Columbia Glacier, Tidewater glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Columbia Glacier flows from the Chugach Mountains into Prince William Sound, covering 1,150 square kilometres over a length of 48 kilometres. Its accumulation area lies on the slopes of Mount Einstein and Mount Witherspoon at about 2,700 metres. The terminus is a 10-kilometre-wide ice cliff rising 50 to 80 metres above the sea, with its bed 700 metres below water.

British surveyors first documented this glacier in 1794 when it was positioned at the northern edge of Heather Island. The glacier's location and extent have shifted considerably since that initial survey.

The glacier was named after Columbia University by an expedition in 1899, which also named other nearby glaciers after American educational institutions.

You can only reach this glacier by boat from Valdez, since no roads or hiking trails provide direct access. Plan for long boat trips and be ready for changing weather conditions on the water.

This glacier moves at speeds up to 30 meters per day, ranking it among the fastest-moving glaciers in North America. This rapid movement makes the ice flow visible to observers during a visit.