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List of glaciers in the United States facts for kids

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1055 - exit glacier
Exit Glacier, Alaska

A glacier is a huge, slow-moving river of ice. These icy giants form when snow piles up over many years, gets packed down, and turns into ice. In the United States, you can find glaciers in nine states, mostly in the Rocky Mountains and areas farther west. The southernmost named glacier in the U.S. is the Lilliput Glacier in Tulare County, California.

Glaciers in Alaska

Homer Alaska Spit Panorama
The Homer Spit is thought to be what's left of a glacial moraine, a pile of rocks and dirt left behind by a glacier.

Alaska is home to a huge number of glaciers! The state has about 664 named glaciers. These massive ice fields are found in different mountain ranges and coastal areas. Some of the most famous ones are found in places like Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Further information: List of glaciers in Denali National Park and Preserve
Gulkanaglacier
Gulkana Glacier in the Alaska Range
A045, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, USA, Johns Hopkins Glacier, 2002
Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Matanuska Glacier 8859s
Matanuska Glacier with peaks of the Chugach Mountains
A041, Juneau, Alaska, USA, Mendenhall Glacier, 2002
Mendenhall Glacier and the Coast Mountains, near Juneau, Alaska
Ocean liner and glacier in art detail, Alaska via Canadian Pacific. Taku Glacier (3531517944) (cropped)
An ocean liner near Taku Glacier, shown in an old artwork for Canadian Pacific.

Glaciers of the Pacific Coast Ranges

The Pacific Coast Ranges are mountains along the Pacific Ocean. They have glaciers in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Washington's Glaciers

Boulder Glacier 3593
Boulder Glacier on Mount Baker.

Washington state has about 186 named glaciers. However, the big eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 destroyed most of its glaciers. Only a new one, called Crater Glacier, has formed since then.

Glaciers in the Olympic Mountains

The Olympic Mountains are home to several glaciers, especially on Mount Olympus.

Glaciers in the North Cascades

Bonanza Peak Washington
Company Glacier, a glacier in the North Cascades.

The North Cascades are a rugged mountain range with many glaciers.

Glaciers on Mount Baker

Mount Baker is a volcano with many glaciers.

Glaciers on Glacier Peak

Glacier Peak is another volcano with several glaciers.

Glaciers on Mount Rainier

Sarvent Glacier 23012
Sarvent Glacier, near Cowlitz Chimneys on Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier is a very tall volcano and has the most glaciers of any single peak in the U.S. outside of Alaska.

Glaciers on Mount Adams

Mount Adams is a large volcano with several glaciers.

Glaciers on Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens had many glaciers before its 1980 eruption. Now, a new glacier has formed inside its crater.

  • Crater Glacier - a new glacier that formed inside the volcano's crater

Oregon's Glaciers

Oregon has 35 named glaciers. Many are found on its tall volcanoes.

Glaciers on Mount Hood

Main article: List of Mount Hood glaciers

Mount Hood is Oregon's tallest peak and has several glaciers.

Glaciers in the Three Sisters Region

The Three Sisters are a group of volcanoes with many glaciers.

California's Glaciers

California has 20 named glaciers. Most are in the Sierra Nevada mountains or on Mount Shasta.

Glaciers on Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta is a volcano in northern California with seven named glaciers.

Glaciers in the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada mountains have many glaciers, including the southernmost one in the U.S.

  • Lilliput Glacier - on Mount Stewart, the southernmost glacier in the United States
  • Lyell Glacier - on Mount Lyell, one of the largest in the Sierra Nevada
  • Palisade Glacier - on North Palisade, the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada

Glaciers of Nevada

2014-09-15 12 59 34 View of the Wheeler Peak Glacier in Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Wheeler Peak Glacier in Nevada.

Nevada is mostly a desert state, but it does have one named glacier. This glacier is in the Basin and Range Province, a dry area east of the Pacific Coast Ranges.

Glaciers of the Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains stretch across several western states and are home to many glaciers.

Colorado's Glaciers

Andrews Glacier
Andrews Glacier in Colorado.

Colorado has sixteen named glaciers. Long ago, before 1880, it had even more!

  • Andrews Glacier - near Andrews Pass
  • Arapaho Glacier - a well-known glacier between two peaks
  • Isabelle Glacier - near Shoshone Peak
  • Navajo Glacier - on the north side of Navajo Peak
  • Saint Mary's Glacier - a popular spot for hiking

Montana's Glaciers

Grinnell Glacier 2009
Grinnell Glacier with its lake and The Salamander Glacier high up.
Further information: List of glaciers in Glacier National Park (U.S.)

Montana has 60 named glaciers. Many of them are found in Glacier National Park, which is famous for its beautiful icy landscapes.

Utah's Glaciers

Utah doesn't have any visible glaciers today. However, there is a buried glacier.

  • Timpanogos Glacier - in the Wasatch Range. It's a buried glacier, meaning it's hidden under rocks and debris.

Wyoming's Glaciers

Gannet Peak with Gannett Glacier
Gannett Glacier is the largest glacier in the American Rockies, located in the remote Wind River Range, Wyoming.
Main article: List of glaciers in Wyoming

Wyoming has 37 named glaciers. Many of them are in the Wind River Range, a rugged mountain area.

Schoolroom Glacier from Hurricane Pass
Hikers near Schoolroom Glacier, with its terminal moraine (rock pile) and lake.

See also

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