Childs Glacier Calves, Copper River, Alaska

Childs Glacier and the Copper River.

Childs Glacier was extremely active this summer. I camped near it a number of times, it was fun to hear the roar of a large calving during the night. Childs Glacier is actually an advancing glacier but because the Copper River flows across the face it is constantly undermined, making for a very active glacier.

A photo can’t capture the sound and size of such a large calving. To put this in perspective, the face of the glacier is about 300 feet high, or as big as a 30 story building. As you can see, some of this splash rises almost to the top of the face, with the majority of the splash at least 50 to a 100 feet high. It is an incredible site!