Visiting Worthington Glacier in Valdez: is it worth it?

There are lots of different glacier experiences you can have around Alaska, sometimes they’re just nice views and sometimes it’s hiking across the face of the glacier. Visiting Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site is both good for the views and it can be some good hiking. This is a very different experience from visiting the Valdez Glacier or Matanuska Glacier, but it’s a fun stop and is good to add to the drive on the Richardson Highway between Valdez and the Copper River Valley.

We’ve got all the information about visiting Worthington Glacier and suggestions for more fun things to do in the Thompson Pass area. If you’re driving to Valdez, this is a must-stop and is very easy to add to your day. Please let us know if you have any questions or need some additional suggestions for things to do by leaving a comment or sending us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a fun trip to Alaska.

Why Visit the Worthington Glacier near Valdez

There are so many glaciers in Alaska that you can visit through hikes and guided tours, but some of them take all day or cost a lot. If you’re just interested in getting up close to a glacier environment and feeling the cold breeze off the ice, the Worthington Glacier is a great pick. It’s so easy to visit when you’re driving to or from Valdez on the Richardson Highway, and you can make it a quick stop or an actual hike. If you just want the quick version of visiting Worthington Glacier, pull off the highway into the parking area, check out the glacier exhibits, and then do the short quarter mile walk to the viewpoint. Boom, done.

If you’re up for a little more activity and you understand glaciers and off-trail hiking, you can proceed up the canyon to the toe of the Worthington Glacier. It’s not a long hike, but it’s a technical one. The trail is not maintained, but there is a sign stating that you can proceed with caution, knowing that it’s not a maintained area, thus putting the responsibility fully on the hiker. Carefully, you can go along the rushing glacier creek or on the rocks to approach the glacier. The rocks are a mix of shale and other slippery surfaces, so be careful.

When you get to the end of the gorge and you’re at the toe of the Worthington Glacier, pay close attention to the ground you’re on. You might think you’re walking on solid rock or even an old rock slide in places, but you’re actually on the moraine and there’s ice below you. When a glacier has a stream flowing from it, that means there’s melted areas below the surface forming ice caves and bridges, big and small. You need to be very careful and not proceed any further than you’re confident is safe. This is a cool, short hike but it can turn dangerous very quickly.

Tips for Visiting Worthington Glacier

You don’t need to do a lot of planning for visiting Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site. It’s not very large. There are some picnic tables and glaciation exhibits, but not much else. There are vault toilets too, so that’s nice. A stop here can be as fast as ten minutes or as long as 90 minutes. If you’re visiting in peak summer, it likely wont be too busy, but sometimes tour buses do make a stop here as they drive between Valdez and Glennallen. One thing to keep in mind when you stop at the Worthington Glacier is that this is a paid State Recreation Site, just like the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site. Be sure to pay your small state park fee! It’s $5 and can be put in an envelope or paid online, so there’s no excuse to not pay it and get questioned if a ranger checks.

This part of Alaska is really beautiful with it’s mountain peaks and valleys, but there are also lots of streams and soggy areas, including around the creek flowing from the Worthington Glacier. That means there are mosquitoes here, and they are intense. When you’re in the gorge hiking and along the more narrow, rocky areas the bugs aren’t bad, but around the parking lot and glacier viewing area, the mosquitoes are intense, like they are at the Kennecott Mill Town site.

Being Prepared for Worthington Glacier

If you’re just doing a quick visit on your drive, you don’t need any gear to visit the Worthington Glacier, but if you’re planning to hike up the small canyon on the shifty trail, you need to wear very sturdy shoes. Also be sure to bring a water bottle and maybe a snack to enjoy when you get to the end. I do NOT recommend bringing trekking poles for this hike, as they’ll just be something else for you to manage and won’t be helpful. As you go up the gorge towards the toe of the Worthington Glacier the trail becomes loose and narrow, so you’ll need both hands for scrambling along the creek.

Really, this is a weird glacier hike and it’s more dangerous than epic. If you’re pressed for time, skip the hike here and enjoy one at Root Glacier or Kennicott Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park, or if you’re heading back towards Anchorage and Whittier, the Byron Glacier trail is a great one with a bigger payoff. I’ll do any hike and will visit any glacier, so I enjoy the Worthington Glacier visit, but it’s not an Alaska bucket list stop.

Is the Worthington Glacier Receding?

Yes, like most glaciers in Alaska, the Worthington Glacier is receding and is doing so at a significant rate. Maybe that’s the best reason to visit, as you’ll be able to see firsthand how the retreat is happening and what’s being left behind. Take a look at the two pictures below and you’ll see just how different a visit to the Worthington Glacier looks today as opposed to ten years ago.

Getting to Worthington Glacier

Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site is located a little over a half hour from Valdez on the Richardson Highway. It’s about forty minutes from the Edgerton Highway turnoff to Chitina and McCarthy, and about an hour south of Glennallen. There is usually plenty of parking and the lot is big enough to do a turnaround in a bus or RV. Again, it’s an easy quick visit or a fun/weird hike. You make the call if it’s worth your time.