Hubbard Glacier

About Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier is a scenic-cruising stop at the head of Disenchantment Bay, roughly a day's steam north of Juneau. At six miles wide and 400 feet tall at the face, it is the largest tidewater glacier in North America and one of the few currently advancing rather than retreating. Ships typically sit off the face for an hour or two while passengers watch for house-sized calvings — the cracking sound of "white thunder" carries several miles. Unlike Glacier Bay, Hubbard has no park-service ranger program, so the experience leans on the ship's cruise director for commentary; bring binoculars and a warm jacket either way.

• Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America, stretching roughly 76 miles (122 km) from its source in Canada's Yukon to Disenchantment Bay in Alaska.
• Unlike most Alaskan glaciers, Hubbard is actually advancing — it has been moving forward at a rate of about 6 to 7 feet per day, and twice surged dramatically to dam Russell Fjord (in 1986 and 2002).
• The glacier's face is approximately 6 miles (10 km) wide and rises up to 400 feet above the waterline, producing some of the most spectacular calving events visible from cruise ships.
• Hubbard Glacier is named after Gardiner Hubbard, the first president of the National Geographic Society, who funded early expeditions to the region in the 1880s.
• The glacier spans two national parks — Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska and Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada — and is part of one of the world's largest non-polar ice fields.