Tongass National Forest
Forest Facts

Gallery of Hubbard Glacier Photos

Click on each photo for a larger version. File size of larger photo is given in parentheses. Latest photos.

1986

Hubbard Glacier squeezes the passage between Russell Fiord (background) and Disenchantment Bay (foreground) in this photo taken the last time Hubbard "galloped" and closed the passage. (33 KB)

Hubbard Glacier face parallels the curve of Gilbert Point leaving a narrow, ice-studded passage for water to flow between Disenchantment Bay in the foreground and Russell Fiord in the back.

 

2002

  

Water surrounds rocky outcrops ahead of the glacier face as it approaches Gilbert Point with a fairly wide passage leading to Russell Fiord in the background.May 20

Looking toward Russell Fiord (160 KB)

Looking out toward Disenchantment Bay, a triangular terminal moraine pushed ahead of the glacier face restricts the flow of water between fiord and bay.
June 12
Looking toward Disenchantment Bay (50 KB)

A closer view shows water rushing through the narrow gap between the steep bank of Gilbert Point and the glacial moraine.
June
Russell Fiord to the left, looking  
toward Disenchantment Bay  
(109 KB)  

Focus is sharpened on the narrow gap between glacier and opposite shore.
12
  Similar view, focus on the narrow
  gap between the glacier and
  Gilbert Point (32 KB)

Looking from Disenchantment Bay, the gap between the curve of the advancing glacier and Gilbert Point makes the mouth of Russell Fiord look like a river, with a restriction at its mouth.
June 14
Same view as May 20 photo, Disenchantment Bay in foreground (115 KB)

 A closer view of the terminal moraine creates a flow resembling river rapids.
June 16
Closer view of the moraine shoal's approach to Gilbert Point. Russell Fiord is in the background, Disenchantment Bay in the foreground (141 KB)

The moraine appears a little longer, the gap a little narrower than 4 days ago.
June 20
Different angle of the same view, showing very little advance from June 16 (311 KB)

 Ice is building up behind the restriction caused by the glacier, impeding the flow of water to and from the bay.
June 23
Ice is building up behind the neck of the passage into Russell Fiord, impeding water exchange between the bay (in the foreground) and the fiord (184 KB)

Looking out the window of a small plane over Disenchantment Bay north up Hubbard Glacier.
June 28
A view looking north from Disenchantment Bay past the terminal moraine up part of the length of Hubbard Glacier. The dark line at the left of the glacier separates Hubbard from Valerie Glacier. Gilbert Point is on the right, with the narrow opening to Russell Fiord at its tip. (149 KB)

A view showing the narrow passage between the face of Hubbard Glacier and Gilbert Point, showing clearly the narrow channel running from Russell Fiord in the background into Disenchantment Bay.
June 28
The terminal moraine at the tip of Hubbard Glacier almost touches Gilbert Point in the center of the photo. The channel between glacier and land is clearly shown in this aerial view looking northeast from Disenchantment Bay. (777 KB)

The terminal moraine of the glacier almost touches the nose of Gilbert Point with the narrow channel ahead of the glacier face winding around the point in the background.
June
The terminal moraine almost completely blocks water passage from Russell Fiord behind the moraine to Disenchantment Bay in the foreground. (National Park Service photo) (131 KB)

An oblique image shows the narrow neck of open water between moraine and land with ice starting to jam up behind it in Russell Fiord.
28
The view down the neck between the Hubbard Glacier moraine and Gilbert Point shows ice building up in Russell Fiord restricting the flow of water from the fiord into Disenchantment Bay in the foreground. (National Park Service photo) (142 KB)

A photo looking straight down at the small opening between Hubbard Glacier and its moraine on the left and the cliffs of Gilbert POint on the right, with ice floes behind it in Russell Fiord and clear water in the foreground.
June 28
Looking straight down at the narrow gap between Hubbard Glacier and its terminal moraine on the west and Gilbert Point on the east shows ice on the Russell Fiord side and a very restricted flow into Disenchantment Bay. (National Park Service photo) (142 KB)

Hubbard Glacier's face and its terminal moraine constrict the mouth of Russell Fiord into a curving "river" flowing into Disenchantment Bay in the foreground.
July 3
View from Disenchantment Bay shows the terminal moraine, "river," and glacier face extending into Russell Fiord. Little has changed in the last 5 days. (National Park Service photo) (141 KB)

"Russell River" carves a narrow path through the glacier's moraine at the foot of Gilbert Point.
July
"Russell River" continues to run into Disenchantment Bay with very little if any tidal inflow. (National Park Service photo) (160 KB)

A look up the length of "Russell Lake" shows water over former beaches and into the trees.
3
Water in "Russell Lake" has been rising at about 6 inches (15 cm) per day, covering former beaches and flooding into the tree line. (National Park Service photo) (75 KB)

