Photos: Ice and snow conditions remain good for recreation on Portage Lake, but caution is warranted

Dozens of people on skis, fat-tire bikes and on foot made their way across Portage Lake to Portage Glacier on Tuesday as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees.

The snow atop the ice-covered lake was starting to soften, but a hard base meant that the roughly 6-mile round trip from the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center was attainable for many.

Portage Glacier is one of Southcentral Alaska’s most accessible glaciers, about an hour drive southeast of Anchorage, and it receives visitors year-round.

The lake and glacier are within Chugach National Forest, but the lake is not regularly patrolled by rangers and ice conditions are not monitored, so visitors should take care when venturing onto the lake, especially during the spring when conditions can change rapidly.

The glacier has receded about 3 miles over the past century but remains active and regularly calves, sending waves rippling across the ice, so caution is warranted when approaching the face.