Glacier Wars - 3 Days, 3 Glaciers

We made our way into Franz Josef around 4 pm but it was a beautiful day out so we decided to embark on the walk to the snout of Franz Josef to take a look at the most well known glacier. The walk was a quick one, only 5 km return, but there were multiple waterfalls along the way. We brought beers to enjoy at the snout of the glacier but it hardly seemed worth it in my opinion. 

The weather was quite perfect however from our vantage point, it was mostly disappointing. It seemed the feeling was mutual with the other viewers as well. Too bad, but I did hear that Fox was better and more accessible and we wouldn't give up that easy so the next morning we took off for Fox Glacier. The one saving grace was the beautiful but short walk in to see Franz Josef. There was a triple waterfall right near the path that if the weather was a little better I would have jumped right in (I even came prepared with my bathing suit on). 

It was a bit more of a walk to see the Fox Glacier but it was well worth the effort. 

The walk wasn't nearly as stunning as Franz Josef, go figure, so they both had something to offer up. 

On day three of the glacier wars we embarked on a much more difficult trek to the less famous Rob Roy Glacier. The trek was 12 km return and had plenty of uphill sections to get your heart rate going. The walk was incredibly beautiful and the scenery was constantly changing. 

Cows and Sheep All Around

View From the Swing Bridge

Mountain Views

Glacier Fed River

As we made our way to the Upper Lookout we passed a Lower Lookout. It was a great view, but trust me, you want to make the extra effort and head to the Upper Lookout. The scenery opened up at first to a 1000 foot waterfall. 

The waterfall held my gaze until I glanced to the right and was flat out wowed. The glacier was enormous and fed at least 15 waterfalls that I counted (obviously they were flowing into each other but there was 15 visible). 

We stayed up at the Upper Lookout for about an hour and had lunch. During that time we saw the glacier calve twice. The sound it made was thunderous!

The way down was fun and made for trail running. We took the fast way down. 

Overall, the glaciers will all be worth a view but if you are short on time, make a day for Rob Roy and pack yourself a nice lunch and maybe bring a beer to enjoy at the top. The view is enough of a reward though!