The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at the Portage Glacier is definitely worth a stop. It doesn't cost anything extra and has some fun activities for kids, as well as some informative displays for adults. Once you've ridden the Ptarmigan out to Portage Glacier, you will want to go inside and get warmed up anyway, so a stop at the Visitor Center is definitely a good option! I thought the Portage Glacier Cruise was a wonderful experience, especially for being pretty affordable (about $45). We rode around for about an hour and a half and got to glide right up to the face of the glacier. It was beautiful and piercing blue. There were also many small waterfalls all around the lake that were great to look at too as we strode by. It was raining and sleeting when we took the cruise, but we still managed to trod up to the outdoor deck and snap pictures of the glacier up close. The tour guides were very informative and open to questions, and they even let me take home some glacial till that they had extracted as samples! Overall, a great way to spend a half-day. I definitely recommend it if you're near Girdwood. read more

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Stopping in this visitor center was an unexpected delight on a rainy day! It has a mini museum within and a really well done video talking about the history of the park. Definitely worth a stop on your visit! read more

Obligatory bummer disclaimer: due to rapid retreat, you can no longer see the Portage Glacier from here. You have a couple options: 1) Pay to take the boat to see the Portage Glacier (caveat: summer only): https://www.yelp.com/biz/portage-glacier-cruise-anchorage 2) Hike to it on this trail (caveat: you must go through the Whittier tunnel): https://www.yelp.com/biz/portage-pass-trail-whittier Ok, now that we've gotten that out of the way, what to do here? They have a pretty good gift shop, outstanding 3D maps, and knowledgeable rangers if you're looking for a good trail in the area (I recommend Byron Glacier trail).or want to camp (lots of great camp sites...beware of the horrid weather in this area though!) In the winter you can walk/ice skate/ski on the frozen lake. In a warm winter you can marvel at the sea of ice chunks. It's like a big beer cooler! The visitor center is free, but you have to pay to see some of their exhibits. read more

Begich Boggs Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

My review is for the glacier, not the visitor center... Portage Glacier is a must-see for anyone visiting the Anchorage area. Because the glacier has receded so much over the past few years, it isn't as impressive as it used to be, but it's still one of the easiest to access. Although you can't walk right up to the glacier, there's lovely views, even if you don't want to get out of your car. In good weather, it's only about an hour drive from Anchorage. The glacier does make its own little weather system, so its worth noting that although weather in Anchorage may be good in winter, it may be blizzarding Portage which at times renders Portage road impassible until the road department clears it. Also, the visitor center is closed in winter. For out of towers (and fuel conscious locals) a trip to Portage should likely include other area highlights such as a visit to Whittier, the Alaska Conservation Center and/or Girdwood. Alternately, if you want to spend the whole day outdoors, you can visit the Portage Glacier, hike the short and accessible Trail of Blue Ice, and have a picnic at one of the picnic tables throughout the large park that surrounds the glacier. It's worth noting there is also camping and Moose Flats day use areas immediately adjacent to the glacier area. read more

This was a wonderful trip. The visitors center welcomed the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson special needs program to their facility. The staff was very kind and gracious. The facility was clean and kept up with. Thank you for accommodating this event for us families! read more

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Portage Glacier is located on the Kenai Peninsula about 50 miles south of Anchorage. Take the Portage Glacier Road exit off the Seward Highway about 10 miles south of the town of Girdwood. This is a must- see stop on the way to the extraordinary port town of Whittier, about 4 miles east. The glacier is in the Portage Valley, and old portage trading portage route between Prince William Sound (on the east) and Turnagain Arm (on the west). Formed millions of years ago the glacier used to fill the entire Portage Valley, but it is much smaller now. Portage Glacier used to end just behind the Begich Boggs Visitor Center. However, it is in retreat, and is no longer visible from the center's observation deck. The center is still a worthwhile stop with interesting exhibits like a simulated ice cave, and a short movie. To get up close to the glacier, take the foot trail from the visitors center. Some people see Portage Glacier from another angle by taking the National Park Service boat cruise on Portage Lake from the boat dock at Whittier. The eerie blue ice is very cool to see. Just off Portage Glacier Road you will notice some old structures sinking in the flats, which are the remains of the former village of Portage (previously about 100 residents). On Good Friday in 1964, a massive earthquake (of 9.2 magnitude!) caused tsunami waves that wiped out Portage village as well as other Alaskan coastal towns. The epicenter was in Prince William Sound, 75 miles south-east of Anchorage and about 40 miles east of this area. The highest tsunami wave height recorded was an incredible 67 meters (219 feet) at Valdez Inlet. read more

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The dock and rest stop area gives you a great view of the glacier! Beautiful glacier and the surrounding areas. We walking down to the river and the water was crystal clear and as expected, freezing cold. read more

Ok, this review is not about the Portage Glacier but about the Byron Glacier which you can access for free from the visitor center. Take the Portage Glacier Cruise road and park at the second parking lot on the right. A 40 minutes walk on a non steep trail will take you to the toe of the Byron Glacier. This was an up close and personal encounter for us. You can actually touch the blue ice. The encounter was fantastic, we was able to put our hands into the cold melted water flowing from the glacier. The surrounding view was heart stopping. If you got the lungs and good knees, you can actually climb up the slope of the glacier a little way. We saw some of the more fit hikers doing it. This was probably one of two highlights for me so far on this Alaska vacation. read more

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This is a great visitors center. The people working here are super friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the glacier. Just up the road is the beginning of the trail to Byron Glacier. Awesome way to see a glacier up close. Beautiful! read more

Informative visitor center with a new movie on Chugach people that had replaced the ice movie. I liked the large windows looking out to the relic of the Ice Age glaciers that calved from the Portage Glacier. Portage Glacier is hidden from view at the visitor center as they came from beyond the hills to the right of the windows. To see the Portage Glacier, we drove out the visitor center to the dock at the end of road and took the 1 hour cruise across Portage Lake on the mv Ptarmigan for $34/adult and $17/kids and saw the glaciers about 300 yards away, and the floating ice that calved (but not while we cruised). The USFS ranger gave us a talk while on board and they even had a piece of the glacier on board for us to see and touch. There were many waterfalls off the mountains. They took my National Park annual pass at the visitor center so the $5 fee to the movie and exhibits is waived and I just noticed there is a coupon online for $5 off adults/$2.5 off kids for the curise with the printout at http://www.portageglaciercruises.com/2013_PTG_Coupon.pdf 2013 Schedule cruise across Portage Lake Daily June 2 - September 16 Departures: 10:30 am, 12:00 noon, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:30 pm Curise runs if weather permits. Worth checking out! read more

Ordered the herb crusted halibut. It was a bit greasy, not a lot of mashed potatoes, too many greens. The house bread was the best. I always take some home. Service is good and it's always nice to get seated next to the fireplace. read more

Begich Boggs Visitor Center - Herb crusted halibut, mashed potatoes and greens. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

This is a great little visitor centre and explains a lot about Portage Glacier and the Chugach Park. Definitely worth a visit if you're staying around the Kenai Peninsula. There are great views across Portage Lake of the glacier itself and some nature trails nearby also. Don't miss the feature-length video about the Chugach Park as well as the Glacier, in the theatre (for a small fee). It's very informative and interesting too! The gift shop also sells loads of gifts including, my personal favourite, plush salmon toys...! read more

The views here are amazing. I took some great pictures. Should stop by and check this out if you are driving down highway 1 to Seward.

for the money this was awesome. cold, so bring a coat which I didn't, but they have coats for you to use which is super. this was a beautiful short little glacier cruise. do it if you have the time! read more