admiralty island from the air
the wandering chick
...Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay National Park should be a must-see of any trip to Alaska, especially if one is visiting the southeast section - the Inside Passage. Travel to there is by air or boat only, usually from Juneau. The flight lands in the small town of Gustavus, where a shuttle transports travelers either to the Glacier Bay Lodge (for those staying overnight) or to the Bartlett Cove landing (for those arriving on the island only for the tour).

Glacier Bay National Park comprises 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways. It is one of the world's largest protected natural areas and is designated a World Heritage Site. In an effort to protect the area's pristine condition and to protect the many types of wildlife that live in and around the bay waters, traffic is minimized. Only a very few number of excursions are allowed into the bay per day. The National Park Service runs only one all-day excursion daily.

There are a handful of glaciers that can be viewed as you travel the bay 55 miles north from Bartlett Cove to Tarr Inlet, but the most exciting are Margerie (the final destination) and Lamplugh. We saw calving on both.

It's hard to describe the sensational mountain views as you travel the bay. We were fortunate to see Mount Fairweather peeking out, the highest of them all at 15,300 feet. Wildlife is abundant, but we weren't as fortunate to see anything close up except for sea lions and puffins. However, from a distance, we saw humpbacks, mountain goats and moose. Oh! And a bear that was so far away I didn't even try to get a photo.

The pictures on this page represent a day's breathtaking journey up Glacier Bay.

A Natl Park Service tour
My travel partner and I tried to schedule a ferry ride from Juneau to Gustavus, but mechanical problems stopped the ferry from traveling on our planned day. We flew, which was nearly as exciting as the boat tour up Glacier Bay itself. Great views can be had flying over the 65-mile distance between Juneau and Gustavus. The remaining shots were taken from the plane.
an ice flow
It's coincidental that the color I chose several years ago when I first created my Web site turns out to be the near same color as the waters of Glacier Bay as seen in this photo.
seagull flying behind our boat
seagull flying behind our boat
This seagull was quite content flying along side our boat, soaring from side to side, and up and down with the air current. He kept up for a couple of minutes, perhaps long enough to realize he wasn't going to get any handouts.
mountain scene on glacier bay
mountain scene on glacier bay
Mile after mile of incredible mountain scenes such as this were ours for the viewing.
mountain scene on glacier bay
mountain scene on glacier bay
mountain scene on glacier bay
mountain scene on glacier bay
ice flow on glacier bay
waterfall cascading into glacier bay
cruise ship on water
This is the only other boat, a cruise ship, we saw on Glacier Bay the day we went.
cruise ship on glacier bay
puffin on glacier bay
puffin on glacier bay
mountain scene on glacier bay
I didn't get to see puffins on my last trip to Glcier Bay, so I was jumping with joy on seeing these.
holding a small ice flow
ice flow
One of the crew members netted a smaller iceflow from the waters for us to hold. It caught us by surprise when we were reminded that it was probably more than 200 years old!
I think I might see an image of a whale in this iceflow, but then it could just be wishful thinking. And is that a fish swimming above him?
Mount Fairweather
flock of birds flying low above water
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier calving
Margerie Glacier calving
Margerie Glacier calving
As we get further north on Glacier Bay, we see a rare sighting: that of Mount Fairweather, the highest peak in the Fairweather Range at 15,300 feet. Most often, she's covered in clouds.
Margerie Glacier calving
Finally, shortly before 11 a.m. we approach the fartherest point on our tour: Margerie Glacier. This glacier is 1 mile wide and 21 mles long. The next few shots, including the calving ones, are Margerie Glacier.
Margerie Glacier calving
What everyone wants to see: calving. Margerie Glacier lost a pretty big chunk that created waves when it hit the water.
on Glacier Bay
ice flows on the water
Johns Hopkins Glacier with Mounts Orville and Wilbur towering over. This is one of the few glaciers that is still advancing rather than receding.
a young moose with mom
whale tail
A young moose with Mom
If you look closely, you'll see an otter to the right of the whale's tail.
water scene
mountain and water scene
Another view of Mount Orville and Mount Wilbur, still s
view of mountains
now-capped.
completely snowed over mountain scene
A clear view of Mount Fairweather
mountain goats on mountainside
Lamplugh Glacaier
These mountain goats are not phased by passing ships, mainly because we're just too far away.
a calving glacier
Not certain, but I think this might be another calving at Margerie Glacier.
approaching Lamplugh glacier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
Lamplugh Glacaier
We also got to see some calving on Lamplugh Glacier, located in Johns Hopkins Inlet. Even being there, it's hard to get a grasp on how large these glacier faces are and how far behind the face they extend. Our boat was never closer than one-quarter mile from the face of a glacier.
our sailing ship, the Baranof Wind
Our journey up Glacier Bay was done on this boat, the Baranof Wind.
kayakers being dropped off
A courtesy of the National Park Service is to transport and drop kayakers who will be dry camping in the Tongass National Forest, of which Glacier Bay is a part. These guys were going to spend three nights in the wilderness.
humpback tale
cruise ship and fishing boat on water
We were witness to one more tale, but again, it was quite a distance away. Nonetheless, exciting to see.
Before getting deep into Glacier Bay, cruise ships and fishing boats are more common to see.
boats on Bartlett's Cove
forest trail
One gets to Glacier Bay either by plane or boat. If flying in, you land in Gustavus, whose name is larger than its size. From there, a shuttle transports you to Barlett's Cove, where the tour boat takes off. Those who boat in will dock at Bartlett Cove. Bartlett Cove is also the Glacier Bay Lodge location for those staying overnight. It's a nice, quiet setting nestled in among tall spruce trees. Enjoy charming, cozy rooms and a full-menu restaurant. There is a small visitor center on the grounds and a couple of scenic hikes. This photo and a few below were taken on the Forest Trail.
Forest Trail
Forest Trail
lupine on hike
Bartlett Cove with the Fairweather Range in the background
small plane transport to Gustavus
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
mountains scenes from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air
admiralty island from the air

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The previous location was Sitka

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As we flew over Juneau and neared our landing, we got wonderful glimpses of Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Icefield and the outskirts of the city itself.