Leave it to the Captain and other Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, AK Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: One way to see Glacier Bay without lifting a paddle or paying an exorbitant fee is to take the park's concessionaire catamarans, such as the Baranov Wind, part of a small fleet authorized to tour the park. Sojourners can pay the present fee of $159.50 for roughly eight hours of exploration throughout much of the west arm, but obeying tight schedules, the catamarans have little leisure to remain in one area for long. Depending on circumstances, a single half-hour is usually allotted to only one of the tidewater glaciers, with shorter stops during the tour to view the available wildlife. Lunch and snacks are provided with the tour price, and hot chocolate and coffee are complimentary. For nominal prices, snacks and candies are also available.

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Phone: (907) 697-2230
Website: http://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Several outfitters around Gustavus have kayaks for rent, both single and double boats upwards of 17' in length. For about $35 a day, the sportier types can paddle around Bartlett Cove, or if time permits can paddle along every littoral in the entire park. For those who wish to be dropped off in the park, the park concessionaires like the Baranov Wind will drop "east arm" boaters at either Sebree Island or Mt Wright, or "west arm" boaters at Rendu Inlet or Blue Mouse Cove. The cost for such a dropoff is $189.50 presently, but this cost includes a tour of the west arm or whatever remains of that circuit if you were picked up in the west arm. Warning: Some firms will not rent to solo kayakers under any circumstance. Check on the outfitter's policy at the outset.

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Phone: (907) 697-3007 (Sea Otter Kayak)
Website: www.glacierbayseakayaks.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: If you choose a kayak for your exploration, be aware that kayaks have limited storage space. A backpack will probably not fit into the hold. Instead, your contents will have to be pushed into dry bags and then stuffed individually into the kayak. The outfitter will provide a sponge, a bilge pump, an extra pair of paddles, a flotation device (for outrigger purposes in case of an emergency), a life vest and a tide table. Glacier Bay National Park requires the use of bear-resistant food canisters (available at the ranger information office at Bartlett Cove). These hard-sided containers take precedence over softer materials that might be stuffed around it. Food for a week, a tent and sleeping bag and some other items are about all one can stuff into his kayak.

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Phone: (907) 697-3007 (Sea Otter Kayak)
Website: www.glacierbayseakayaks.com

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Bush pilots can serve the plutocrats of Glacier Bay by dropping them off into areas where even the kayaks can't venture. Flights can originate anywhere from Gustavus or Juneau or any of the other towns within an hour's flight from the park. The outer coves and the deep interior are generally never accessed by those starting from the Gulf of Alaska or Bartlett Cove, but those who wish to visit this way are obliged to pay the price.

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'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Several of the larger cruise lines offer package tours that visit the tidewater glaciers and inland bays of southeast Alaska. For Glacier Bay, the national park service permits only two cruise ships per day. Like other vessels, the cruise ships remain a safe distance from the large tidewater glaciers, normally a quarter-mile. The one disadvantage is scheduling. Cruise ships might enter Glacier Bay when the skies are purpling with rainclouds, which robs the visitor or tourist of flexibility.

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Website: www.carnival.com or www.hollandamerica.com