Glacier Bay Basin

Glacier Bay: 3.3 Million Acres, Almost No Roads, One Small Lodge

When Captain George Vancouver sailed past Glacier Bay in 1794, the entire bay was covered by a single glacier 1,200 metres thick. By 1879, when John Muir visited, the ice had retreated 80 kilometres and the bay was open water. In the two and a half centuries since Vancouver’s chart was drawn, one of the most remarkable glacial retreats in recorded history has transformed a wall of ice into a 100-kilometre fjord system. The park is an active laboratory for studying ecological succession – what grows back, and in what order, when ice retreats – and visiting it is as much a lesson in geological time scales as in wildlife watching.

Glacier Bay National Park covers 3.3 million acres. It has 7km of road.

Getting There

Access is from Juneau, Alaska’s capital city. Alaska Airlines connects Juneau from Seattle, Anchorage, and other hubs. From Juneau, small aircraft (Alaska Seaplanes or Air Excursions) fly 40 minutes to Gustavus, the small community adjacent to the park, for around $80-130 one way. The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry connects Juneau to Gustavus on a limited schedule; check at ferryalaska.com. No roads connect Gustavus to any other community.

Alaska’s cruise season is busier than ever in 2026, with Princess Cruises alone making 88 visits to Glacier Bay. The park limits two large cruise ships per day to preserve the experience. If you are arriving on a cruise, you will see the bay from the ship; if you want more than that, fly to Gustavus and stay.

The Bay

Most independent visitors see the bay from the water. The National Park Service runs day boat tours from Bartlett Cove into the upper bay, including Margerie Glacier on the western arm – one of the most actively calving glaciers in the park – and Johns Hopkins Inlet, where humpback whale feeding concentrates in summer. The standard day tour is 8 hours and costs $200+ per adult. Book through the park concessionaire well in advance for peak season (June through August).

Sea kayaking from Bartlett Cove is the more demanding alternative. Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks rents equipment and runs guided trips. Paddling to the edge of Grand Pacific Glacier takes 3-5 days of camping; backcountry permits are required (free, from the Visitor Center) and genuine wilderness camping experience is necessary.

Wildlife

Humpback whales feed in the bay from May through September; sightings on the boat tour are near-guaranteed. Brown bears patrol the beaches. Mountain goats occupy cliff faces above the glacier basins. The bird life is substantial: kittiwakes, puffins, and murres nest on cliff faces in the upper bay, visible from the tour boats at close range. What makes Glacier Bay different from other Alaska wildlife destinations is the combination – the glaciers, the recovering forest, and the marine mammals all in one view.

Where to Stay

Glacier Bay Lodge in Bartlett Cove is the only lodge inside the park. Rooms run $200-280 per night in season and need booking months ahead. The lodge dining room is the only restaurant within the park; straightforward but well-executed, with salmon featured as it should be. Gustavus, 10 minutes away, has several bed-and-breakfasts and the Annie Mae Lodge at slightly lower rates.

Free camping at Bartlett Cove with a backcountry permit is an option; bear boxes and a wood supply are provided, and brown bear activity means food storage is strictly enforced.

The park is open to visitors mid-May through mid-September only. The outer coast receives up to 6,000mm of rain annually. That is six metres of rain. Pack accordingly.