This is the perfect trail for a family! People of all ages can come. It's super short with an easy, flat dirt path. We saw senior citizens, kids, dogs, etc. all comfortably share this path. I took my husband and parents who are in their 60s to this trail. My parents aren't too fond of when I take them on what they call "too crazy of an adventure," but this trail they handled just fine. It only took 55 minutes to drive from Anchorage to the trail head. And you get to drive the beautiful scenic Seward Highway. That itself already made the trip worth it. The trail is only 1.4 miles one way. There are no river crossings or switch backs. It's just out and back. It's a pretty sunny walk, so bring a hat/sunscreen. At the endpoint, you get a nice view of the Byron Glacier. Apparently you can even sometimes visit ice tunnels. Those weren't available when we went because an avalanche reportedly happened the week prior. But it was still definitely worth the trip. If you take your time to enjoy the walk and glacier, the "hike" takes about 3-4 hours. read more

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Absolutely stunning trail! Very friendly to all ages and all levels of athleticism. I've hiked out there with people as young as 3 and as old as 70-something! It takes about 10 or 15 minutes to walk out there if you're going at a relaxed/moderate pace. PLEASE be careful around the snow and be VERY aware that the ice above the river is often very thin! You'll see other footprints over it, but you are NOT supposed to walk on it, especially on the parts above the river! The water is eroding it from the inside out and one wrong footstep could send you falling 20ft into an ice cavern :( You can have just as much fun here without risking your life!! I always wear bug spray here, but I've seen only a few bugs. Don't drink the water unless you have a filter with you. If you're driving in from Anchorage, the Alaska Wildfire Conservation Center is directly on the route and definitely worth stopping at! read more

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An easy hike with a great destination. This is not a trail you hear much about but am glad I found this watching some YouTube video. There are only a handful of glaciers that you can just park your car and walk unto. This trail is a true hidden gem and a very short and easy hike even for me. Highly recommend! read more

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This was an easy and beautiful trail. We had to pass through the fly infested forest before reaching the snow bank. We couldn't stop while in the woods or the flies would stick to you. No problems with mosquitoes, only the slow flies! It was a beautiful hike that everyone could enjoy. read more

Byron Glacier Trailhead - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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I was googling 'easy trails' and one of the links that came up brought me to Yelp. Based on the reviews, I decided to make this my undertaking today. I have moderate mobility issues; so I research a lot before I do pretty much anything. That said, most of the reviews were on point! I'll start with one inconsistency I found. You should know that as of 03 October 2021, there is no fee to park. I looked for the typical stand with envelopes like many trails have. There isn't one. There is, however, a check in stand without a pen. They ask that you list your information. I'm guessing this is for safety, in case you don't return to the parking lot. As far as parking is concerned, there is only one accessible parking space. The second inconsistency is purely subjective. Many people say this is a flat trail. If you have issues with walking, it's not a flat trail. It has some ups and downs, but they aren't more than ten feet up or down at a time and none of them are steep (which is beneficial). The use of a walker would prove to be quite challenging. Next, bring ice cleats so that you can traverse the ice field. I was able to make my way about a half mile down to (what I'll classify as) the back side of the ice field. There, I found a cave and wandered in to sit and take photos for a bit. Don't stand too quickly, or you'll likely bump your head. The clearance for the cave I found was only about 4' 10". There is mention that the average person can do this three-mile trail in about thirty minutes round trip. I completed it in just over four hours. It's much easier if you take your time and enjoy the scenery. It's worth it. read more

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Trail is very short. However, it is pretty cool to see what's left of the glacier and, if you dare, can go into the "Ice cave". I found the actual trail too short so we moved up higher toward the glacier an extra mile. Be advised you'd be walking on avalanche debris so also, not recommended. Parking lot had about 40ish spots? The day we went, only about 10 vehicles there. About an hour from anchorage. read more

Super simple hike/walk! It was beautiful & you can continue to walk up the glacier if you are feeling adventurous! Lots of people brought their dogs & kids! read more

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This is a very short, very scenic "hike". It feels weird to even call it a "hike". It's allegedly 1.4 miles, but it feels much shorter, and it's pretty much flat as a cutting board. You'll often see folks pushing a stroller down it in January (I have!) That's not to say, this is not a worthwhile objective, it certainly is! The trail ends in excellent views of the Byron Glacier. If you've got some grit in your gut, you can even hike right up to it. WARNING: I'd be very careful about this in the spring season, as avalanche danger is high back in there. The main feature here for most folks is the glacier REMNANT (more or less an icy husk of a glacier that is no longer moving) that you can walk right up to, and even explore the ice caves of. Tons of braggadocious pictures await! If you have ice climbing experience, this is also a neat place to "ice boulder", instruct newbies, or even setup a top-rope. There are gobs of tourists here in the summer, but almost no one in the winter. The weather is usually pretty bad though. If it's sunny in Anchorage, it's still very often raining here! read more

