My husband and I are taking a trip to Portland and Seattle in July. I, being a dirt engineer, would love to see an actual glacier because the soil stratigraphy in my region is due to glaciation and I’m just that geeky.
I also have bad knees. Sometimes they can make it a couple of miles, but sometimes they can’t. I’m not handicapped or anything, but would be better off with a mild sort of hike to get to a glacier, perhaps being able to park pretty close at a trail head. There is little chance that my knees will start hurting so much that I need to be rescued, but it could be a very difficult trip for me.
The National Park Service websites don’t really help. They have trail maps and all, but it’s hard to decipher which trails give you a view. There also seem to be several regionsto pick from. I would prefer something closer Portland than Canada.
Any advice the Dopers can give would be much appreciated.
Mt. Ranier is close to Seattle, you can even see it from there. It’s about 60 miles away, an easy drive. Can’t recall how far you have to hike to get to a glacier.
Try this site for Rainier info - click on the ‘Tour’ tab.
There should be information on which ones are accessible with by an easy hike (as opposed to a full climb). The glaciers have retreated quite a bit over the last few decades - it is just too warm.
It’s a decent hike for someone in average condition. Altitude is the main issue for out of shape people. I don’t think if you have knee trouble you’re going to easily get there though. But you’ll be close and there is lots of snow near the lodge in July.
They might have SnoCat tours in the summer. You might also be able to take a chair lift.
There’s also a new glacier in the crater of Mt. St. Helens, but it’s a restricted zone so you can only view it from places like the Johnston Ridge Observatory.