While you are staying at one of these luxurious hotels in Alaska you must make sure you see some glaciers. One may have to do some hiking to get to them. They can be found in all areas of Alaska and are often seen along the mountain edge as it is going into a lake. One of these lakes is called Portage Lake. The water in the lake comes from the glaciers around it. Burns Glacier and Portage Glacier both add to the lake. The glaciers themselves are getting harder to see because they are receding so when you see the area you would think it is just a mountain top. When you get to the lake you should stop at the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center where you can get information on the lake and the glaciers. This should help you to learn more about what to look for when you make the walk out along the lake. They have some exhibits and even a film to watch about glaciers.

There are a few kinds of glaciers which depend on how they are settled. Hanging Glaciers are glaciers that come half way down a mountainside, Tidewater Glaciers are glaciers that reach out into a sea and then there are Freshwater Glaciers that end in fresh water lakes. As you walk along Portage Lake you will see a few types like the hanging glacier and the freshwater glaciers. Some of the freshwater glaciers are like powder blue ice sculptures in the middle of the lake. You can buy a ticket for the cruise that take you deep onto the lake and really up close to the floating glaciers and the ones hidden under the water along the mountains edge. You may feel the bumps when the boat hits some of the icebergs but don’t worry, the boat was built to handle them.