Roadtrippin’ 2024: Exploring Matanuska Glacier

GLACIER VIEW, Alaska (KTUU) - Nearly 22,000 years ago, the Matanuska Glacier’s terminus once reached the north end of Anchorage.

Today, the terminus resides in Glacier View, a prominent home to the end of one of the thousands of glaciers that have become architects of the Last Frontier.

Mark Fleenor with Sheep Mountain Lodge said the glaciers provide a variety of benefits to visitors and those who live nearby.

“When people hear about Alaska, they think Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks,” Fleenor said, “but the Mat-Su Valley is a great heartland of Alaska. It’s got so much to offer; it’s really the gateway to anywhere else in Alaska.”

At 27 miles long, the Matanuska Glacier has stood the test of time with endless opportunities to explore and immerse yourself in the beauty of a geological feature that continues to sculpt our land. It’s a hallmark of the region that led Fleenor to Alaska 15 years ago for a summer job.

Today, he still resides in Glacier View, showing off the beauty of our state to tourists and visitors alike.

“Once I realized that this can be real life, I was like, I can’t leave,” Fleenor said. “I gotta stay!”

Fleenor owns Sheep Mountain Lodge and partners with MICA Guides to provide world-class views of the Matanuska Glacier and surrounding land. The Roadtrippin’ crew took a trek across the glacier on foot before venturing into the skies, with Fleenor as the pilot.

Will Strain, with MICA Guides, headed a walking tour across the icy field, showing off candle ice, thixotropic mud, and even an area surrounding the glacier where oil was seeping up from the ground. One of the best parts about the tour is that it’s accessible to pretty much anyone.

“If you can walk up and down a flight of stairs, that kind of the criteria you need,” Strain said. “Our guys are extremely trained. So, we’re able to navigate the glacier given the client.”

As for what you’ll need to bring, Strain said pretty much everything is provided to visitors to help them navigate the glacier.

One does, however, need a bit of the spirit of an explorer — and those who love an adventure are likely to love this, too.

“This is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska,” Strain explained. “People go their whole lives and don’t get to see something as beautiful as [the Matanuska Glacier]. This is just a special place.”

If the trek on the ground doesn’t provide enough adventure, hikers can find another opportunity for entertainment — and the experience of a lifetime — from the skies, with a helicopter tour through Sheep Mountain Lodge.

MICA Guides offers options for scenic tours, with the two partnering up to provide ample choices for visitors.

“A lot of people don’t know what to expect when they come out to do a tour,” Fleenor said. “The blue pools, the colors, the contrast between the mountains and the snow; I mean, it usually overwhelms people.”

Standing atop a nearby mountain, one can clearly see how stunning the views are of Matanuska Glacier. For the Roadtrippin’ crew, the flight went nine miles up the glacier, where over 40 different hanging glaciers can be seen that feed into the glacier system. Even with the clouds, an expedition to Matanuska Glacier has had even well-traveled adventurers in awe.

“You know, they’ve [customers] been to the pyramids, they’ve seen the Andes Mountains, and they get out here and they’re just like wow, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Fleenor said.

And for those who have already explored the Matanuska Glacier, Strain offered some advice.

“Come back, because the glacier is ever-changing,” he said. “There’s always new features. It’s really a beautiful thing to get out here and see all the changes. So if you’ve come out here before, come back, because there’s definitely some new things that you can see.”

A glacier is far from lifeless — ever-moving, always changing — and if one were to look hard enough, they would even find signs of life. Moss balls, or glacier mice as they are more commonly known, can be found on glaciers all across the world. It’s a sure sign that not only do glaciers sculpt our environment, but they fill one with the wonder of exploration.

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.