Alaska Trip Report, Day 5: Matanuska glacier, Hatcher Pass, Alaska State Fair

Day 5, Sep 3, 2018:

Matanuska Glacier:

The Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier in Alaska that can be reached by vehicle.  It is approximately 26 miles long and 4 miles wide at its terminus. It is a valley glacier; a body of solid ice that flows like a river under its own weight through an existing valley.

Because the Matanuska Glacier is a weather hole, cold air from the glacier forces warm air upward towards the mountain peaks. This results in sunny skies and more favorable weather than its surrounding areas, making this a perfect destination for the Alaskan traveler.

The Matanuska Glacier can be seen for miles while driving on the Glenn hwy.

https://goo.gl/maps/XzCcWjdJH1T2

is the map I had created for our day in Palmer and onward to Talkeetna

Road from Hatcher pass to Willow as marked in the map is gravel, so one has to come down to Palmer/Wasilla and drive on to Willow. 
We checked out, dropped the key in their mailbox, started off quite early before 8 am. 

GLENN HIGHWAY:

It was a lovely drive of some 40 minutes or so on the beautiful Glenn hwy.

Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Area: 

At milepost marker 101, is the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Area that encompasses approximately 229 acres. There is no direct access to the glacier from this recreational area. We drove to the state recreation area first.

It has a rest area with a covered pavilion and an easy walking trail that parallels the glacier and the Matanuska River. We enjoyed the view. The sun was behind the glacier and the view was much better when we visited the same area in the afternoon on our way back from Valdez to Anchorage. 

We hiked the trail as well. There are 2 options one steeper and a little shorter. We took the less steep one with 10% incline. There was a slight rustle in the bushes and the trail was fully through dense forest. We were a little nervous of grizzlies, but made it to the observation platform.

 Could see the bridge across the Matanuska river which we will be crossing later. There had been a sign of private property before we reached the platform, that put my mind to a little rest as I reasoned grizzlies may not be too active in inhabited place.

Our walk back was faster. There were bird calls and squirrels scurrying. Was the bird announcing grizzly movement or just the presence of 2 stupid hikers so early in the morning, I did wonder!

Usually we are very quiet on our hikes as we love to enjoy the serene tranquility of scenic surroundings. Here we made it a point to talk loudly to deter bears. Instead of random talk, son chanted our Lord's name, must have collected a lot of good karma by the end of the hike!

Matanuska Glacier Park:

We wanted to experience the ice up-close. So we drove on to Matanuska Glacier Park at milepost marker 102. 

 This privately owned park is the glaciers only access point.  There was a steep gravel road leading to the bridge over the river we had seen previously. An entrance fee is collected at the office and we signed an indemnity waiver about the risks of walking on the glacier. Then we were allowed to drive up to and park next to the glacier.

We continued on foot onto the ice in about a few minutes. There are several local guide companies who have appropriate gear to get to the glacier’s most spectacular sites. It was SURREAL watching the glacier gleaming like a Pearl and glittering like crystals in the shimmering melt waters. 

We had the place all the ourselves. We even touched and held broken pieces of the serac. 

We could have gone further but did not feel the need to. I had read a review where a guy had got stuck up to his knees and his companions had struggled to pull him up. We were very happy with our experience.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B9th34wMVnVHfyzr8

has the video of Matanuska glacier

When we returned to the car park, a group of visitors were taking selfies there and they drove off without even attempting the walk we did. 

when we came to their office, our car started making a weird knocking sound. Thankfully it stopped when the car was reversed. Probably a pebble had got in and fell out. Always best not to drive on gravel roads.

The communities of Glacier View and Sheep Mountain are one of Alaska's most magnificent and breathtaking areas. We however did not know there are stunning views of the entire 26 miles of the glacier further on in the road. We saw it only on our last day when returning to Anchorage from Valdez.

We returned the same way we had come.

Again lovely sights

HATCHER PASS:

Drove to Hatcher pass till the paved road ...terrific views.

 Then drove up to the Independence Mine, many hikers snaking their way up the trails.

 It was a glorious sunny day. We had wanted to hike the Butte too and visit the musk ox farm. But there was a time crunch.

ALASKA STATE FAIR:

We went back to Palmer for the Alaska State Fair. It was $5 parking, the grounds were bursting at the seams with cars. The entry was $13 pp. 

We spent 3 hours gaping at huge pumpkins, and other veggies and award winning flowers, and farm animals. 

CARIBOU/REINDEER

The crafts were great too, truly Alaska in a nutshell.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cXSyvujZzxEHxAfY8

has the video of Palmer and Fairbanks (Hatcher pass, independence mine, Alaska state fair, Pioneer park, Morris Thompson cultural and visitor center, Georgeson Botanical garden, Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary)

TALKEETNA:

Drove on to Talkeetna in the evening.

This was the total route: https://goo.gl/maps/9sovEkEzjyT2

VIDEO LINKS:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B9th34wMVnVHfyzr8

has the video of Matanuska glacier

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cXSyvujZzxEHxAfY8

Palmer and Fairbanks (Hatcher pass, independence mine, Alaska state fair, Pioneer park, Morris Thompson cultural and visitor center, Georgeson Botanical garden, Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary)

Report of our Day 6 is here:

http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2018/09/alaska-trip-report-talkeetna.html