Alaska · Moderate · Out and back

Harding Icefield Trail to Top of the Cliffs

A steep climb beside Exit Glacier, through forest and heather meadows, to Top of the Cliffs and a first view towards the Harding Icefield.

Distance
5.4 mi (8.7 km)
Ascent
2,041 ft (622 m)
Time
About 4 h 30 min
High point
2,464 ft (751 m)
Grade
Moderate

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 mi2 mi4 mi2,451 ft377 ft
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Harding Icefield Trail to Top of the Cliffs
Justin Morgan from Richmond, Virginia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The hike

The walk starts at the Exit Glacier Nature Center car park in Kenai Fjords National Park, at the end of Herman Leirer Road. Follow the paved path beyond the Nature Center and turn off at the trail register for the Harding Icefield Trail. It climbs through cottonwood and alder forest and comes out among the heather of Marmot Meadows, with Exit Glacier below on the left. The trail goes on above the tree line to Top of the Cliffs, where the view opens up the glacier towards the icefield. Our line turns back here; the trail goes on for 1.6 miles to the edge of the Harding Icefield. Return the same way.

It is 5.4 miles (8.7 km) round trip with 2,040 feet (622 m) of climbing; allow about 4½ hours. The grade is Moderate: a steep, steady climb of about 1,000 feet in every mile.

Black bears are seen from this trail almost every day: make noise and carry bear spray. There is no safe drinking water and there are no toilets on the trail; carry two litres each and warm, waterproof clothes. Snow and avalanche risk can last on the upper trail into July.

There is no entrance fee. Herman Leirer Road is not kept open in winter: it shuts to cars some time in late October or November and reopens in May.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Up beside Exit Glacier to the first views over the Harding Icefield, in Kenai Fjords National Park
  • Black bears are seen on this trail almost every day: make noise and carry bear spray
  • Snow lingers above the meadows into July; the full trail goes on about 1.6 miles to the icefield's edge

Getting there

Start: Exit Glacier Nature Center. 60.18895, -149.62950

Directions to the start

Places to stay nearby

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.