Russell Glacier

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Russell Glacier is a Scenic Lookout in Greenland

Russell Glacier is an outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Qeqqata Kommunia region of western Greenland, reached by a rough track from the settlement of Kangerlussuaq. It is one of the most accessible points where visitors can stand at the very edge of the ice sheet, walking right up to a wall of ice that rises tens of metres above the barren, wind-scoured foreland. The glacier calves periodically into the meltwater river below, and in summer the surrounding tundra fills with muskoxen, reindeer and Arctic wildflowers. Most people visit on a half-day tour from Kangerlussuaq, a former US air base whose long gravel road makes the glacier one of the easiest to reach in all of Greenland. Sitting at around 67°N just above the Arctic Circle, Kangerlussuaq has some of the most stable and cloud-free weather in the region, giving it a reputation as one of the best places in Greenland to see the Northern Lights. On clear autumn and winter nights the near-total absence of light pollution over the ice and tundra offers an excellent chance of catching the aurora dancing above the glacier.

Where to find Russell Glacier?

67°0'28"N, 50°42'9"W

Aurora hunting in Kangerlussuaq?

The aurora season here runs from September to April, with the best chances of seeing the Northern Lights in September, October, February and March. With minimal light pollution, Russell Glacier could offer a dramatic backdrop for aurora viewing.

Other places to try near Russell Glacier