Glacier Tours are offered by
several companies to view the Glacier and the massive amount of icebergs that it produces.
Columbia Glacier itself is receding, leaving huge blocks of ice and an
impassible moraine. It is always changing and each day the bay is filled with floating
ice. Some of this ice floats all the way out to the Gulf of Alaska, where it becomes a
hazard to shipping. One cause for the Exxon Valdez’s departure from its shipping
lanes was the icebergs.
Captain Cook named the Columbia Glacier as he explored
Prince William Sound in 1890. At that time the glacier was advancing and an impressive
wall of ice greeted the Captain. This remained unchanged until about 1990 when the Glacier
suddenly halted and started its retreat. It has since retreated over 6 miles.
