ALASKA CRUISES
Carnival Cruises
Princess Cruises
Norwegian Cruises
ALASKA CITIES
Anchorage
Fairbanks
Juneau
Ketchikan
Nome
Seward
Sitka
NATIONAL PARKS
Aniakchak Preserve
Bering Preserve
Denali Park
Glacier Bay Park
Katmai Park
Kenai Fjords
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Wrangell-Saint Elias
|
Glacier Bay National Park
When
was the last time you saw an ice-cube that was larger than life?
Well, you can see this and more when you come and visit Glacier Bay
National Park.
Glacier Bay National Park is located in the southeastern part of Alaska, established
1925, re-designated as a national park in 1980. The park, located in the
Saint Elias Mountains on Glacier Bay, is noted for its great tidewater
glaciers and lofty peaks, the highest of which is Mount Fairweather
which is 15,299 ft high.
Among the park’s glaciers, which rise 200 ft above the water’s edge, is
Muir Glacier. The park is important for scientific research on the
formation and movement of glaciers and on the conditions existing after
glacial retreat. The landscape ranges from rocky ice-swept terrain to
lush forests of spruce and hemlock. Wildlife includes the black and
brown bear, mountain goat, seal, sea lion, whale, puffin, eagle, and
cormorant.
The park has snow-capped mountain ranges rising to over 15,000 feet,
coastal beaches with protected coves, deep fjords, tidewater glaciers,
coastal and estuarine waters, and freshwater lakes. These diverse land
and seascapes host a mosaic of plant communities ranging from pioneer
species in areas recently exposed by receding glaciers, to climax
communities in older coastal and alpine ecosystems. Diverse habitats
support a variety of marine and terrestrial wildlife, with opportunities
for viewing and research that allow us to learn more about the natural
world.
The marine wilderness of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve provides
opportunities for adventure, a living laboratory for observing the ebb
and flow of glaciers, and a chance to study life as it returns in the
wake of retreating ice. Amidst majestic scenery, Glacier Bay offers us
now, and for all time, a connection to a powerful and wild landscape.
Muir Glacier, large glacier, southeastern Alaska. It is named for the
American explorer and naturalist John Muir, who sighted it in 1879. The
ice stream flows down the slopes of Mount Fairweather and enters Glacier
Bay as a palisade of ice nearly two miles long and from 135 to 210 ft
high. It forms a barrier across the head of the bay and reaches 760 ft
below sea level.
Travel Information for the Park Includes:
Operating Hours and Facilities:
The park is open year round. The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor
Center is open from mid-May to mid-September with the peak month being
July. Services in winter are extremely limited.
Getting There:
PLANE - Year-around air service is available to Gustavus from Juneau and
neighboring communities via small planes. These air-taxi companies are
common in Alaska. Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service between
Juneau and Gustavus during the summer.
CAR - There are no roads to Glacier Bay and no Alaska Marine Highway
service. The only road in the park runs 10 miles between Bartlett Cove
and the neighboring community of Gustavus.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - A passenger ferry operates between Juneau and
Gustavus/Bartlett Cove on a limited schedule (2002 schedule: Sunday,
Monday, Wednesday & Friday trips). Tour boat, cruise ship and charter
boat services are available. Pleasure boats are welcome (a free permit
is required). Taxi or bus service is available between Gustavus and
Bartlett Cove.
Weather & Climate:
Glacier Bay is a rainy place. Bartlett Cove averages 75 inches of rain
per year, much of that in September and October. The rain, wind,
topography and tides all play a role in creating our exciting weather.
Long periods of rainy, cool, and overcast weather are common in
southeast Alaska. Summer daytime temperatures range from 45- 65F. A hat,
gloves, raingear and sturdy, waterproof footgear are recommended.
Accessibility:
The Glacier Bay Visitor Center located on the second level of the
Glacier Bay Lodge and the first portion of the Forest Loop Trail is
accessible to wheelchairs.
Getting Around:
The only road in the park runs 10 miles between Bartlett Cove and
Gustavus. Seven miles of trails wind along the beaches and through the
rainforest in the Bartlett Cove area. Glacier Bay National Park and
Preserve is most easily seen from a boat; the distance between Bartlett
Cove and the tidewater glaciers is 65 miles.
Fees and Permits:
Entrance Fee
Free!
There are no entrance or user fees for non-commercial visitors.
Permits
Camping Permit
Free! for 14 Days
Camping Permits are required for all camping in Glacier Bay Proper.
Private Boats
Free! for 7 Days
Boating permits are required for all recreational boating in Glacier Bay
Proper.
Camping:
Bartlett Cove
Open From 05/01/00 To 09/30/00
All campers are required to obtain a free permit and attend a camper
orientation which is given on demand at the Visitor Information Station
near the dock. Campers may check out a bear-resistant food canister at
this time (free of charge and required for most backcountry camping). A
free campground (14-day limit) with bear-resistant food caches,
firewood, and a warming hut, is located at Bartlett Cove. No
reservations are accepted, but a permit is required. Campground permits
are issued at the Visitor Information Station on a first-come,
first-served basis. If desired, campers may be dropped off in the
backcountry by the Park’s concession-operated tour boat.
Lodging:
Alsek River Lodge
Summer season
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay
National Preserve. The Alsek River Lodge is a small rustic lodge
primarily focusing on guided hunting, photography & sport fishing
activities and services. Access is by small plane.
Glacier Bay Lodge
Mid-May to mid-September
The Glacier Bay Lodge offers overnight accommodations, a restaurant,
gift shop and fuel sales (gasoline, #2 diesel, and white gas) as well as
a daily vessel tour to the park's spectacular tide-water glaciers.
Johnny's East River Lodge
Summer season
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay
National Preserve. Johnny's East River Lodge is a small wilderness lodge
focusing on sport fishing and wildlife viewing activities and services.
Access is by small plane.
Northern Lights Haven
Summer season
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay
National Preserve, Northern Lights Haven is a small rustic lodge
primarily focusing on sport fishing activities and services. Access is
by small plane.
Facilities:
Visitor Centers
CAMPER AND BOATER INFORMATION STATION
May through September 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location - Located at the foot of the public-use dock in Bartlett Cove.
Special Programs - The Visitor Information Station offers information,
permits and orientations for campers and recreational boaters in the
park. Maps and nautical charts are available here.
Visitor Center
Open daily from mid-May to mid-September Open 24 hours
Location - On the second floor of Glacier Bay Lodge in Bartlett Cove, 10
miles from Gustavus.
Special Programs - Daily throughout the summer, park rangers present
evening programs, show educational videos in the Visitor Center
auditorium and lead walks in the area. Park rangers also provide a
public address commentary, slide program and children's program on board
tour boats and cruise ships entering Glacier Bay. The Glacier Bay
Visitor Center is located on the second floor of the Glacier Bay Lodge
in Bartlett Cove. It has an information desk, an Alaska Natural History
Association book store, and an auditorium.
Exhibits - Exhibits that explore the park's natural and cultural history
are available in the Visitor Center.
Available Facilities - The Glacier Bay Lodge operates a daily tour boat
trip into the bay during the summer months. The Lodge also offers a
camper/kayaker drop-off service at designated locations in the bay.
Various large cruise ship and tour boat companies bring visitors into
the park. Guided kayak adventures and kayak rentals are available. There
are guided kayak, backpacking, and raft trips down the Alsek River. In
Glacier Bay National Preserve hunting and fishing guides are available.
For more information and a list of companies providing visitor services
to Glacier Bay see Planning Your Visit.
Alaska National Parks
To experience the beauty
of Alaska, we have included a few of the Alaska National Parks
which you may wish to visit.
|
|