Margerie Glacier, Tidewater glacier in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, United States

Margerie Glacier is a tidewater glacier flowing into Glacier Bay, with its face rising directly from the water in steep walls of blue and white ice. The glacier forms one of only a few places in North America where you can watch ice meet ocean directly.

The glacier took its name from French geologist Emmanuel de Margerie, who studied the region in the early 1900s. This naming reflects the period when scientists were actively mapping and understanding Alaska's glacial systems.

The glacier is named after Emmanuel de Margerie, the French geologist and geographer who visited the area in 1913. Cruise ships and small park tour boats anchor close to the terminus so passengers can watch ice calve; the cracking ice sounds like gunshots before the boom of falling ice.

The best time to visit is between May and September when most boat tours operate. You need to travel by water to reach the glacier face, as there is no overland access.

When ice calves from the glacier, it sends vibrations through the water that push small fish to the surface. Seabirds gather at these moments to take advantage of the food pushed up by the collapsing ice.