour to fulfill our guides and get fitted with crampons, simply over one hour to stroll the Root Glacier Path to the Root Glacier, 3 hours on the ice, and a 70 minute stroll again to Kennecott.
What to Convey
We did this hike on June 28, 2021. As you’ll be able to see from our pictures, it was an overcast day. It was very chilly and we wore numerous layers to remain heat. But when the solar is out, it could really feel a lot hotter.
At first, I used to be disillusioned to have such a cloudy day. However our information, Jake, informed us that cloudy days are preferable. You possibly can see the colours of the glacier higher on a cloudy day, and also you received’t have as a lot solar glare.
Listed here are issues to convey on the Root Glacier hike:
- Sun shades. These are completely needed. Lots of gentle displays off of the Root Glacier, even on cloudy days.
- A lot of layers. It’s a lot colder on the glacier than in Kennecott. We wore a protracted sleeve shirt, a short-sleeved shirt, and a rain jacket. Kara and I wore water-resistant pants by Kuhl. Tim wore a pair of waterproof pants over his climbing pants.
- Waterproof pants. To maintain you dry whether it is raining. We used these quite a bit in Alaska.
- Hat and gloves
- Two pairs of socks
- Sunblock. Be sure you put it on below your chin due to the sunshine reflecting off of the glacier.
- Climbing boots. These have a sturdy sole and work properly with the crampons. Tennis footwear are simply OK however due to their flexibility, would possibly come out of the crampons often. We hiked throughout a number of streams on the glacier and waterproof climbing footwear or boots may also assist maintain your toes dry.
- Water bottle. You possibly can fill it up within the glacial streams as you hike on the glacier.
- Lunch and snacks
- Digicam
- Mosquito repellent
- Day pack
Issues to Know Earlier than You Go
Until you’ve gotten numerous expertise glacier climbing, it’s best to solely hike on Root Glacier with a information.
Guided hikes are provided from the top of Could via early September.
Alongside the path from Kennecott to the Root Glacier, each moose and bear sightings are widespread. Make noise and keep alert. Bear can typically even be seen on the Root Glacier.
Convey extra layers than you suppose you will have. It may be chilly on the Root Glacier and you’ll all the time take off layers and stuff them into your day pack.
