LeConte Glacier

LeConte Glacier is a tidewater glacier in Southeast Alaska that flows from the Stikine Ice Field into LeConte Bay. The glacier descends directly into the water and regularly produces large ice calving events where chunks break off and fall into the bay.

A U.S. Navy officer named this glacier in 1887 after a California geologist. The naming marked the first Euro-American recognition of this location in official cartography.

The glacier carries a name rooted in Tlingit heritage, originally called Huti and linked to a mythological bird whose wing movements were said to create thunder across the land. For local communities, this place represents a location where nature reveals itself in visible and powerful ways.

The glacier is best reached from the town of Wrangell by boat, with tours lasting several hours. Water conditions can be rough, and the season determines when visits are possible.

This glacier creates shooter icebergs that rise from underwater cavities and eject explosively at the surface. These hidden underwater processes make it a uniquely dynamic natural spectacle.

Location: Alaska

GPS coordinates: 56.83333,-132.35000

Latest update: December 13, 2025 11:42