The Nigardsbreen is one of the most visited glaciers of the entire Jostedal Glacier. It is easily accessible, and for more than twenty years experienced guides have offered hikes on the ice.

All of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier is protected, through establishing the Jostedalsbreen National Park in 1991, and earlier the Nigardsbreen Nature Reserve.

The glacier is not static, it runs downhill like a river in slow-motion. The amount of snow surplus from year to year on the ice cap decides the speed of the downhill movement. But due to melting, the movement does not make the glacier grow constantly. The balance between speed and melting decides if it actually grows or shrinks.

Since the 1980s the Nigardsbreen glacier has grown significantly, but after 2003 the growth has been limited. The coming years we expect the glacier to withdraw, but not nearly as much as other glacier arms of the main Jostedalsbreen glacier, due to the fact that Nigardsbreen is long and massive, and reacts slowly to climate changes.