Spencer Glacier and Placer River

Quick Facts:

• Drive time: 1 hour from Anchorage

• Mileage: 1.5 mile hike, ~12 mile float

• Activity: Packrafting

• Difficulty: Class II

• Estimated time: ~4-6 hours

This is a must do adventure from Anchorage! It starts at the Alaska Railroad Portage Depot where you can catch the early afternoon train to Spencer Glacier. Make sure to reserve your one-way ticket on the Glacier Discovery Train ahead of time for $59/person. The train takes less than 30 minutes to take you up to Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop. From the whistle stop, it’s about a 1.5 mile hike on a flat, gravel path to Spencer Lake. We saw several people with wagons, so I mean it when I say this is an easy hike.

After inflating our packrafts on the shore, we paddled through the icebergs to the other side of the lake to get a better view of the glacier. It was about 1.5 miles, which proved to be fairly difficult in a headwind. Be sure to not get too close to the glacier as it can dangerously calve. We paddled to the east side of the lake where the mouth of the Placer River begins.

The only rapid on this stretch of river is immediately at the start. It’s a class II pushy wave train with one easily avoidable hole. This can be scouted from the bridges on your hike up to the lake. After you pass below the second railway bridge, there is metal railroad debris in the middle of the river as the river makes a right bend. This can be incredibly dangerous, so be sure to set up early and avoid it as far away as possible as it spreads wider than it appears.

The rest of the river is pretty straightforward with occasional wood to be aware of. There are also a couple braided sections so be sure to choose the channels with more water. The last 7 miles of the river (below the Leubner Lake commercial takeout) is class I water and may require some active paddling if there’s any headwind or if you’re in a rush. The takeout is located on river left, and we previously stashed a bike here to do the 3 mile shuttle back to the railroad depot parking lot, which is along a pleasant paved bike path the whole way.