Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake
Worth a Visit, Learn More about Glaciers and Glacial Lakes in Alaska
Jan 8, 2009
Anybody who visits the Kenai Peninsula should include a stop at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage lake. It lies at the head of Portage Valley, about fifty miles from Anchorage, at the end of Turnagain Arm.
Learn More about Glaciers and Glacial Lakes in the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake
Glaciers continue to shape the landscape in the Chugach Mountains by glacial ice moving across hard rock. The perpetual motion of the ice scrapes fine rock material off the stony bottom of the mountains and deposits it in glacial lakes or keeps it within the ancient ice of the glaciers themselves. Portage lake and Portage glacier are a perfect example of this.
Climate change and its consequences on glaciers in Alaska is another phenomenon that can be watched at Portage lake. The Visitor Center itself sits on top of the remnants of a terminal moraine left by Portage glacier which has since retreated quite a bit. It is no longer visible from the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, although parts of it still reach into Portage lake and deposit icebergs into the lake. Sometimes, when the calving of the glacier is very active, the icebergs fill up the whole lake as far as the Visitor Center. At other times the lake is completely free of ice.
Exhibits and Programs in the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center
Exhibits in the Visitor Center inform about these natural developments. The award-winning film "Voices From the Ice" is shown every hour and offers spectacular scenes of glaciers and wildlife in Alaska. A reconstruction of a glacier demonstrates how glaciers move and gives a good insight into the retreat of Portage glacier in particular.
There are also several hiking trails in the area, where visitors can learn more about the effects a retreating glacier has on the landscape and the flora in the area. Forest rangers offer guided walks along these trails and give explanations on the local plant life and the influences of the retreating glacier on the nature in the area. Another interesting hike teaches about miniscule animals living in glacial ice: the ice worms. Anybody who doesn't want to go on the hike can view ice worms in the Visitor Center. At the reception desk there is always a big chunk of ice on display with the little black worms.
The educational guided hikes from the Begich, Bogg Visitor Center include:
- the Ice Worm Safari Hike
- the Portage Pass Hike
- the Moraine Trail Hike
- the Trail of Blue Ice Hike
- the Williwaw Hike
- the Spencer Hike.
The staff in the Visitor Center can also recommend individual hikes in the area.
How to get to the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Lake
The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center is located at the end of the Portage Valley Road which turns off the New Seward Highway about 50 miles south of Anchorage. There is parking available for cars, buses and larger vehicles. The Visitor Center is open on weekends only in winter, and from 9.00 to 6.00 in summer.
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