The Best Glaciers for Hiking
There is hiking that happens near glaciers, hiking that happens on glaciers, and hiking that happens through glaciers. Each demands a different kind of trip — and different gear. This guide picks the world's best hikes in each category, with realistic gradings.
On the ice without a guide
Honestly, almost nowhere is sensible to hike unguided. Even apparently flat ice hides crevasses bridged by snow. The closest you get to "walk-on" surfaces is:
- Russell Glacier, Greenland — bare dry ice with no snow cover near Kangerlussuaq airport, walkable in stiff boots and microspikes from a marked viewing area.
- Athabasca, Canada — small fenced area off the snowcoach loop.
- Mendenhall, Alaska — short ranger-supervised lakeshore loops in summer.
Everything else needs a rope, harness and trained guide.
Guided ice walks for beginners
- Solheimajokull, Iceland — half-day crampon walks year-round.
- Franz Josef, New Zealand — heli-hike from the township.
- Athabasca, Canada — Columbia Icefield "Ice Walk" guided tours.
- Perito Moreno, Argentina — Hielo y Aventura mini-trekking.
Multi-day ice traverses for experienced trekkers
- Biafo-Hispar, Pakistan — 20+ days, full glacier camping.
- Adamello traverse, Italy — 1–2 days hut-to-hut.
- Haute Route, Switzerland-France — ski version is the classic, but the summer trekkers' Haute Route exists too.
- Concordia trek, Pakistan — Baltoro Glacier walk-up to K2 base camp staging.
Moraine walks (no ice needed)
Excellent for people who want the views without ropes:
- Briksdal, Norway — paved track to a lakeside terminus.
- Bondhus, Norway — gentle gravel track from Sundal.
- Pre de Madame Carle, France — flat 2 km to Glacier Blanc balcony.
- Hooker Valley, New Zealand — 90-min flat walk to icebergs.
When to go
July–September for Northern Hemisphere ice. November–March for Southern. Year-round for the New Zealand and Alaska heli-hikes.
Where will you go first?
The interactive map lets you filter by "walk-up" versus "guided ice" terrain types and by trail length, so you can plan a trip around the type of hike you want — not just the country.