Rhône Glacier

Rhône Glacier
German: Rhonegletscher, French: Glacier du Rhône, Italian: ghiacciaio del Rodano
View towards the Tieralplistock
Rhône Glacier
Rhône Glacier
Rhône Glacier
TypeValley glacier
LocationFurka Pass, Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates46°34.32′N 8°22.58′E / 46.57200°N 8.37633°E / 46.57200; 8.37633
Area17.60 km2 (6.80 sq mi) (1973)
Length9.09 km (5.65 mi) (1879), 8.00 km (4.97 mi) (1973), 7.65 km (4.75 mi) (2016)
Highest elevation3,630 m (11,910 ft)
Lowest elevation2,200 m (7,200 ft)
TerminusRotten (local name for Rhône) above Gletsch
StatusRetreating

The Rhône Glacier (German: Rhonegletscher, Walliser German: Rottengletscher, French: glacier du Rhône, Italian: ghiacciaio del Rodano) is a glacier in the Swiss Alps and the source of the river Rhône and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the Swiss canton of Valais. While the glacier is accessible via the Furka Pass road, it can only be visited between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox (roughly 120 days a year).