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A short, gentle hike up to the base of the slope where the glacier resides (not actually up onto the glacier). The turnaround point provides nice views of the glacier, the debris field, and the surrounding mountains. Good for beginners or the less mobile. read more

Byron Glacier Trailhead - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Glacier, Glacial or Glaciation...noun, adjective or verb...they are cool! Loved this glacier...its easily accessible and if you are daring and its the right conditions you can concievably hike right up to the glacial morain. We got close but it was so warm that there was still considerable avalanche and rock slide activity. It was a great hike with a beautiful view tho! read more

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Family Friendly, Easy Hike!!! Easiest Trail I've encountered so far in Alaska. The beginning trail is flat and well guided, no major hills. If your looking for something easy and fun, this would be the hike for you. (Walk, in my opinion) However, once you reach the end of the trail (you'll know) you can stop and take in the views or continue onward towards the "Glaciers". This would then turn into a Beginners-Intermediate Hike. Theres some scrambling you'd have to do, so watch your footing. I've only gone so far as to the ice cave, which was melted by summer and kinda sketchy as the snow was softer. Overall, the hike forwards is definitely worth it if you've got an adventurous side. Otherwise you can just enjoy the views at the end trail! Hope this was helpful. Level- Easy/Intermediate Time- 30-45 mins/Depending Pacing Clothing- Tennis Shoes/ (Hiking Boots for Glacier) Cleats for Winter read more

Byron Glacier Trailhead - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Why have I not gotten to do this one sooner?! While driving south towards Seward look out for the Portage Glacier sign. Follow that (what it feels like forever) road until it splits into a Y. Take that right and follow the road until you get to a parking lot on the right hand side. This is where you will be parking and is the trailhead for Byron Glacier. It's a quick hop, skip, jump to the end of the trail, which is a pretty flat mile. You'll know you're at the end when you see one random rock bench and wall with one random ice lookin cave over on the other side of the river. Don't get discouraged though ... you're not at the end just yet. Follow that river, over all the leftover rocks and bounders, eventually you will see the base of the glacier which will open up to caves made of ice. I didn't get the opportunity to go too deep into them due to a crap iPhone flashlight. Come prepared ... and send me photos because I was too chicken to go back there. read more

The 1.4 mile Byron Glacier Trail is easily accessible. It allows a close-up view of a glacier. There wasn't much to see while we were on the trail except the mountains. A couple members of our party thought we should head back before we even got to the end of the trail, but that would be a mistake. Seeing a glacier is a must while in Alaska, and we got to see one at the end. It wasn't too impressive because it is summer right now, but cool nonetheless. read more

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Short hike to ice caves. Saw some people practicing ice climbing. I drank from the pool in one of the caves from the melting glacier...or could have been a spring. Water was really clear. Be careful to hike at end of winter or when temps are high because of avalanche risk. read more

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Warning!!! The pics of this place really depend on the time of year. I really wish I had known that when we came. When we researched this trail online, we didn't realize this fact and kept thinking we would seem some very incredible pictures. Don't get me wrong...this is still a pretty good trail and the sites are still beautiful. The trail itself is short and not very steep, so unless you're looking for a workout, this is a great trail. It is also really close to the visitor center. At the end of this very short trail, we made the mistake of thinking the glacier was on the other side of the rock pile. We spent quite a bit of time climbing the rocks, which I would highly discourage, in the hope of seeing some great sites. Again, the moral of the story is to try this hike at the right time of year. read more

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I took my family and friends here. We did not do the trail, but the views of Byron glacier are incredible! You can visit both Portage Glacier and Byron Glacier b/c they are very close to each other. read more

I did this trail in July. Fortunately, I had a discover pass so it was free to park. It is a really short trail (about a mile). We had heard about ice/glacier caves at this trail so we went off the trail, across a snow field and some rocks to try and find it. We could not locate it. Not sure if this is a seasonal thing or where all the other cool pictures of this trail I've seen in the past. Maybe we were in the wrong spot. read more

Remember to use bug spray if going during the summer months. Everytime I go there (or really anywhere else in Alaska during the summer), I get sporadically ambushed by mosquitoes, they're very persistent. read more