Difficulty Rating: Easy to Moderate (half-day); Moderate to Difficult (full-day) I packed up early since I wanted to get a good distance up the glacier before heading home. I went on my first hike in Alaska to Castner Glacier today! The glacier in the vicinity of the hut has two ice tongues, separated by a moraine. The next test occurred a couple days later on a snow shoe trip to the Castner Glacier ice caves. I’ve watched countless people slip on it, many of them holding expensive camera equipment. Don’t listen to your friends or a random person on the internet if they tell you it’s an easy hike—they may have gone on a warm, sunny weekend day when there were plenty of people there to follow and a hard-packed track. Route Description: Castner Glacier is the simplest glacier to reach coming from Fairbanks, and for the past several years it’s been the easiest place to find an ice cave as well. Steven Miley Photography | steven@stevenmileyphotography.com | (907) 888-4850 | P.O. Access to the east side of the park remains closed. My feet were warm and dry … In clear weather the shiny aluminum siding is visible from the glacier. A 1/2 mile hike leads you to the Castner Glacier. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Glacier area. Please do not reproduce without permission. The Castner Glacier is one of many glaciers accessible along the Richardson Highway. Within that, July and August are the busiest of all. About 150 miles down the Richardson Highway, just a ways past Delta Junction the road passes over a good number of creeks that feed into the Delta River. However, there are no signs and no maintained trail leading to the glacier. The track is currently hard-packed and does not require skis or snowshoes, but if it snows prior to or during your hike the track may disappear, and those without experience hiking up Castner Creek and especially those without snowshoes or skis may find themselves struggling in very deep snow while trying to find the old track. Weather Dependent Castner Glacier Ice Cave Exploring Ice caves start to freeze solid in late October, making them much safer to enter. One day it may be sunny and the next we have several inches of fresh snow. Castner Glacier Glacier Body or stream of ice moving outward and downslope from an area of accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on the top or side of a mountain or mountainous area. Mountains and small glacier near Triangle Peak. The first few miles were very exasperating: the glacier is covered with brush and a thin, spongy layer of mo- rainic material. All tours are private and involve no technical rock or ice climbing. It includes the Castner Glacier (13B) and the Black Rapids Glacier (20A). The trail is … (Full-size digital files delivered via web download after your hike. The closest major city to the glacier is Fairbanks, roughly 2.5 hours away. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weather reports, maps & tropical weather conditions for locations worldwide Rain is frequent. Many visitors fall in love with Glacier and then want to know how to reduce their footprint. Pass it, then turn north and descend 1,000 feet down steep tundra to the headwaters of Moose Creek. Hi/Low, RealFeel®, precip, radar, & everything you need to be ready for the day, commute, and weekend! However, 0° F is near average during the coldest months (December & January) and it’s actually a comfortable temperature to recreate in once your blood gets flowing, so clients should prepare to face cold temperatures and dress appropriately. ), Route Length (half-day): 1.25+ mile (one-way), negligible elevation gainDifficulty Rating: Easy to Moderate, Route Length (full-day): up to 3 miles (one-way), 500 feet elevation gain Difficulty Rating: Moderate to Difficult, Private Half-day Tours (4-6 hours)1 Person $3002 People $350 ($175pp)3 People $450 ($150pp)Each additional person $75 (up to 6 max)Private Full-day Tours (8-12 hours)1 Person $4002 People $450 ($225pp)3 People $575 ($192pp)Each extra person $100 (up to 6 max), Alaska Resident & Military Discount: Parties with at least one Alaska resident or active duty military personnel receive a 10% discount. A superb campsite sits atop the medial moraine here, with expansive views of all three upper forks of the Castner, and the blocky, ice-clad, 9,500-foot summits that surround it, like Silvertip, Black Cap, and White Princess. Facilities like stores and lodges are mostly closed. Add $30 per person for professional adventure portraits. All schools are in session. If you go to the BLM link for Castner Glacier, they say it’s only a 1/2 mile hike to the glacier – this is not correct. One day it may be sunny and the next we have several inches of fresh snow. Tours may be canceled due to extreme cold (below about -15 °F), in which case your tour will be rescheduled or fully refunded. Please see the Castner Glacier Summer tour page if you are interested in visiting Castner Glacier May through September — this page is for winter tours. It may have been 1/2 mile before but the glacier has since receded and … This fall some of the park's most popular hikes will not be available. The glacier is very easy to get to… its just not close. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Glacier, WA. The central ice tongue extends further down glacier. We trekked to, in and around the caves for more than 4 hours in sub-20 degree weather (the caves were even colder) and the boots performed flawlesslessly. In clear weather the shiny aluminum siding is visible from the glacier. Box 31312, Fort Greely, AK 99731All text and photos on this site are copyrighted. Be prepared with the most accurate 10-day forecast for Midland, MI with highs, lows, chance of precipitation from The Weather Channel and Weather.com Rain is frequent. It was so nice to get out in daylight and move after being cooped up inside. Before the bridge over Castner Creek, look for a small, unimproved road on the left. Glacier Weather Forecasts. 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