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Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords Guidebook
Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords Guidebook

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Trails Illustrated: Prince William Sound-West

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Visiting Barry Arm's majestic glacial enclave comes with a risk!

Barry Glacier above Hinge Point. The fissured-tongue of Barry Glacier with Hinge Point in foreground.

The potential of a landslide and a tsunami event happening in upper Barry Arm has been recognized by the USGS. The threat poses a direct hazard to anyone in the area, especially those along the waterfront. At this time, the USGS, State of Alaska, and University of Alaska are monitoring the slide area. Anyone thinking about spending time in Barry Arm or Harriman Fiord may want to check Online for the latest Barry Arm status update with the USGS or State of Alaska DNR.

Crossing the shallow moraine into upper Barry Arm accesses a raw glacial landscape revealed by Barry Glacier’s retreat during the past 120 years. The towering fiord-walls and high, snow-capped mountains are enriched by the arm’s three tidewater glaciers: Cascade, Coxe, and Barry. Drifting ice often clogs the upper arm’s entrance, especially in spring.

View hillside campsite area in Harriman Fiord
Upper Barry Arm Map

In the early 1900s, Barry Glacier and its tributaries, Cascade and Coxe Glaciers, underwent rapid retreat. Grant and Higgins observed that Barry Glacier had retreated about 3 mi by 1910 but confirmed that Barry, Cascade, and Coxe glaciers were still connected. By 1914, Coxe Glacier had separated from Barry Glacier.

Cascade Glacier still made contact with Barry Glacier on its W side in 1914, but was largely independent. The glaciers remained relatively stable until about 2002, when Barry Glacier began another 13 yr long retreat. Currently, Barry Glacier rests about 5 mi N of Point Doran.

Throughout the lower reaches of Harriman Fiord, streams of icy meltwater cascade down the fiord’s walls. Harriman Glacier does not calve as frequently as Surprise Glacier, so once in lower Harriman Fjord, ice rarely encumbers travel.

Most camping areas reside on outwash fans with streams, where beach rye and alder thickets cover gravel and cobble berms. Note: Many locations are susceptible to flooding during spring tides.