Hubbard Glacier Deep Dive
Hubbard is the largest tidewater glacier in North America at around 122 km long. It calves into Disenchantment Bay near Yakutat, Alaska, and is one of the few large tidewater glaciers in the world that has been advancing — at times in dramatic surge fashion — through the 20th and 21st centuries.
Geography
Hubbard drains from the Wrangell-St Elias ranges, with its calving face about 10 km wide and over 100 m high above the waterline. The face is normally divided between the main bay and Russell Fjord — a side arm — by the Gilbert Point promontory.
Surge behaviour
Hubbard has periodically pushed against Gilbert Point to close Russell Fjord into a separate lake. The 1986 and 2002 closures created ice-dammed lakes that rose dramatically before bursting; the 2002 event closed the fjord for around three months before the dam collapsed.
How to visit
- Cruise ships. Hubbard is on the standard Alaska cruise itinerary from many lines. Ships hold position offshore for 1-2 hours.
- Small-ship cruises. From Whittier or Seward, smaller vessels approach closer to the calving face and can run zodiac excursions.
- Yakutat day boats. A handful of operators in Yakutat run day trips to the face — the only land-based option.
Active calving
Calving is constant on warm summer afternoons. Cruise ship engines are usually shut down so passengers can hear the "white thunder" of ice collapse. Pieces up to several hundred metres long fall off the face on a typical visit.
When to go
Mid-May to mid-September is the standard cruise season. June and early September often have better weather than July-August peak.
Explore on the map
Hubbard, Russell Fjord, Yakutat and the nearby Turner and Nunatak glaciers are on the interactive map. Plan a cruise or small-ship itinerary around the southeast Alaska tidewater corridor.