Roadtrippin’ 2024: Glacier Jet Ski Adventures of Blackstone Glacier
Famous surveyor Mendenhall named this glacier for a miner who was carrying mail from Cook Inlet to Whittier in 1896
WHITTIER, Alaska (KTUU) - Adventures are all around us in Alaska.
Taking to the air allows one to take in the sights and sounds of Alaska from a birds-eye view. While walking the land, one can get up close and personal and even touch the world that surrounds us.
But for a sense of adventure that takes you across the open waters to explore, it may best be done by jet ski. One of the perfect places to dip into the water and race across the waves is in Whittier.
Our Roadtrippin’ crew suited up in thermal onesies and a dry suit provided by Glacier Jetski Adventures to explore 60 miles of open water and into Blackstone Bay. The family-owned business was started by Charlie and Rebecca Howard as the first jet ski tour company in Alaska.
Today, it provides two tours daily at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. during the summer season.
As you ride across the water at speeds of up to 50 mph, you immerse yourself in the beauty that surrounds the coast of Alaska. Blackstone Bay is home to many marine animals, birds taking flight, scenic waterfalls, icebergs, and the truly stunning Blackstone Glacier.
Blackstone is a tidewater glacier that continues to retreat, forming Blackstone Bay, and it provides an array of exploration opportunities for tourists. Scientists believe the glacier’s terminus once reached the north end of Willard Island, which is about 5.5 miles northeast of its current location.
The glacier, which was named by famous surveyor Walter Curren Mendenhall, has a grim history. In the late 1800s, a group of men who were discouraged, out of funds and supplies, planned to return to Seattle. Their route to board the ship involved walking from Sunrise over Portage Pass to Passage Canal.
However, due to severe winter weather conditions, the group become disoriented and missed a critical turn. A search party later discovered the remains of Charles Blackstone high in the mountains, which now bear his name.
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