Palmer Glacier is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

on the south slopes of

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...

in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The glacier is situated at an elevation range of , and was named for

Joel Palmer General Joel Palmer (October 4, 1810 – June 9, 1881) was an American pioneer of the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Canada, and spent his early years in New York and Pennsylvania before serving ...

, an Oregon pioneer. Palmer Glacier is the most well-known of the twelve glaciers on the mountain, and is a popular destination for snow sport enthusiasts. Some of the lower part is within the Timberline ski area, and can be accessed by

Sno-Cat The Tucker Sno-Cat is a family of tracked vehicles for snow conditions, manufactured in Medford, Oregon by the company of the same name. Different models have been used for expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic during the second half of ...

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

, conditions permitting. The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

, and is the only location in North America that provides skiing and snowboarding all twelve months of the year. The glacier was considered a

snow field A snow field, snowfield or neve is an accumulation of permanent snow and ice, typically found above the snow line, normally in mountainous and glacial terrain. Glaciers originate in snowfields. The lower end of a glacier is usually free from s ...

until a Mazama committeeThe Mazamas committee consisted of Rodney L. Glisan, L. A. Nelson, Earl A. Marshall, Raymond Smith, Fred McNeil, Everett Philpoe, T. Raymond Conway, and Fred W. Stadter. investigated on October 19, 1924 and determined it was, in fact, a glacier and should be named on maps. For some time after that it was known as Salmon River Glacier as it is the headwaters of the Salmon River.

Silcox Hut The Silcox Hut is a small rustic mid-mountain lodge located at elevation on Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. It is approximately vertical above Timberline Lodge and roughly one mile distance directly up the mountain. Silcox Hut was built by ...

is a small lodge originally built as a warming hut for skiers and climbers, but is now available for group rental for events and rustic overnight accommodation. It is located near the base of the glacier, about vertically up from

Timberline Lodge Timberline Lodge is a mountain lodge on the south side of Mount Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon, about east of Portland. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during the ...

near the upper terminal of the

Magic Mile , The Magic Mile is an aerial chairlift at Timberline Lodge ski area, Mount Hood, Oregon, United States, U.S. It was named for its unique location above the tree line and for its original length. When constructed by Byron Riblet in 19 ...

ski lift. The glacier is bounded on the east by a ridge shared with White River Canyon (which contains White River Glacier) and on the west by

Zigzag Glacier Zigzag Glacier is an alpine glacier located on the upper southwest slopes of Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. It ranges in elevation from with fingers in canyons extending to about , and lies almost entirely within Mount Hood Wilderness. ...

and Zigzag Canyon, the source of the

Zigzag River The Zigzag River is a tributary, about long, of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Zigzag and one of its major tributaries, the Little Zigzag River, drain the Zigzag Glacier on Mount Hood, a high volcanic peak in the Cascade Ra ...

. The upper glacier narrows to a vertex near the base of ''Steel Cliff'', an area known as ''Triangle Moraine''. Below the glacier, its snowfield varies significantly seasonally, varying in length by almost . Mt Hood upper south slope - Crater Rock 1

Mt Hood upper south slope - Crater Rock 1

During the summer ski season (approximately May through September), the upper half of the ''Palmer Chairlift'' terrain is divided into lanes. Lanes nearest the lift are open to the public, while the others are allocated to ski and snowboard camps, ski coaches and other organizations. Between late summer and the first snowfalls of autumn, the glacier is generally unusable for skiing.

Notes

References

Glaciers of Mount Hood Glaciers of Clackamas County, Oregon Mount Hood National Forest Glaciers of Oregon {{ClackamasCountyOR-geo-stub

See also

Notes

References