Muldrow Glacier, Denali Alaska Grade 2, 40-degree snow |
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Alaska, USA | ||
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Avg time to climb route: 10-14 days
Approach time: 2-6 days Descent time: 2 days Number of pitches: N/A Height of route: 18,200' from Wonder Lake Overview
The Muldrow Glacier is the largest and longest north side glacier, extending some 34 miles to its terminus that nearly reaches the Park Road. The Muldrow and Harper Glaciers are part of the same glacial system, separated by the enormous Harper Icefall. Historically, the Muldrow route is probably the most important in the Central Alaska Range. It was the first major route climbed in the range as well as the scene of many early attempts and tragedies. Due to its gentle nature and lack of technical difficulties, it is often reputed as being the “easiest” route up Denali, but that can be seriously misleading. The route is remote, the approach is long, the elevation gain is huge, and the glacier travel dangerous. There are far fewer people to route-find, break trail, and establish campsites. The Muldrow glacier itself is one of the world’s most dangerous glaciers. Intense crevassing and glacier movement combined with a lack of freeze-thaw conditions, make journeying up or down it a complicated and sometimes tedious task. In addition, the route involves serious objective danger where heavily broken icefalls force climbers to the glacier’s edge and underneath hanging glaciers. But this aside, the ascent is one of the grandest and most scenic in the range. A popular trip is to traverse the mountain either from or to the West Buttress route, providing a unique full-on Alaskan adventure.
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 An overview of the line. Photo: Paul Roderick
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