Meares Glacier

Meares Glacier is a large tidewater glacier at the head of Unakwik Inlet in Alaska’s Chugach National Forest and the inlet’s only tidewater glacier. First observed in 1905 and named for Captain John Meares, it impressed early visitors so strongly that the U.S. Geographical Survey in 1913 called it one of the most beautiful ice streams of Prince William Sound. It is especially notable for advancing rather than retreating, moving into old-growth forest and pushing down trees. From 1996 to 2002, it advanced by an average of 15 meters per year. Its ice face rises about 200 feet high and extends roughly 1.2 kilometers wide.

Tatitlek, Alaska · United States