Valerie Glacier is formed by several tributary glaciers that merge and flow southeast for about 14 miles (22.5 km) to join the Hubbard Glacier and terminate in Disenchantment Bay, about 154 miles (248 km) northwest of Haines and 33 miles (53 km) north-northeast of Yakutat, Alaska. The glacier tributaries originate from the south flank of Mount Vancouver in the Saint Elias Mountains of the Icefield Ranges. Disenchantment Bay extends northeast for about 10 miles (16 km) from the head of Yakutat Bay to Gilbert Point at the entrance of Russell Fjord. Valerie Glacier is named after Valerie F. Wood, an assistant on the scientific team of Project Snow Cornice of the Arctic Institute of North America and daughter of glaciologist Walter A. Wood. Mount Vancouver, with a summit at 15,787 feet (4,812 m), straddles the United States-Canada border. Its south flank lies in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, while the north flank is in Kluane National Park and Reserve. The area’s geology is marked by the Southern Margin composite terrane, comprising the Chugach and Prince William terranes. The towering peaks of the Saint Elias Mountains are part of the Chugach terrane and are composed largely of metamorphosed rocks from the Valdez Group. These rocks were accreted to the western edge of the North American continent during the Late Cretaceous, about 67 million years ago. The Valdez Group in this area consists of metamorphic amphibolite, gneiss, and schist, with granitic plutons forming the highest peaks. The Fairweather Fault aligns roughly with the northwest-southeast axis of Valerie Glacier, separating the Chugach terrane to the north from the Yakutat terrane to the south. The Yakutat terrane is made up of Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks with minor oceanic volcanic rocks. It arrived at the western margin of the North American plate about 26 million years ago and continues to actively accrete to the continental margin.

Valerie Glacier forms the westernmost 2 miles (3.2 km) of the massive tidewater terminus of Hubbard Glacier, the largest non-polar tidewater glacier in the world, covering 605,408 acres (245,000 ha). Hubbard Glacier descends over 75 miles (120 km) from the flanks of Mount Logan in Yukon, Canada, to sea level in Disenchantment Bay, Alaska. The calving face ranges from 200 to 330 feet (60 to 100 m) high and spans about 7 miles (11.5 km) wide. Moraines at the entrance to Yakutat Bay indicate the glacier filled the entire bay as recently as 1100 AD. Water depths over these moraines average 50 feet (15 m) and reach no deeper than 100 feet (30 m). The terminus began retreating by 1380 AD, and by 1792, Captain George Vancouver documented it well inside Disenchantment Bay. Since being first mapped in 1895 by the International Boundary Commission, the glacier has advanced over 1.6 miles (2.5 km), contrasting with the regional trend of glacial retreat in Alaska and Canada over the past century. The Hubbard and Valerie Glaciers exhibit flow characteristics that contradict regional trends, seemingly independent of climate. Hubbard Glacier has a history of blocking the seaward entrance to Russell Fjord, which has a large freshwater catchment area, leading to the formation of a glacier-dammed lake. Twice recently, the glacier has temporarily blocked the entrance, and on both occasions, the dam failed catastrophically. In 1986, ice and an emergent push moraine appeared at the glacier terminus, stopping calving and damming the entrance. At that time, Valerie Glacier surged at a recorded velocity of 120 feet (36 m) per day near its junction with Hubbard Glacier. In June 2002, an ice and push moraine dam again closed the entrance to Russell Fjord. Heavy rain caused the fjord to overtop the moraine dam, resulting in rapid erosion and a subsequent outburst flood. The potential for a sustained closure of Russell Fjord concerns Yakutat residents, as it may affect the flow of the Situk River, an important fishery and economic resource.

The Arctic Institute of North America was established in the final stages of World War II and was chartered by an act of the Canadian Parliament in 1945. In 1948, Walter A. Wood became director of the New York office and launched Project Snow Cornice, a glaciological study of the upper Seward Glacier in the Icefields Range. Although the field site was in Yukon, the project’s logistic base was in Yakutat, Alaska. The high-altitude base camp was a Jamesway hut on a nunatak on the upper Seward Glacier, just west of the north face of Mount Vancouver. Satellite field camps were set up for photogrammetric survey stations and glaciological, seismological, meteorological, and botanical studies. Project Snow Cornice encompassed field seasons in 1948, 1949, 1950 (winter), and 1951. Several successful mountaineering first ascents were recorded, including Mount Vancouver, Mount Hubbard, and Mount Alverstone. Wood was part of the climbing team and reached the summits of Mount Hubbard and Mount Alverstone. A ski-wheel-equipped Norseman aircraft, piloted by James M. King, supported the field operation, flying about 90 miles (145 km) from Yakutat to a landing strip on the Seward Glacier at an elevation of about 5,900 feet (1,800 m). In 1948, during a landing on the Seward Glacier, a Norseman aircraft overturned due to snow conditions, fortunately causing no serious injuries to the occupants. However, the overturned aircraft, with broken wing struts and a severely bent propeller, posed a significant problem as no other aircraft was available for rescue. Ingeniously, the team used ropes and dug a pit under the bent propeller to right the aircraft without further damage. King repaired the struts by reinforcing them with lumber and used jacks against two-by-fours to straighten the propeller. Five days later, King piloted the Norseman back to Yakutat for permanent repairs. In 1951, Project Snow Cornice ended tragically when the aircraft carrying Wood’s wife, Foresta, his daughter, Valerie, and the pilot vanished en route from the glacier camp to Yakutat. Despite an intensive search by the US Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and other official and private groups, including Wood, no trace of the aircraft was found. Read more here and here. Explore more of Valerie Glacier and Disenchantment Bay here: