Salmon Glacier

The Salmon Glacier is generally described as the largest glacier in the world reachable by road, and the viewpoint is unusual because it looks down on the ice from above rather than up at a snout. Getting there involves crossing from Stewart into Hyder, Alaska, where there is no American border post, then driving a gravel mining road that climbs back into British Columbia; returning means clearing Canadian customs, so a passport is required. The glacier has retreated substantially and once dammed a lake that burst periodically. Fish Creek near Hyder has a viewing platform where black and grizzly bears fish for chum salmon in late summer.

The landscape

• The overhead view - looking down onto the glacier from the road above.
• The mining road - a gravel climb crossing the border twice.
• Fish Creek bears - a platform where bears take chum salmon in late summer.
• The retreat evidence - bare rock marking where the ice recently stood.

When to go

July to September; the road is snowbound and closed the rest of the year. Bear viewing at Fish Creek peaks late July through August. Cloud often sits on the viewpoint.

Before you go

A passport is needed even though Hyder has no US border post, because Canadian customs checks on return. The road is rough gravel with drop-offs and active mining traffic. Services in Stewart and Hyder are minimal.

Nearby

Stewart lies below; the Cassiar Highway runs east.

Key facts