Chocolate Glacier

Chocolate Glacier is a glacier on the eastern slopes of Glacier Peak in the North Cascades, dropping roughly 4,500 feet (1,400 m) from its upper reaches. It connects near the summit with Cool Glacier and features the dramatic terrain typical of high alpine ice masses in this mountain range.

Claude Ewing Rusk named the glacier in 1906 after observing brown-colored discharge flowing from its terminus during a mountaineering trip. The name reflects a distinctive characteristic that caught his attention while exploring this remote alpine area.

The glacier serves as a research site for scientists studying climate patterns, sediment transport, and geological processes in the North Cascades region.

Access requires solid mountaineering experience and specialized gear, as the surface contains numerous crevasses and steep terrain. Only well-prepared climbers with proper training should attempt to reach or cross this glacier.

The glacier generates regular outburst floods that have triggered nine documented debris flows since the 1930s, occurring on average every nine years. These dramatic events reveal the unstable character of this ice mass and its powerful influence on the landscape below.

Location: Washington

GPS coordinates: 48.11690,-121.08400

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:40