Ice Sheet Road

Located in western Greenland, the Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice. This world-class attraction is one of the most important landscape feature in the island. The Greenland ice sheet begins to the east of Kangerlussuaq and is a spectacular sight to behold.

Ice Sheet road
Ice Sheet road

A gravel road runs northeast from Kangerlussuaq, in the Qeqqata municipality, to the vast Greenland Ice Sheet. The road initially served as venue for car endurance experiments. Since then it has been mainly used for tourist purposes. The drive is 38.3 km long. The area is located under a spot known for strong auroral activity. In the late ’90s, the seemingly now-defunct car testing company Nausta decided to build this dirt road from Kanger to the ice sheet. Swedish company Skanska’s Greenlandic entity completed construction on the road in 2001. The ride is rather remote, so you need to be prepared. European car manufacturers like Volkswagen and Audi made plans to begin testing cars up on the ice, for they wanted to know how their cars would operate in near-freezing temperatures.

The journey offers an exhilarating driving experience, with superb views. An incredible journey, an unforgettable experience. Along the way you’ll see an old airplane wreckage from a USA military aircraft, a Lockheed T-33s. The road is fairly flat. This is definitely one road trip that you want to record with lots of photographs. Great views of some of the lakes edging the ice, with small icebergs floating in them. There are lots of viewpoints, official and unofficial. If you’re lucky you will spot some of the local wildlife like Reindeer, Musk Ox, Arctic Fox, and various types of birds. Be prepared for colder temperatures near the ice, as it can significantly decrease the temperature of the surrounding air, and set up a constant daytime "ice breeze" of cold air blowing from the glacier.