Glacial outburst flood destroys 100 feet of Fish Creek bear platform near Hyder

A glacial outburst flood broke a dike and destroyed more than 100 feet of the viewing platform at the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site near Hyder, and the U.S. Forest Service has closed the bear- and salmon-viewing site while it assesses the damage.

The Tongass National Forest announced the closure on social media and said it is assessing damage and safety before any reopening. The site sits three miles north of Hyder, by road, in the Salmon River Valley, where the Forest Service operates it as a managed bear and salmon viewing facility.

The site's posted summer hours run 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific time from July 15 through September 5, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from September 6 through September 20. The Forest Service has not said when the site will reopen, and details on refunds and exact closure dates were not yet available.

Jökulhlaups are glacial outburst floods caused by the sudden release of water stored in or under glaciers, often from glacier-dammed lakes. Southeast Alaska has several locations where they recur.