Alaska has more than 100,000 beautiful and quite impressive glaciers, about half of the world’s total. While there is no one glacier that bests the others, a favorite to see is the magnificent Hubbard Glacier, with a vertical face taller than a 30-story building. Here’s why this impressive glacier in eastern Alaska it is so visit-worthy :

Alaska's Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America.
Rick Payette/Flickr
It is an active valley glacier that flows out of the mountains all the way to the ocean.
The glacier is approximately 7 miles wide at its foot and 76 miles long.
Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr
Its elevation reaches about 11,000 feet.
Large chunks of ice the size of a 10-story building regularly break off into the ocean, which is known as calving.
Martha de Jong-Lantink/Flickr

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Most tidewater glaciers calve above sea level, causing spectacular splashes as the new icebergs enter the water. Ships must keep their distance from this glacier for safety reasons.
The Hubbard Glacier continues to grow and advance.
Rick Payette/Flickr
It recorded major surges in 1986 and again in 2002. If Hubbard Glacier continues to advance, it will close the seaward entrance of Russell Fiord and create the largest glacier-dammed lake on the North American continent
The glacier's blue color adds to its incredible beauty.
Life With Us/Flickr
According to the National Park Service, blue ice is the result of long wavelengths (red) of light being absorbed by ice while short wavelengths (blue) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.

Have you viewed this mighty glacier, or any of America’s magnificent ice sculptures? If so, we’d love to hear your impressions and see photos you took of your glacier viewing experience.

For more about Alaska, see the 10 places you must see there before you die.

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