Update For Summer 2024 Visitors: The ice cave at the front of Castner Glacier changes considerably every summer and I anticipate the cave will become inaccessible once the water level inside the ice cave rises again in May, so I am suspending tours of Castner Glacier in Summer 2024 from May through September. There are other ice caves at Castner Glacier and Canwell Glacier requiring a more difficult approach that should be accessible throughout summer for those in good hiking shape. This page is for summer hiking tours of Castner Glacier (available May through September); if you are interested in visiting Castner Glacier between October and April, see the Castner Glacier Winter tour page. If you would still like to see this ice cave this summer, even if only from the outside, contact me to schedule a tour on demand. I have disabled summer bookings for Castner Glacier on my website to prevent customers from booking before becoming fully aware of the expected conditions.

I do not recommend entering the cave during summer on your own due to rock fall danger and threat of potential ice collapse, though it’s cool to look at from outside. Rocks falling from above the entrance of the ice cave and from the ceiling inside the cave pose significant danger, so bring a helmet or cover your head. Do not stand under the entrance or areas with rock sticking out of the ceiling inside the cave; enter quickly and remember to look up. Do not bring young kids or dogs inside since they will be less aware of their surroundings and cannot react as quickly. Rock fall danger increases quickly when it rains! All the rocks you see on the floor of the cave and piled up near the entrance fell out of the ice or tumbled down from the top of the glacier at some point, and people have been significantly injured by falling rocks at this ice cave. Water is flowing out of the ice cave entrance, so watch your step. The video above shows what the conditions were like in late May of 2021, but it is no longer possible to skirt the water along the edge of the ice cave in the summer. In fact, the entire portion of the cave shown in the video has melted away as of 2023.

Route Description: Castner Glacier is the simplest glacier to reach coming from Fairbanks, and for the past several years it’s been the easiest place to find an ice cave as well. It’s not your stereotypical blue glacier calving into a big lake or the ocean, but rather a gritty valley glacier covered in rock, mud, and even meadows in places. Hiking to Castner Glacier is easy for most people, and if you have good directions, the right gear, and you’re aware of the hazards, you can probably stumble your way to the glacier without a guide, but there are a few minor obstacles* along the way that might be intimidating for the beginning hiker, and most people without any glacier hiking experience are hesitant or unprepared to go any farther than the front of the glacier. (*Since summer 2022 there is now a more significant obstacle on the north side of Castner Creek—a new stream emanating from a small ice cave on the edge of the glacier which cannot be bypassed easily and which requires some tricky rock hopping or wading to cross. Many self-guided hikers have been turned around by this stream.) I recommend visiting in the winter if you want to see an ice cave because it is easier and much safer to explore inside, but often in the summer there is an accessible ice cave near the front of the glacier. While the hike to the ice cave at the front of the glacier is relatively easy for Alaska, hiking over the glacier moraine for any length is strenuous and you will encounter plenty of mud and some bushwhacking. But for experienced hikers, it’s always fun to search for additional ice caves and curious glacial features farther up the glacier. No technical ice climbing gear is required; ice cleats, helmets and headlamps are provided for exploring ice caves.

Route Length: up to 2.5 miles (one-way), 200 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate