What is the name of the glacier that is the source of the Rhône River?

The Rhône Glacier is the source of the Rhône River. It lies in the Swiss Alps, in the canton of Valais, near the Furka Pass and the village of Gletsch.

Meltwater from the glacier forms the young Rhône, which flows through the upper Valais before entering Lake Geneva. After leaving the lake at Geneva, the river continues through southeastern France, passes Lyon and Avignon, and reaches the Mediterranean Sea near the Camargue.

The surrounding Saint-Gotthard Massif is an important European watershed. Nearby glaciers and mountain passes also feed rivers such as the Rhine, Reuss and Ticino, which flow toward different seas. This is why the Rhône’s origin is sometimes confused with other Alpine glaciers, including the Aletsch Glacier, which contributes water to the Rhône system through the Massa River but is not the river’s named source.

The Rhône Glacier has retreated substantially since the nineteenth century. Its easy access from the Furka Pass has made it one of Switzerland’s most observed glaciers, and its shrinking ice has become a visible example of Alpine climate change.