Gilbert Point juts toward the curving face of Hubbard Glacier, with the terminal moraine holding just short of closing the gap between Russell Fiord and Disenchantment Bay. View is toward Russell Fiord.
July 7
Although the glacier face shows little forward movement, the moraine appears to be thickening as more material is pushed into it by the glacier. The channel in the background leads to Russell Fiord. (Mary McMullin photo) (49 KB)

An aerial view of the head of the glacier showing the face extending along Disenchantment Bay and curving around Gilbert Point.
July 7
Pushed by the massive glacier behind it, Hubbard's face extends along Disenchantment Bay and curves around the shoreline of Gilbert Point. (Mary McMullin photo) (61 KB)

An oblique view of the terminal moraine and the narrow channel between it and Gilbert Point shows an area free of ice at the mouth of the outlet.
July
Current from the "Russell River" holds ice bergs off the shore of Gilbert Point in Disenchantment Bay. Note the steepened terminal moraine. (Mary McMullin photo) (32 KB)

An aerial view of the steepening moraine and the glacier face curving around the shoreline of Gilbert Point, looking "up-channel" toward Russell Fiord.
7
Glacier and land continue to form a narrow channel between Russell Fiord/Lake (background) and Disenchantment Bay (foreground). (Mary McMullin photo) (59 KB)

A narrow channel of water runs between Russell Lake and Disenchantment Bay. Gilbert Point looms on one side; the moraine spreads on the other.
July 11
This oblique photo shows the narrowing Russell River between Gilbert Point on the south (rear) and the Hubbard Glacier moraine (foreground). Russell Lake is to the left; Disenchantment Bay to the right. (US Forest Service photo) (95 KB)

The terminal moraine lies like an arrowhead across the mouth of Russell Lake, leaving a narrow channel behind which ice backs up.
July 11
Hubbard's terminal moraine continues to squeeze the gap between Disenchantment Bay in the foreground and Russell Lake, where ice gathers above the rapids. (US Forest Service photo) (71 KB)

An overhead photo shows a narrow trickle of water flowing between the base of the cliff (Gilbert Point) at the left and the new spit of land forming ahead of the glacier at the right. Disenchantment bay is in the background at top and the entrance to Russell Lake in the foreground at bottom.
July
This overhead photo shows how narrow the river from Russell Fiord (bottom) into Disenchantment Bay (top) has become. The lake continues to rise at about 6 inches (15 cm) a day. (US Forest Service photo) (70 KB)

A narrow trickle of water flows from the channel between glacier (on left) and Gilbert Point (on right) into Disenchantment Bay in the foreground.
16
A view over the heightening moraine shows the glacier face curving to form a channel along the base of Gilbert Point (right). Disenchantment Bay is in the foreground. (US Forest Service photo) (92 KB)

A long view from Disenchantment Bay shows the terminal moraine piling up ahead of the glacier as it curves around Gilbert Point.
July 16
The moraine continues to rise ahead of Hubbard Glacier. It's estimated to be 100 feet (30 meters) high. This photo emphasizes the mass of the glacier and the channel it forms as it curves around Gilbert Point. (US Forest Service photo) (128 KB)

The moraine rises above the pools and trickles that are all that release any water from Russell Lake into Disenchantment Bay.
July 21
The moraine has squeezed the passage between Hubbard and Gilbert Point into several pools and a trickle to Disenchantment Bay (foreground). (US Forest Service photo) (109 KB)

Russell River is just a trickle of water between the advancing moraine at the left and Gilbert Point at the right.
July
A higher view of the moraine meeting Gilbert Point shows more clearly how little water flows into Disenchantment Bay. (US Forest Service photo) (90 KB)

Hubbard's moraine snugs against the foot of Gilbert Point.
21
Looking up what's left of Russell River as the moraine pushes against Gilbert Point shows how much the glacier has advanced. Compare to the photo taken on July 3. (US Forest Service photo) (98 KB)

The immense face of Hubbard Glacier thrusts into the open waters of Disenchantment Bay, with the smaller Valerie Glacier flowing beside it at the top of the picture.
August 2
The view to the northwest on the Disenchantment Bay side of Gilbert Point shows the vastness of the Hubbard Glacier face. The dark line across the glacier ice at the top of the photo is the lateral moraine between Valerie and Hubbard Glaciers. (US Forest Service photo) (75 KB)

A steep shot down at the face of Hubbard Glacier and its terminal moraine against the sheer rock face of Gilbert Point shows the changing shape of the moraine and how close the glacier itself is to land..
August 2
The terminal moraine is changing shape as it builds up. The shaking from the advancing glacier settles the fine material to the bottom and brings the rocks (white specks in the picture) to the top of the pile. (US Forest Service photo) (102 KB)
An oblique shot from the Russell Lake side of Gilbert point looking toward Disenchantment Bay shows the glacier face approaching the point.

