The Trail of Blue Ice in Portage: A great hiking or biking trip

The Trail of Blue Ice isn’t so much a wilderness hike as a really nice long walk — chunks of it are paved, and you can even bike it. But it’s still worth a visit, thanks to the many hanging glaciers you can see from the trail on a clear day.

This is trail 61 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

Walking the Trail of Blue Ice

The Trail of Blue Ice runs through multiple trailheads and campgrounds, but the easiest places to get started are at the very first trailhead (Moose Flats, mile 1 of Portage Glacier Road) or from the very end of the trail at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center (mile 5 of Portage Glacier Road). I’ll list notable waypoints as if you’re starting from Moose Flats.

• Mile 0.6: Trail crosses Portage Glacier Road. Watch for drivers distracted by the nice views!
• Mile 1.2: Trail passes between the Explorer Glacier pullout and a pretty, tree-lined pond; look for Explorer Glacier up and to the right, in the mountains. The pond makes a nice picnic spot.
• Mile 2.1: The trail passes the Five Fingers Campground.
• Mile 2.5: The trail crosses a pretty, arcing bridge and a long boardwalk.
• Mile 3.3: The trail goes past Williwaw Campground.
• Mile 3.9: Intersection with the Williwaw Nature Trail, followed by a beautiful, rock-studded pond on the left. Look for a massive hanging glacier in the mountains, straight ahead.
• Mile 4.6: The trail crosses Byron Glacier Road, access point for the trail to Byron Glacier.
• Mile 4.7: A short, steep hill that slightly exceeds the grades allowed for wheelchair access. A short bypass to the left allows wheelchair users to shortcut around the hill, but it does put you very close to the road.
• Mile 4.8: Trail ends at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on the shores of Portage Lake.

Side Trip on the Williwaw Nature Trail

When you hit mile ~3.3 of the trail, consider making a side trip through the Williwaw Campground to check out the campground’s fish-viewing platform. During mid- and late summer, you can see salmon spawning in the water there.

You could then continue on to the Williwaw Nature Trail, which passes under Portage Glacier Road and joins a web of gravel trails circulating through wetlands on the far side of the road. The Williwaw Nature Trail connects back to the Trail of Blue Ice at about mile 3.9.

A Few Things You Should Know

The Trail of Blue Ice gets its name from the many hanging glaciers you can spot from it and, on a clear day, I can’t think of many other trails that give you as much glacieriffic bang for your effort. The relative gentleness of this trail makes it great for walkers of all ages and those with limited mobility, and it’s easy to tailor the length of the walk to your abilities or time.

As already mentioned there is one hill near the Begich, Boggs (Portage Glacier) Visitor Center that has a very steep grade, but there is a short bypass trail that takes you along the road and skips the hill entirely.

Also: Because this trail is in a national forest, dogs are supposed to be restrained. And as already inferred, bikes are allowed on the trail.

Not Recommended for Winter Use

Heads up for winter visitors: This trail crosses some known avalanche runout zones, so it’s not a good winter trail unless you’re familiar with risk factors and decision-making in avalanche terrain.