Hello Frank,
Thanks for using Google Answers.
Yes, there are Alaskan glacier parts and portions under private
ownership.
Matanuska Glacier Park is a 540 acre compound located at the terminus
of the Matanuska Glacier, near Palmer, in southcentral Alaska. The
address and contact information are:
Matanuska Glacier Park
102 Glenn Highway
HC03 box 8444
Palmer Ak. 99645
(907) 745-2534
You'll find descriptive information and maps at:
http://www.alaskaguidebook.com/DGB/SearchFrame.asp?ParentID=737
The glacier itself is also accessable from the Glacier Park Resort, as
reported by Alaska.com at:
http://www.alaska.com/akcom/southcentral/visit_travel/story/753526p-803554c.html
Icy Bay is a glaciated fjord allowing access to Icy and Nassau
glaciers. Icy Bay is a privately operated logging camp. Maps,
directions and descriptions are available at:
http://www.alaskaguidebook.com/DGB/SearchFrame.asp?ParentID=301
GORP's travel site describes the trail from the logging camp to the
Grotto glacier as a 3-4 day excursion.
http://gorptools.gorp.com/gorpApps/trails/trails_template.asp?trailid=3852
Several Alaskan glaciers on publicly owned land are notable for their
roadside accessability:
Exit Glacier, in Kenai Fords National Park
Worthington Glacier, near Thompson Pass
Kennicott and Root glaciers, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park near
McCarthy
Childs Glacier, by the Copper River east of Cordova
You'll find directions, viewing tips and descriptions at:
http://www.alaska.com/akcom/southcentral/visit_travel/story/753526p-803544c.html
More glaciers may be viewed by a quick trip offroad:
Portage, Byron and Explorer glaciers
Ruth Glacier
Muldrow Glacier
Polar Bear and Eklutna glaciers
Knik Glacier
Grewingk Glacker
Childs and Sheridan Glaciers
Tazlina and Nelchina glaciers.
You'll find directions and viewing tips at:
http://www.alaska.com/akcom/southcentral/visit_travel/story/753526p-803551c.html
The Google Directory offers a listing of Travel Guides, trip planning
resources, travel outfitters, and links to a wealth of general
information about glacier viewing in Alaska:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/North_America/United_States/Alaska/Travel_and_Tourism/Travel_Guides/
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In addition to the glacier viewing and tours listed above, the World
Glacier Inventory database at the National Snow and Ice Data Center
shows a total of 569 named and numbered glaciers in Alaska. The search
query results are dynamic, and do not persist (allowing a later link
to the same search), however, you may construct your own search
beginning on the following Inventory Extration page:
http://nsidc.org/data/glacier_inventory/browse.html
Select the checkbox next to Alaskan/Yukon Basins, and press SEND.
From the choices on the select Regional page, select the following
checkboxes:
Glacier Name/Location: All names and Locations
Extent: Area in State
You may select additonal checkboxes if you would like more data as
shown available.
Press SEND.
Save the resulting list.
The Bureau of Land Management offers an Alaska Land Use Database at:
http://www.ak.blm.gov/alis_olr.html
You'll need to register in order to access the database. Latitude and
Longtitude coordinates from the NSIDC results may be input to
determine land ownership of any glaciers on the list.
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Very general location plotting of Alaskan glaciers may be accomplished
with a map such as the one published by the Conservation GIS Center,
which also explains Alaskan land ownership in general terms:
http://www.conservationgiscenter.org/maps/html/landown.html
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It seems the some of the best opportunities today to touch or tour
remote, privately owned glaciers in Alaska would be available from
helicopter skiing outfitters. A search engine to locate Alaskan tour
outfitters may be found at:
http://www.find-tour-operators.com/Helicopter-Skiing.php
Google search results with the terms "heli-skiing" Alaska
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&client=googlet&q=%22heli-skiing%22+alaska
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Numerous Alaskan Real Estate guides offer private land available
adjacent to glaciers. As an example, I'll included a link to a sales
sheet for land next to the Knik glacier.
http://www.realtyalaska.com/knik_glacier.htm
*************
Worldwide, there's at least one glacier up for grabs. In 1997, the
Gebroulaz glacier was put up for auction by the Etivent family of
France. The Gebroulaz glacier contains several notable ski trails.
http://magazine.magnus.se/artikele.asp?artikel=glaciar
Search terms used:
"touch a glacier"
"private ownership" glaciers
glaciology alaska
"land ownership" Alaska
glacier tours
Hope you find this information useful. If you'd like clarification of
any portion, feel free to ask.
larre-ga |
