Salmon Glacier At Last!

Hi Blog!

Back in 2016, we stayed in Stewart, BC and tried for several days to visit Salmon Glacier. We were stopped from reaching the glacier viewpoints because the road was closed due to blasting at one of the area mines. This year, there were no road closures due to blasting, but we had to contend with Mother Nature. It took most of the day, but we finally got our photo of Canada's fifth largest glacier.

The adventure starts just after the Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Area. The paved road turns to gravel as you begin to wind your way through the rugged hills of the Boundary Range between Alaska and Canada. The Granduc Road was completed in 1965 connecting several mining claims. We passed the remains of the Riverside Mine. Started in 1925, the Riverside Mine was the most productive property in Alaska for silver and copper. All that remains today are rusty remnants from a fire in 1987.

At mile 13, we crossed back into Canada at the Premier Border Crossing in Silver Heights. There is nothing there but a sign. According to our driving guide, every ten years the entire length of the boundary is cleared. However, we tried to find the actual border, but could not. It must be getting close to clearing time again.

We passed two more mines on our way to the Toe of Salmon Glacier. From this vantage point, we could the terminal moraine as well as the beginning of the Salmon River.

We continued another five miles up the valley before reaching the summit viewpoint. The higher we drove the thicker the clouds became. By the time we reached the viewpoint, the glacier was hidden from view.

We thought about waiting for the cloud cover to lift, but decided to continue our drive out Granduc Road to see the Granduc Mine. Along the way, we passed several tunnels. One of the tunnels is over 11 miles long and was used to transport copper ore from Leduc camp to the concentrator site at Granduc camp.

We spotted this large blue tower as we approached the mine.

We followed the road through camp to a wide staging area. From our vantage point, we could see the Berendon Glacier on the right and the Knipple Glacier on the left.

The Granduc concentrator was built into the side of the mountain. The current camp buildings are just to the right of the old concentrator.

After lunch, we began our climb back up to the summit. On the way, we noticed the old rail line and hand cars left to wait outside one of the tunnels.

As the weather improved, we stopped to enjoy some of the alpine scenery.

By the time we made it back to the summit, the cloud ceiling had lifted. To see what we saw, click the link to this panoramic video of Salmon Glacier taken from near the summit of Granduc Road.

We could see the numerous crevases along the surface of the glacier.

The north end of the glacier feeds Summit Lake. The ice at this end of the glacier is tortured and twisted as it is pushed and shoved through a narrow canyon.

We made one last stop on the way back to Hyder to see the Toe of the Glacier. There was just enough sun to bring out the blue in the ice.

While we didn't see any bears on this drive, we did see several hoary marmots. This guy is so used to being photographed that he stops and poses for passing cars.

Having completed our mission to Salmon Glacier, there was one more task we wished to accomplish. Back in 2016, we stopped at the Glacier Inn in Hyder and left a dollar bill on the wall. Unlike the Salty Dog in Homer, this dollar was exactly where we left it!

Time to celebrate! In Hyder the only way to celebrate is to be Hyderized. To be Hyderized, one must drink a shot of 150 proof Everclear. While we prefer to sip not shoot, "When in Rome...." Dave agreed to be the designated driver so Kathy could add another certificate to her collection.

It's official. Kathy has been Hyderized!

The ride back through Canadian Customs was uneventful. We still have a few more days here to try and wait out the weather. Stay tuned.