Columbia Glacier is the second largest tidewater glacier in North America and the largest in Prince William Sound. Visitors can navigate though chunks of glacial ice on a wildlife cruise, kayak day trip or helicopter tour and experience the Columbia Glacier spilling from the Chugach Mountains.
How To Get There
There are no roads or hiking trails to Columbia Glacier, though the glacier and bay are still accessible from Valdez via one of our local tour operators or a local boat charter.
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History
Columbia Glacier was named after Columbia University in 1899 by members of the Harriman Expedition. The expedition named several other glaciers in Prince William Sound after American universities, including Harvard Glacier, Yale Glacier and Dartmouth Glacier.
Photo by P.S. Hunt, early 1900s; photo is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons
