Franz Josef Glacier Experience (2023)

FAQs

Franz Josef Glacier Experience? ›

The Franz Josef Glacier is one of the most popular tourist attractions in New Zealand, and it's not difficult to see why. The glacier is an amazing natural wonder, surrounded by breathtaking natural scenery. Visiting the glacier is precisely the kind of awe-inspiring experience that people travel to New Zealand for.

The Franz Josef Glacier is one of the most popular tourist attractions in New Zealand, and it's not difficult to see why. The glacier is an amazing natural wonder, surrounded by breathtaking natural scenery. Visiting the glacier is precisely the kind of awe-inspiring experience that people travel to New Zealand for.

Even when it is teeming with rain, the Glacier Valley is still a place of isolation, wonderment and awe. Anyone with sensible shoes and a basic level of fitness can complete the round trip in 1 hour 30 minutes.

Fox Glacier has a gradual incline whereas Franz Josef is steeper. The surface of Franz Josef Glacier is full of crevasses and ice caves, where you have a much better chance of seeing the famous blue ice.

You can take the self-guided walk to the viewing area. But if you want feet to touch ice, you need to go with one of operators that run guided tours to Franz Josef Glacier. The only safe way to get up yourself onto the glacier is to fly, in the company of experienced guides.

The main attraction in Glacier National Park is the Going-To-The-Sun Road. The Sun Road is 50 miles long from West Glacier on the West Side to Saint Mary on the East Side. The West Side encompasses 35 miles of this Road and will provide you with the more scenic and picturesque drive.

If you're hoping to do more hiking to reach areas of the park, Glacier is the best choice for you. You'll most likely encounter less people and have more opportunities for exploring the backcountry here too. On the other hand, if you want a wide variety of landscapes to explore, plan a trip to Yellowstone.

The walk to the glacier is an easy hike and is around 4 km (2.5 mi) return. The trail is considered a must-do on any South Island itinerary. The walk takes about 1.5 hours in total to complete depending on your speed and how long you spend looking at the glacier.

You cannot get on the glacier unless you do a guided heli-hike. The guided walks around the glacier will allow you to access private viewing points closer to the glaciers.

How long will it take? This is a 2.6km one-hour return walk. Drive south for 2km from Fox Glacier Weheka township, and turn left immediately before the Fox River bridge. From the car park at the end of the glacier access road, you will notice large mounds of moraine for the first 100 or so metres of the track.

Why is Fox Glacier special? ›

Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in the world, with a terminal face as low as 300 m above sea level, close to the village of Fox Glacier. It is a major tourist attraction and about 1000 people daily visit it during high tourist season.

Getting Here

Follow SH 73 from Christchurch through to Kumara Junction, turn left at Kumara Junction and follow SH 6 through to Franz Josef Glacier. The drive is very picturesque, a great opportunity to experience some of the most impressive landscapes in the region.

How Many Days Do You Need in Franz Josef? Generally, one day is enough. However, we recommend at least two or three days in Franz Josef to allow an extra day in case your helicopter tour is cancelled due to bad weather (which happens frequently).

Dressing with this in mind will ensure you have a great time on the glacier. We recommend 3-4 upper layers such as a light shirt, long sleeve fleece, and a wind-breaker. Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when wet. Track pants or long cotton pants are best.

A person should never walk on a glacier alone. The risk of slipping on the ice and sliding into an open crevasse, or of breaking through and falling into a hidden crevasse is too great.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is a highlight not to be missed during your Glacier visit. The Road spans 50 miles and crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. During your traverse you will see impressive glaciers, beautiful valleys, cascading waterfalls, towering mountains and colorful wildflowers.

In general, you'll want to steer clear of visiting during the winter season when there are fewer wildlife sightings and more limited accessibility (unless you're open to exploring on skis).

For most people, late June through mid-September is the best time to visit Glacier, because they want to drive the Going to the Sun Road, raft and fish the rivers, hike the trails, visit the backcountry Chalets, and explore several areas of the park, on both sides of the Continental Divide.

The east side of Glacier National Park is generally drier, cooler and windier than the rest of the park. The base elevation is higher and the valleys are wider. That makes for some epic scenery and outstanding adventuring. Here are some of our favorite spots on the east side.

Franz Josef is the steepest and fastest moving glacier in New Zealand. The steep form of the glacier creates the perfect conditions for ice flow. One impressive Franz Josef glacier fact is that this glacier has been recorded as moving up to 4 metres per day.

What is the danger walking on a glacier? ›

Glaciers can be dangerous for several reasons - due to ice falling from the front or side of the glacier, because of the danger of falling into a crevasse when travelling on the glacier or because of other hazards such as sudden glacier floods or ice avalanches. Take care when near the glacier front or on the glacier.

Jackson Glacier is the easiest glacier to see in the park and it is the 7th largest.

You can experience sun, rain and snow, all in the same trip. The temperatures in spring are around 4 °C (40 ℉) on the glacier, in summer they go up to 12 °C (54 ℉), autumn is similar to the spring season and in winter the temperature usually stays slightly below zero (32 ℉).

Franz Josef is one of the wetter regions of New Zealand, with slightly higher levels of rain expected all year round, with October in particular being the wettest month of the year.

Wildlife of Franz Josef Land

85% of the archipelago is covered in glaciers. Here you will find seals, harp being the most common, walrus (although their numbers reduced due to hunting they are now protected), polar bears and Arctic foxes.

Significantly smaller than the Fox Glacier, the Franz Josef Glacier is steeper and more susceptible to atmospheric conditions. As with Fox you can walk along the valley to the terminal face, or take a helicopter guided tour on the ice.

Franz Josef (officially Franz Josef / Waiau) is a small town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. Whataroa is 32 kilometres (20 mi) to the north-east, and the township of Fox Glacier is 23 kilometres (14 mi) to the south-west.

The access road to the iconic destination of Fox Glacier/Te Moeka o Tuawe in South Westland will be closed for the indefinite future after an engineering report commissioned by DOC and the New Zealand Transport Agency found it was no longer practical to re-establish road access into the valley.

By car. If you're driving, you can get to Fox Glacier Village on State Highway 6. Below are the average drive times from major destinations on the South Island.

While you can't walk up and touch it with your hand by yourself, there are guides available to take you safely up and onto the glaciers. Find accommodation, food and activities in Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.

What is the best way to see a Fox Glacier? ›

To see the glacier, you can head towards Lake Matheson on Cook Flat Road for magnificent views. You can arrange an ice-hiking adventure or booking a scenic flight. There are glow worm caves just a short walk from the town centre, which offers a good choice of cafes and restaurants.

Skydive, Kayak Tour & Accommodation Special For 2 People $499 Each. Take the jump with this 13,000ft skydive, 2 nights accommodation nestled amongst the Southern Alps close to Franz Josef Glacier and countless scenic spots & explore the West Coast's scenic Lake Mapourika via kayak!

The Patagonian ice dragon lives on glaciers and is believed to have natural anti-freeze in its blood. This rare creature is endangered because its habitat is melting away.

The glacier is five kilometres from the town of the same name, and a 1.5 hour walk will take you to within 750m of its terminal face. If you want to actually make contact with the glacier, take a heli-hike or a guided ice walk. Aerial sightseeing is another option.

Most glaciers move at an average speed of around 50 cm to one metre per day, Franz Josef Glacier has been known to move at up to 4 metres per day.

To reach Franz Josef Land requires you to fly to Longyearbyen – the most northern airport in the world that operates scheduled flights (quite the journey when travelling from Australia) and then sail for around two days before passing through a Russian checkpoint, after which you are finally ready to explore!

This world-renowned Glacier Heli Hike is not to be missed.

Your experience combines a short, exhilarating helicopter ride, jaw-dropping scenery and a two- and half-hour hike through the most spectacular glacier features.

Gillespies beach is a 40 minute drive away from Franz Josef, and very worth it! Definitely bring the sandfly repellent here, there are quite a few. You can have a stroll on the beach, enjoy the sunset or do one of the many walks around.

Walking the track

However, due to big landslides and the changing rate of melt and shape of Fox Glacier this track is closed indefinitely.

Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.

Is glacier walk worth it? ›

If you ask me, the answer to this question is a big fat yes. A glacier hike in Iceland is truly worth it. If you love hiking in beautiful nature, a glacier hike will give you a whole new twist on that activity. I've been told by a guide that glacier hikes in Iceland are unique.

Temperatures range from −0.03° C near the surface to −0.13° C at a depth of 105 m, with an estimated uncertainty of 0.02 or 0.03 deg. On the average the temperature is about 0.05 deg colder than the equilibrium temperature of ice and pure water.

Swimming in Glacier is not the same experience as swimming in a heated pool in your backyard. Swimming in Glacier usually means lowering yourself in the water for only a few minutes. The water is very cold. Being submerged in cold water for a long time is uncomfortable and can be extremely dangerous.

Glacier trail maps. If you want a single trail map that covers the entire park, the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map is probably your top choice. This is the best map for showing all of Glacier's trails, though it doesn't have mileages (so download the free backcountry trail map in the section below).

West Glacier, Montana is the most popular entrance to Glacier National Park. Its proximity and easy access to Glacier International Airport in Kalispell makes it the best place to start or end your trip.

The Franz Josef Glacier walk is the best way to view the Franz Josef Glacier without paying for a tour. The walk to the glacier is an easy hike and is around 4 km (2.5 mi) return. The trail is considered a must-do on any South Island itinerary.

Lake McDonald is one of the most famous photo spots in Glacier National Park, and it's for good reason. From the lake you can get gorgeous reflections, amazing sunrises and sunsets, and stunning mountain views.

Jackson Glacier is the easiest glacier to see in the park and it is the 7th largest.

The best time to visit Glacier National Park is late June to mid-September. All park lodges, visitor centers, campgrounds, roads, and hiking trails are open during the summer months. However, summer can be crowded. To avoid crowds, visit in early-to-mid September after Labor Day.

You'll also be near the Many Glacier area of the park. In fact, if you stay in West Glacier, it will take you over 2 hours one-way to get to Many Glacier! This makes staying on the east side of the park the best option if you are visiting the area solely for Glacier National Park.