Our National Symbol and other Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, AK General Tips

Favorite Thing: Bald eagles are ubiquitous over Glacier Bay, though they seldom perch in an area where a photograph is possible. From the heights of the spruce around the Bartlett River to the overcast reaches of the upper Bay, our national symbol is an effortless glider and majestic wing, albeit with a few shortcomings. He tends to scavenge or steal what he can't catch himself, and his squawking croak complains rather than commands. Nonetheless, his numbers are returning to healthy levels, and scarce a day would pass in the park without some glimpse of his magnificent span.


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Favorite Thing: In order to preserve the vast expanses of Glacier Bay in their pristine state, the park jealously guards the number of motorized vessels allowed within its waters. Two cruise ships, three tour boats (including park concessionaires like the Baranov Wind) and thirty private vessels are the daily maximum allowed into Glacier Bay. Due to their unobtrusive nature, the park permits unlimited kayaking, but the number of kayakers in the east and west arms per diem is probably measured only by the handful.

Fondest Memory: Given the gloomy weather that accompanies most visits to the Bay, the kayak-concessionaire option gives you the flexibility to choose when you'll be picked up, so that you can time your tour of the west arm with the sunniest weather. The concessionaire however, unlike the cruise ships, has limited time to attend to the tidewater glaciers, but unlike the big commercial lines can stop on a dime for wildlife. The drawback for the cruise ships is not only the expense, but that the time of entry into Glacier Bay is not based on the weather, but rather on a scheduled appearance. The cruise lines approach the great tidewaters no closer than the concessionaire, but unlike the latter have the leisure to stop for entire half-hours before all the major glaciers.

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Favorite Thing: The docks at Glacier Bay are not extensive. The limited berths are used by the park concessionaires, a handful of national park vessels, and the rest are taken up by private craft, both large and small. From this simple platform however, a sunny day and a low tide will reveal starfish and crabs on the pilings. A view to the south might encounter a moose, while a glance to the north will survey the Bartlett River, where more moose and the park's black bears tend to congregate. Throughout the view of the Bay from Bartlett Cove, the humpbacks will ply the surf usually at the other side under the shade of the spruce.

Fondest Memory: You need not move far from the docks to witness much of the park's wildlife!

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Favorite Thing: For those venturing solo or in small groups into the upper bays, both the west and east arms have several good beaches at which to rest or haul up your kayak. Certain sections of both are strictly cliffs against the water's edge, so extra hiking or paddling will sometimes be involved to reach the next available cove or landfall. Fresh water is a common occurrence. Both hikers and kayakers will hear evidence of the hundreds of glacial runoffs from the mountains into the outer bays, so there is no worry in obtaining fresh water.


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Favorite Thing: Tides in Glacier Bay fluctuate as much as 25 feet in a single day. Campers and kayakers who nonchalantly leave something important five feet from the water's edge might likely watch the parcel drift away with the tide in fewer than ten minutes. Kayaks should be hauled in with special care . . . your only means of locomotion is useless if it leaves on the tide without you. Planning a kayaking trip into the bays demands close attention to the tide charts. Otherwise, even the strongest paddlers will become wearied in fighting the wind and tides.


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Favorite Thing: In this latitude the sun does set on Glacier Bay. A grave dimness will strike the forest floor by 11:00 p.m. in the height of summer and grow progressively darker until 3:00 a.m. when the "dawn" begins to brighten the horizon. Flashlights are seldom necessary in Alaskan summers, but darkness does occur. Depending on the weather and the state of the clouds, the skies might darken earlier and remain dark later than the times given.


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Favorite Thing: On sunny days the great Fairweather Range dominates the skyline at Glacier Bay. Mt Fairweather at 15,300 ft is the highest peak in the park and is fairly complemented by a handful of other snow-capped crests near the Canadian border some 70 miles northwest of Bartlett Cove. On clear days the range can be seen from roughly two-thirds of the Bay, barring the enclosure of the east arm. Just another part of the park where the snow never melts, the Fairweather Range lends its name to the park's visitor's guide.


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Favorite Thing: Like most of the national parks in Alaska, Glacier Bay has precious few developed trails. One of the better known, and one of the most overdone, is the Forest Loop Trail in front of the Glacier Bay Lodge. The trail runs for about a mile through some of the marshiest areas of the park, and the better portion of the trail is elevated boardwalk. Moose and very occasionally a black bear can be spotted from its railings.


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Favorite Thing: Some of the unnamed islands in the lower bay are better known to the aquatic and bird life of the park. Travel to some of these and the named islands is restricted for this purpose, so check with park personnel before treading on the islands. Wildlife on many of the islets is so predictable that you can anticipate what species you will encounter long before you arrive.


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Favorite Thing: Glacier Bay has about a dozen tidewater glaciers (where the glacier meets the brine of the Bay). These phenomena generally are the first attractions of the cruise ships that enter Glacier Bay daily, and for individual kayakers are often the pinnacle of their visit (no pun intended). The former tidewaters of the east arm are accessible only by kayak or extensive hiking (easier to reach by the former), while the park's tour boats and cruise ships visit the west arm, which holds the lion's share of the park's tidewater collection.


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