News from Glacier View

Glacial Dams

Glacial Ice Dams Glaciers move consistently. The rate and manner in which they change depend on the elements and surrounding environment. In the warmer summer months, glaciers melt more quickly and have a shorter time period for reforming. Many of the features we observe in the summer are effects of gravity, force, and elemental shifts. During the winter, glaciers move much slower and have more time to accumulate than melt. As we observe the melting and forming stages of glacier ice, we can simultaneously explore some of the unique features created during these transition periods. What are Glacial Dams? In simplicity, glacial dams can be characterized as ice blockages in meltwater. These floating ice formations flow along with the meltwater and gravity until reaching land features that cannot be easily moved through or around. This is where we see glacial dams start to have more nuanced features that accumulate into [...]

By |2025-12-01T01:06:07+00:00July 30, 2024|

Blue Pools

Glacier Feature: Blue Pools When you travel out on the glacial ice in Alaska, the experience is breathtaking, and the all-encompassing beauty is almost overwhelming. Beyond the majestic ice falls and kettle ponds, you start to enter crevasses of deep blues and beautiful ice features. From there, they open into one of the most popular and highly sought-after ice features, the pristine blue glacial pools. Often, this means going miles away from the crowds and into the more remote areas of the glacier. We highly recommend taking the chance to make the most of visiting the blue pools by traveling by helicopter. These glacial waters are some of the more rare features you can see. Pristine Glacier Pools Typically, you can find blue pools that are not too far from meltwater, winding through and over solid white glacier ice. Where thicker glacial ice sheets [...]

By |2025-12-30T18:55:22+00:00July 18, 2024|

Glacier Ice Formations

Alaska's Glaciers One aspect Alaska is known for is its abundance and variety of glaciers. This region has thousands of micro-ecosystems that amount to some amazing macro effects. During the last glacial period, about 20,000 years ago, we can observe areas like the Great Lakes as aftereffects. We can see in the more northern and arctic regions that glaciers still exist and that ecosystems help them persist. Types of Glaciers Ice Fields An ice field is a type of glacier that forms when snow accumulation (winter) exceeds melt (summer). Ice fields are large areas of ice. On the other hand, there are also ice caps, another large mass of ice, a bit smaller than what we would see in an ice field. Mountain (Alpine) Glacier Mountain glaciers, also called alpine glaciers, are masses of ice that form in mountain regions. In other [...]

By |2025-12-30T19:50:57+00:00July 9, 2024|

The Art of Mixed Climbing

Elemental Climbing Interest in rock and ice climbing has been on the rise since it gained popularity in the 70's and 80's. Now, decades later, many travel to glaciers to experience climbing pristine ice walls. And anyone who has climbed, whether it's their first time or they are an expert, must get acquainted with the elements they are working with. Climbing Ice and Rock If climbing on glacier ice is your first experience with ice climbing, congratulations, as this can be a rare and unique experience. And even on glacier ice, you will at times have to traverse rocks and sections of moraine on more advanced adventures. When rock and ice climbing are combined, it is sometimes called mixed climbing. Mixed climbing does require some different techniques, skills, and sometimes equipment than your average ice or rock climb. Some tools are versatile, while [...]

By |2025-12-31T18:56:13+00:00June 4, 2024|

First Responders in the Backcountry

MICA Guides First Responders Any activity in the outdoor industry can pose many potential dangers. MICA Guides takes its role as first responders so seriously, often taking extra time at the end of the day to work on these crucial skills. Accidents are unpredictable, sudden, and unexpected, which is why having the knowledge and skills to respond quickly during emergencies is so essential for our outdoor guides. Likewise, it is vital to maintain these skills, as it is easy to become complacent when working in risky environments regularly. Regular upkeep of these skills is an integral part of our training, preparing us for anything the wilderness throws at us. Medical Emergencies Most of the time, the situations we have to deal with are minor, like cuts or blisters, but occasionally, more serious medical events occur on a trek, which guides practice [...]

