Truly Visit Glacier Bay National Park

Discover the beauty of Glacier Bay National Park, not to be confused with Glacier National Park

I have spent time in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and always feel so relaxed here. Most visitors come by cruise ship and never step into the park. There are no throngs of people trying to see the elusive animal or crowds near the “have to see” vistas. I can just walk the path and breathe in the salt scented air.

Glacier Bay National Park is a World Heritage Site, and it is huge. It spans over three million acres stretching from the Fairweather Mountain Range to the water. Avid backpackers will helicopter into the more remote sites. Most visitors see just a few glaciers when visiting the park. There are over 1,000.

While an Alaska cruise is a wonderful way to see Glacier Bay, there is much more to experience.

Glacier Bay National Park is the one park where I can see moose, bear, puffins, sea lions and calving glaciers in one location. Most people only experience the park when cruising Alaska and only see a small picture of what the park has to offer.

Glacier Bay National Park is Wonderful for Hikers

Glacier Bay National Park is the perfect place for those of us who like to take day hikes or backpack in the wilderness. There are 1-to-6-mile round trip hikes that start at the main building of the lodge.

The Forest Loop trail is a one-mile round trip hike that will take you down to the beach. At low tide you might find sea stars, anemones and sea urchins. Other trails will take you to the Bartlett River and Bartlett Lake where you might find moose along with small animals and a variety of migrating birds.

There is also a natural trail along an intertidal strip of land where you might see seals and sea lions bobbing in the water. None of the trails are maintained other than the Forest Loop trail so wear sturdy shoes.

Tufted Puffin

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve All Day Tour

One of my favorite highlights of visiting Glacier Bay is their full day tour. This is a catamaran tour of a good portion of the bay. The boat slowly travels up Glacier Bay and stops for lunch while overlooking Margorie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. We’ve observed several glacier calvings while eating caribou stew.

When on this tour, I saw rookeries filled with Tufted Puffins, Kittiwakes and Oystercatchers with their skinny red legs. The catamaran can get close enough to the rookeries so that you could use your phone to take pictures of the birds. Of course, the seals and sea lions will bob their heads up to see what is going on. On occasion, an orca will pop up and spy on you.

I cannot describe to you how I felt when seeing brown bears at the water’s edge. You don’t realize how large they really are until you see one close up. I was thankful I was on a boat 50 feet from shore.

The Lodge in Glacier Bay

The Lodge in Glacier Bay is rustic compared to lodges in other national parks. The main building has a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a small gift shop and meeting hall for ranger talks upstairs. You take a wooden walkway to your cabin tucked in the woods. And you never know what you will see on that short walk. Imagine my surprise when I walked to the lodge for coffee one morning and was joined by a porcupine. He just escorted me to the lodge and apparently didn’t need coffee to wake him up.

Glacier Bay Sea Lions

Practical Matters and More for Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

As with all National Parks, there are ranger talks throughout the day and some evenings. Topics can range from the Huna Tlingit who lived in the area many years ago to the plants and animals you can see. You will find the Huna Healing Totem Pole and a skeleton of a humpback whale near the main lodge.

Glacier Bay has a maritime climate which means the temperatures are much cooler than other parts of Alaska. One year, my husband and I visited Fairbanks with temperatures in the mid 90’s and then experienced a high in the low 50’s in Glacier Bay. It is wetter in Glacier Bay because of the maritime climate. It can be sunny, rainy and misty within the same day. Bring rain gear if you are visiting and hope to do some day hiking.

Getting There

You can only get to Glacier Bay by boat or by plane. Alaska Airlines has smaller planes that fly from Anchorage or Juneau to Gustavus. There is complementary transportation to the lodge at Glacier Bay National Park. You can also catch the ferry from Juneau to Hoonah (Gustavus) on certain days of the week. If there are no rooms at the Lodge in Glacier Bay, there are many lodging options in and around the small town of Gustavus. These range from cabins in the woods to small inns and resorts. Since it is less than 10 miles to the park, you can rent a car for a day to go hiking in the park or take the Catamaran Day Tour. Gustavus is a very small town, but it does have a few shops and restaurants.

Even though it is a bit harder to get to Glacier Bay National Park, it is one I strongly urge people to visit. Especially those who love to spend time outdoors. After talking about Glacier National Park, I am ready to book my vacation for next year. I wonder if they still have caribou stew on their All Day tour?