Adventures in Alaska: Turnagain Arm & Byron Glacier

For anyone who loves the outdoors, Alaska is Paradise on Earth.  Nathan and I have each spent time there, and have always been drawn to the place as if by some magnetic force.  I even contemplated moving to Alaska after living for a summer in Juneau.  Needless to say, we were thrilled about exploring its wild places together when we booked our flights to Anchorage last month.

Our Great Alaskan Adventure began even before we landed in Anchorage.  As the plane entered the pattern over the Cook Inlet, we were awed by the endless expanse of snowy peaks and glaciers as well as terrified by the turbulence that lurched the airplane in every which direction.  Flying commercially makes us both nervous, and so Nathan was only being partially sarcastic when—after the aircraft experienced an unusually large jolt just before landing at the Ted Stevens International Airport—he turned to me and said, “And we were so close!”  Thankfully, we landed without incident.  And based on the comments we overheard from our fellow passengers and this article I found online, the Cook Inlet is notoriously known for having for this type of “potentially deadly jet turbulence” (I should note here that the article is referring to the impact on SMALL airplanes…but still!)

We were still exhausted the next day and had not yet adjusted to the long hours of darkness, but were anxious to begin exploring.  We drove out of Anchorage on the Seward Highway, which provides stunning views of the Chugach mountains as it hugs  the coast of the Turnagain Arm.  Alaska.org brags that this drive is “one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in America.”  From what I’ve seen so far, I would agree with that statement.  We made this drive four times during our visit, and the scenery never ceased to take our breath away.  The Turnagain Arm is also home to the second largest tidal bore in the world.  In this tidal phenomenan, which occurs daily in the Turnagain Arm, the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave or series of waves up to 10-feet high that travel up the entire 40 or 50 mile distance of the Turnagain Arm.  Although we never saw such a dramatic wave, we did see the enormous difference in the water level and witness the surprising speed at which the sea water comes rushing in and out of the Turnagain Arm.

After a little over an hour, we arrived at the Byron Glacier trailhead.  From the parking area, the short trail meanders gently up a wide valley—which can be dangerous in winter due to avalanches—before arriving at viewpoint of the looming glacier ahead.  We continued past the end of the trail, scrambling over slippery rocks and boulders to reach the base of the glacier itself.  After eating our lunch on a flat but frigid boulder, we ventured toward one of the ice caves and peered inside.  Just as we approached, we heard a large crashing sound as one of the rocks perched on top of the ice came tumbling down.  Although we managed to snap a few pictures, we kept our distance after that.  Besides, we were running late and needed to make our way back to Anchorage.  We had forgotten how short the days are at this time of year, and vowed to make an earlier start the next morning.