Bearfoot On The Glenn Highway
SERVICES ON THE
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"The Long and Winding Road.”
The Glenn Highway takes you from Anchorage into the Copper River Valley. It was built in secrecy during World War II, and today it is recognized for some of the most beautiful scenery in Alaska. One of the Glenn Highway’s main attractions is Matanuska Glacier, which forms the headwaters of the Matanuska River, and is easy to photograph from just off the highway. The glacier is 4 miles wide at its terminus and extends for many miles back into the Chugach Mountains. The view as you drive up the Glenn is constantly changing. It’s no wonder this is an official National Scenic Highway! How To Get To The Glenn Highway The Glenn Highway starts in Anchorage, and continues as a major multi-lane, fast-moving thoroughfare to Palmer, xxx miles away. In Palmer, the second, winding leg of the highway travels along steep mountainsides xxx miles to Glennallen. This webpage deals with that second, rural section of the Glenn. Things To Do On The Glenn Highway The GLENN HIGHWAY is wildly scenic. While driving it, though, be sure to keep an eye out for falling rock, and for sheer drop offs to the Matanuska River. Cautious driving is the keyword. This spectacular drive, with mountain and river vistas, has great photographic opportunities. If you are an avid photographer, anticipate making lots of stops along the way, and plan your trip to take advantage of early morning and evening light, as the sun and shadows bend through the mountains. Later in the year, fall colors of yellow aspen rival New England’s scenery. Moonlight trips on this road are unparalleled experiences. Here are some high points on the Glenn Highway. See KING MOUNTAIN at Mile 76. Distinctive in form (it looks like something people believe a mountain should look like) King Mountain rises over the Matanuska River outside of Palmer on the Glenn Highway. There’s a campground at its base, near the Matanuska River. Stop at LONG LAKE at Mile 85.5. On your way down the Glenn Highway, this narrow, beautiful lake is accessed by a pullout. With a little luck, you may be able to catch a grayling or two. This is a nice place to put your canoe or kayak into the water for an afternoon paddle. Stop at MATANUSKA GLACIER at Mile 102. Forming the headwaters of the Matanuska River, is the Matanuska Glacier, which is easy to photograph from several locations off the highway. You can also drive down to the glacier, to Matanuska Glacier Park, where you can walk on it. This may be the most dramatic glacier you can see in Alaska on the road system. It is 4 miles wide at its terminus and it extends for many miles back into the Chugach Mountains. on the other side of the Chugach Range are the glaciers, like Columbia Glacier, that crash into Prince William Sound. Stop at SHEEP MOUNTAIN at Mile 113. You can actually see the small white dots -- they’re sheep -- on the side of Sheep Mountain in the summertime. Go back in to LAKE LOUISE from Mile 160. This is a huge lake, with lodges on it, where you can stay, go fishing -- and hear the silence. (Lake Louise is 16 miles back off the Glenn Highway, over a nicely paved road.) 
Lake Louise off the Glenn Highway.
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