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.
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Wrangell, Misty Fjords, Prince Rupert, Whale Channel, Alert Bay and Vancouver with Seabourn Cruise Line…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: October 5, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: October 12, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: October 6, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: October 19, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: September 29, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan & Victoria on board ms Eurodam Cruising from: Seattle, WA; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: September 28, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Koningsdam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day Alaska cruise to Queen Charlotte Sound, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Haines and Juneau on board Seabourn…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: September 22, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan & Victoria on board ms Eurodam Cruising from: Seattle, WA; Departure Date: September…
7-day Whales, Wildlife & Glaciers from Sitka to Juneau aboard Safari Endeavour Cruising from: Sitka, Alaska; Departure Date: September 21, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Koningsdam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Zaandam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Princess Cruises Cruising from: Vancouver, Canada; Departure Date: September 18,…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: September 15, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan & Vancouver on board Amsterdam Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan & Victoria on board ms Eurodam Cruising from: Seattle, WA; Departure Date: September…
7-day Alaska Northern Passages & Glacier Bay from Juneau to Sitka on board Safari Endeavour Cruising from: Juneau, Alaska; Departure…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Koningsdam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date:…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Whittier…
11-day cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Victoria with Princess Cruises Cruising from: San Francisco, California; Departure Date:…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Zaandam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: September 8, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan & Vancouver on board Amsterdam Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Collage Fjord & Whittier on board Nieuw Amsterdam Cruising from: Vancouver,…
7-day Alaska cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord and Whittier on board Princess Cruises Cruising from: Vancouver,…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan & Victoria on board ms Eurodam Cruising from: Seattle, WA; Departure Date: September…
7-day Whales, Wildlife & Glaciers from Sitka to Juneau aboard Safari Endeavour Cruising from: Sitka, Alaska; Departure Date: September 7, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Koningsdam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date:…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Zaandam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: September…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…
7-day cruise to Southeast Alaska's Islands, Icy Strait, Glacier Bay, Petersburg, Frederik Sound, Tracy Arm Fjord & Juneau with Lindblad…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan & Victoria on board ms Eurodam Cruising from: Seattle, WA; Departure Date: August…
7-day Alaska Northern Passages & Glacier Bay from Juneau to Sitka on board Safari Endeavour Cruising from: Juneau, Alaska; Departure…
7-day Alaska cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord and Whittier on board Princess Cruises Cruising from: Vancouver,…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date:…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Whittier…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Koningsdam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: August…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria with NCL Cruising from: Seattle, Washington; Departure Date: August 4, 2024;…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan & Vancouver on board Amsterdam Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…
7-day Alaska cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord, Petersburg, Frederik Sound, Icy Strait, Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska's Islands & Sitka on…
7-day cruise to Glacier Bay, Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Collage Fjord & Whittier on board Noordam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC;…
7-day cruise to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Princess Cruises Cruising from: Vancouver, Canada; Departure Date: August 6,…
7-day cruise to Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay & Ketchikan on board Zaandam Cruising from: Vancouver, BC; Departure Date: August…
7-day cruise to Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Vancouver with Princess Cruises Cruising from: Whittier (Anchorage); Departure…