チューガック国勢調査地域周辺の簡単なハイキングとウォーキング

This is about as far as you'd want to go on the sometimes steep, unstable and unofficial gravel "path" that parallels the glacier. You do get some amazing views here, but all the warning signs you hiked past are there for a reason. This isn't the safest trail on the planet, and it's very easy to suddenly notice you're walking on the glacier itself, as the rock and dirt you started on merge seamlessly into the ice itself. Don't believe me? Look for the glimmers of blue and blue-white ice peeking out through the grime, and trace the source of the miniature waterfalls spilling down near the trail. They're fueled by melting ice.

This is the closest of a couple different viewpoints you can reach with some easy walking. From here, you get very nice views of the glacier's blue ice and the lake of meltwater in front of it. What might be less obvious is that the glacier is actually larger than it appears: A portion of it is covered in dirt, rock, and silt that makes it look like part of the earth.

This gently rolling trail wanders out to a great observation point overlooking the water; you start getting beautiful views even before you fully emerge from the trees. You can walk back along the northern shore of this little point, if you like, turning this hike into a short loop.

As the Homestead Trail comes to its gradual end, you'll find yourself first overlooking the mighty outflow of Mineral Creek into Prince William Sound, then threading your way along a narrow footpath through the grass, until finally you arrive at the ocean shore yourself.

There's a bit of a wide spot in the road that serves as an informal parking area — but if you're coming from nearby, it's best to just walk here if you can. The trail itself is an old road that runs between two salmon streams. Keep a good eye out, because bear sightings and salmon carcasses are both very common here. The bears eat the best parts of the fish, then leave the rest to decompose — one of the key ways in which nutrients are delivered from the sea to the land.

Follow the gravel path

Heads up: The trail you're about to tackle is muddy and slippery even in "dry" conditions. If there's been a string of wet days — those being very common around Whittier, which is after all in a temperate rainforest — you can expect the trail to be more mud than dirt. The image shown here was on a dry part of the trail, in relatively dry conditions. The trail is also very brushy, with several stream crossings, and bear encounters are common due to the profusion of berries and fish running in the same streams you'll need to cross. Happily, it is also beautiful!

In theory the trail continues past this point to the actual Emerald Cove, but I strongly recommend stopping here instead. Emerald Cove is muddy and gloomy; Bight Cove, on the other hand, is beautiful. You can enjoy the broad shale beach, driftwood to sit on, and puzzled looks from sea kayakers who are surprised to find out you walked here instead of paddling. There's even a small lagoon.