Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a must-see for any cruise ship making its way north through Southeast Alaska, thanks to its towering mountains, ice-sculpted fjords, rich marine life, and, most of all, gigantic tidewater glaciers.
The scenery of Glacier Bay National Park, which features tidewater glaciers, crystal water, mountains, and species like whales, harbor seals, otters, and brown bears, has earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One perk of taking a cruise through a national park is that cruise lines are required to have a park ranger onboard when in park waters, so passengers can take advantage of the rangers’ wealth of local knowledge. As you cruise through Glacier Bay, local park rangers will provide brief talks and answer questions about the area’s environment through the ship’s PA system.
Glacier Bay National Park is a gem of Alaska’s Inside Passage and a component of a 25-million-acre international protected area, making it one of the world’s largest. Rocky mountains, dramatic glaciers, temperate rainforests, untamed coastlines, and deep sheltering fjords are all part of the park. Glacier Bay, with its vast landscape spanning from the ocean to the mountains, is a boundless source of both adventure and creativity.
Over 90% of the park’s visitors arrive aboard cruise ships, which swoop and sway through the huge bay without ever docking. Others stop in Gustavus, the park’s administrative center, or Bartlett Cove on their way to other destinations. Tourists can choose from many exciting outdoor activities and adventures in the area around Gustavus and in Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska.
The park’s 10 miles of maintained trails are limited to Bartlett Cove. But Glacier Bay is a fantastic option for folks who are comfortable in the water but are not necessarily kayakers. Paddlers, whether on their own or as part of a guided trip, can experience some of the best kayaking in the world by being dropped off in the bay’s well-protected arms and inlets, where they can paddle past glaciers and camp along the beach.
The best whale viewing and environmental tours in the world will impress nature lovers, and world-class sportfishing charters and possibilities will astound fishermen. The sole hotel in the park is Glacier Bay Lodge, which may be found tucked away among the spruce trees along Bartlett Cove.
A rare opportunity to observe glacial ebb and flow can be found in Glacier Bay’s marine wilderness. The present-day glaciers at Glacier Bay National Park are relics from the Little Ice Age, the most recent of the park’s four glacial eras, which began around 4,000 years ago.
The southern half of Glacier Bay National Park is mostly covered by a temperate rainforest. The moderate, moist environment that has evolved along the shore over the past 200–300 years has made it suitable for a wide variety of plant life. Aged forests have a canopy of taller trees that casts shade on the ground below. Western hemlock thrives in the increasingly acidic and boggy soil.
