Ice meeting rainforest
Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers sit around 20 kilometres apart on the South Island's West Coast, each flowing down from the Southern Alps toward sea level far faster than most glaciers elsewhere in the world — a result of extremely high rainfall feeding their névé (accumulation zones) at the top. That speed is also why they descend so close to temperate rainforest, an unusual combination found in only a handful of places globally.
Two glaciers, two small towns
Each glacier has a small namesake township nearby — Franz Josef township and Fox Glacier village — both built almost entirely around glacier tourism, offering guided walks, heli-hikes onto the ice itself, and scenic flights over the wider Aoraki/Mount Cook and Southern Alps region.
Access changes over time
Both glaciers have retreated significantly over recent decades, and access routes and viewing points are adjusted periodically as the ice recedes and terrain changes — checking current access conditions locally before visiting is worth doing, since valley-floor walking access isn't always possible and a guided heli-hike may be the only way onto the ice itself at a given time.
The wider West Coast
The glaciers sit within a wider stretch of West Coast rainforest and coastline, one of the wettest parts of the South Island — the same weather systems that feed the glaciers also make this one of the greenest, most densely forested regions in the country.
Part of a South Island loop
Franz Josef and Fox are typically visited as part of a loop connecting Queenstown to Christchurch via the West Coast, rather than as a standalone destination — a scenic but time-consuming detour that rewards travellers with more than the minimum South Island trip length.