August 2
This photo just off tip of Gilbert Point looking from Russell Lake to Disenchantment Bay shows the glacier face closing its gap with the cliffs of the point. (US Forest Service photo) (75 KB)

A view from just inside Russell Lake shows ice building up in the narrowing opening between the glacier face and the cliffs of Gilbert Point.
August 2
The result of calving activity in Russell Lake appears as ice slurry and bergs crowding into the narrowing neck of water between Hubbard Glacier's face and the cliffs of Gilbert Point. (US Forest Service photo) (126 KB)

A view from up Russell Lake back toward the northwest shows a broad band of lateral moraine flowing to the lake shore.
August 2
This view from well into Russell Lake back toward the northwest shows Hubbard's lateral moraine. The pattern indicates that side of the glacier surged earlier and has melted back to some extent. (US Forest Service photo) (75 KB)

A narrow whitewater river again flows against the base of Gilbert Point between the rising Russell Lake on the left and Disenchantment Bay.
August
Water is once more cascading from Russell Lake into Disenchantment Bay through a steep channel carved into the sediment of the terminal moraine. (National Park Service photo) (301 KB)

Water continues to back up in Russell Lake even as a narrow river flows between glacial moraine and Gilbert Point. The face of the glacier still parallels the coastline at the mouth of the lake. Finely ground rock colors the water in Disenchantment Bay around the moraine.
10
The level of water in Russell Lake continues to rise even as some water flows into the bay along the narrow "Russell River." (National Park Service photo) (188 KB)

Water gushes from Russell Fiord into Disenchantment Bay after breaching the dam formed by advancing ice and Hubbard Glacier's terminal moraine.
August 14
Heavy rains raised the water level in Russell Lake to 61 feet (19 m) above sea level before the pressure washed out much of the terminal moraine. This photo was taken at about noon today. Yesterday's channel ran along the right edge of the opening in the heavy shadow at the base of the cliff. (National Park Service photo) (189 KB)

The ice face of Hubbarad Glacier curves around Hubbard Point as water floods through the area formerly dammed by the terminal moraine.
August 14
About five hours after the photo at left was taken, the surging water has removed the last of the moraine showing at mid-channel and broken off more of the glacier face. (National Park Service photo) (163 KB)

Water surges through the narrow opening between glacier face and rock cliff, creating a whitewater maelstrom.
August
Water pouring from Russell Lake/Fiord creates a dangerous whitewater tumble between glacier and cliff. This photo was taken at about 5 p.m. (National Park Service photo) (150 KB)

Water appears to jet out of the opening between glacier face and Gilbert Point in this view along the Disenchantment Bay face of the glacier.
14
This view along the Disenchantment Bay face of the glacier shows the velocity of the water pouring through the open channel from Russell Fiord. This photo was taken at about 7 p.m. (Mary McMullin photo) (32 KB)

A long view of the Hubbard Glacier and Gilbert Point shows the similarities and the differences between now and 1986. The glacier face protrudes much farther into Russell Fiord this year.
August 14
A comparison between this photo and the photo taken in 1986 (top of page) shows a significantly different shape of the glacier's face in Russell Fiord. (Mary McMullin photo) (33 KB)

The river tumbling out of Russell Fiord bounces off the curving glacial face and eddies around Gilbert Point.
August 14
The speed of the current pushes water into the curving face of Hubbard Glacier, where it bounces back into the turbulent channel. The height of the ice wall is estimated at 300 feet (90  m). Photo taken about 7 p.m. (Mary McMullin photo) (55 KB)
Water flows mirror-smooth between the sheer face of Hubbard Glacier and the steep rock wall of Gilbert Point.

August 15
A sheer 300-foot-high (90 m) wall of ice lines the mirror-smooth passage between Russell Fiord and Disenchantment Bay. The newly-opened channel is estimated to be about 1000 feet (300 m) wide at its widest point. Water now flows through the narrow opening into the fiord at high tide. (National Park Service photo) (145 KB)

Water funnelling into Russell Fiord from Disenchantment Bay is disturbed by ice falling from the glacier face.
August 26
Ongoing calving makes waves and slushy areas in the water between glacier and land. (National Park Service photo) (105 KB)

An overhead shot of the tip of Gilbert Point shows caves formerly covered by the rising water, and milky water indicating heavy silting and calving.
August 26
Silty water attests to the continuing erosion of the glacier face. The large crack in the ice at the lower right may indicate another massive iceberg in the making. Small caves at the base of Gilbert Point are once again visible now that the water level has lowered. (National Park Service photo) (88 KB)

August 26
Constant tidal action has widened the opening to Russell Fiord almost 2 weeks after the initial release of the water formerly backed up behind glacier and moraine. Silt-covered lowlands in the background were under water two weeks ago. (National park Service photo) (100 KB)

 A panoramic view of the face of Hubbard Glacier as it rounds Gilbert Point and opens into Russell Fiord reveals silt-covered lowlands formerly covered by Russell Lake.

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To see a larger version of a photo on this page, click on the photo. (File size is in parentheses at the end of each description.)
A more complete selection of photos from August 14 and 15 are available on a second page of Hubbard photos.
Updated August 29, 2002


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