Bear Glacier - Stewart, British Columbia, Canada
N 56° 06.365 W 129° 40.135
9V E 458395 N 6218087
Bear Glacier is visible from BC Highway 37A approximately halfway between the Meziadin Junction and Stewart. Bear Glacier flows down from the Cambria Icefield and ends in tiny Strohn Lake, right next to the road where there's a pullover.
Waymark Code: WMHQDC
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/04/2013
Views: 8
"Bear Glacier is a destination for travellers heading north on Highway 37. Just a short side trip on Highway 37A towards Stewart, the Bear Glacier descends towards Strohn Lake, down Bear River Pass.
Ice once filled all of Bear River Pass. In the 1940's, Bear Glacier began to retreat and Strohn Lake formed in the exposed basin. Acting as an ice dam, the glacier prevented the lake from draining down the Bear River Valley. If enough water collects behind an ice dam, a glacier may begin to float. Water flowing under the ice quickly creates a large tunnel. The lake empties, the ice dam resettles, and water again begins to collect until another flood is triggered. Five times between 1958 and 1962 Strohn Lake emptied underneath its ice dam in a catastrophic tumult of muddy water, rock and ice. This type of flood is known by the Icelandic term "jokulhlaup." In 1967, Bear Glacier melted away from the valley wall and Strohn Lake was no longer dammed. The threat of sudden destructive icy floods in the Bear River Valley disappeared with the glacier's retreat. Bear Glacier Park was designated as a Class A Provincial Park in 1998."
-- Source