Only ten percent of the land on Earth is covered by year-round ice, and most of that is in remote Antarctica, a next-to-impossible destination for most people. Most of the rest is in Greenland, which while not impossible is certainly off the beaten path. That leaves only a few other places, either at high latitudes, high elevations, or both, where you can see remnants of the massive ice sheets that covered much of the earth just a few thousand years ago. As climate change advances, glaciers around the world are in retreat, and many of them could disappear in the lifetime of anyone reading this.
Understand
Where to see glaciers
This is not a list of all the glaciers in the world, for that see Wikipedia. This is instead a list of the best places to access glaciers for the average (non-mountaineering) tourist. They are organized by continent and natural region (e.g. mountain range) rather than by tourism region, since many mountain ranges cross multiple political and cultural borders.
Asia
- Gilgit-Baltistan, the northernmost part of Pakistan is home to eighteen of the fifty highest peaks in the world, as well as the highest paved road in the world, the Karakoram Highway, which crosses into China at Khunjerab National Park
- Khangchendzonga National Park, in Sikkim, has many glaciers, but the paved road ends in Gangtok, so renting a jeep or trekking are the only options
- Mount Kailash, in Ngari, Tibet is a sacred mountain and home to the massive glacier that is the source of many of Asia's greatest rivers, namely the Brahmaputra, Indus, Sutlej and Karnali, it is however, not easy to get to
- there are many glaciers in Northern Nepal, but the roads on the way to Everest Base Camp don't go any further than Jiri and planes can't get you higher than Lukla, so it's trekking after that
Europe
- Alps
- Norway – Many glaciers are in easy reach, if not from cities, at least from villages by the roads. Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on the European mainland.
- Vatnajökull, Iceland is the largest glacier in Europe overall, also quite easily reached.
Oceania
North America
- Columbia Icefield, Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta Rockies,about 325 km<sup>2</sup> (125 sq mi) in area, this the largest region of ice and snow in the Rocky Mountains. There is access by private automobile right to the foot of the glaciers (and an interpretive centre), via the Icefields Parkway.
- Glacier National Park (Montana), Northwestern Montana. In 2015, only 26 named glaciers remained (compared to 35 in 1966) but still the most glaciers in one region of the 48 continental states. It is possible to see glaciers from the Going-to-the-Sun Road without any climbing.
- Glacier National Park (British Columbia), Columbia-Rockies, is located directly on the Trans-Canada Highway, and glaciers can be seen from the road at Rogers Pass
Coast and Cascade Mountains
South America
Stay safe
See also: Cold weather
The glaciers are not stable, but flow down the mountain. This will cause cracks, crevasses, which may be obscured by snow bridges. The walls and roofs of ice caves can collapse and cracks can get closed. At the edge of glaciers huge blocks break loose, fall down and perhaps jump or roll farther from the edge. If they fall into water, they can cause huge waves (think tsunami).
There are regularities, so the glacier's behaviour can be predicted to some degree, especially with local knowledge.
Never go near the front of a glacier, but instead approach from higher ground on the sides. Unless you are an expert, just watch it at a secure distance or go on a tour with local guides.