By |2025-12-31T18:59:09+00:00July 10, 2023|

Alaska Teen Adventures

Teen Outdoor Skill Building MICA Guides is partnering and supporting the Matanuska Outdoor Institute to offer adventures for teens this summer. Students can learn skills in backcountry navigation, backpacking, outdoor survival, and ice climbing in addition to basic camping and outdoor life. In addition to the hard skills, our goal is to help these kids and young adults develop resilience and communication skills that they’ll use for a lifetime. Making Adventure Accessible We want our programs to be affordable for almost everyone.  Thanks to all those tourists who have made MICA Guides successful, and some other generous donors, we’ve kept the cost of our programs down. Do you have a charitable giving account through your workplace? Matanuska Outdoor Institute is a 501(C)(3).  Ask us about how to use your plan to help [...]

By |2025-12-28T18:31:24+00:00March 20, 2023|

A Lifeless Glacier?

A Glacial Pace From the surface, glaciers can look like a lifeless, frozen land, but if you look at the glacier closely, you'll be able to see that is far from the truth. The glacier itself is constantly moving and changing not unlike a river of ice filling in the valley, a gradual process that you can see remnants of when you drive through the Matanuska Valley. One of the most obvious ways to understand the way landscapes over time is by understanding the natural history of a region, and valleys like the Mat-Su Valley are a great place to start. You'll come to realize that there is a lot more movement on this block of ice than you might have thought. Wildlife As wonderful and fascinating as glaciers are, they aren’t necessarily the place you would go to see [...]

By |2025-12-31T19:06:51+00:00March 20, 2023|

Spring Glacier Camping Giveaway

Win a Night on Matanuska Glacier We are giving away one night luxury camping on Matanuska Glacier, which includes a helicopter flight to and from the glacier camp, with dinner and breakfast on the glacier.  Below are the complete rules. Giveaway administered by Exposure Alaska (doing business as MICA Guides) and affiliates. Giveaway is void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 years old to enter. One entry will be received for both liking and commenting. Winner will be chosen at random. Winner receives one Glacier Overnight Experience, including helicopter flight from Glacier View, AK to the glacier camp and back.  You must meet all age, weight, and other requirements listed on https://micaguides.com/activities/glacier-overnight/ . If you want to get “add-ons”, as listed on the web page above, this will require a separate purchase, and entrants and participants must meet requirements listed on each “add-ons” page. Contest winner may [...]

By |2025-12-31T19:09:08+00:00February 17, 2023|

Advanced Trekking on the Glacier

Exciting Matanuska Explorations Here at MICA Guides, there is no shortage of choices when it comes to what trek to take. Sometimes it can be hard to know what trip is best for you and your group. One of my favorite trips on the glacier is the Advanced Trek. This day trip is a great way to dive a little deeper into the Matanuska Glacier. If ice climbing is not quite your thing, but you still want to spend the day on the glacier and get your heart rate up a bit, the Advanced Trek is the trek for you! Your Day on the Glacier The trip begins at 10 am from our basecamp, where you can get a sneak peek of the glacier from the parking lot as you get ready to gear up and head down the road to the toe [...]

By |2025-12-31T20:07:03+00:00February 3, 2023|

Top 10 Things to do in Glacier View

What to Do in Glacier View Glacier View may be a small town along the Glenn Highway, but you'll be surprised to see just how much this town has to offer. Check out the Top 10 activities and places to visit during your next trip. Be sure to read through because we have saved the best for last! 10: Howdy Hall and the Glacier View Car Launch - If you are in town around the Fourth of July and like crazy events with great views and large crowds, there is no better place to be than the Glacier View Car Launch. There is no good way to describe this event, but the name gives a hint as to what to expect! 9: G2 Zipline - Looking for a good view with a different kind of chaos - come [...]

By |2025-12-31T21:42:42+00:00January 2, 2023|

MICA Guides

Matanuska Glacier Tours since 1999

Quick Links

Looking for a fully guided Alaska Adventure Tour?

This website uses cookies and third party services. OK
Go to Top