Glacier Bay National Park Alaska
is located in the southeastern section of Alaska. Encompassing
over 3 million acres of land, Glacier Bay National Park
Alaska is sometimes referred to as the Crown Jewel of
the National Park system. The park gets its name from
the surrounding bay area, which harbors some of the world's
most spectacular tidewater glaciers. The snow-capped mountain
ranges of Glacier Bay National Park Alaska rise over 5,000
feet above the coastal beaches. There's also excellent
wildlife viewing at the park, which includes a variety
of land mammals, seabirds and marine life. The Glacier
Bay begins to the north off Icy Strait. It continues for
over 60 miles through the mountains, and then terminates
in the bare rock and glacial ice. The center of Glacier
Bay National Park Alaska was once hidden under a vast
ice sheet. Then, in the late 18th century, European explorers
began to chart the adjacent waters. Eighty-five years
later, the American naturalist and writer John Muir would
discover that the glaciers had receded more than 30 miles.
The oral history of the native Tlingit tribe has established that this bay had once been ice-free. At the time, it was home to the Huna people who had inhabited the between periodic glacial advances that occurred over thousands of years. Given that the Glacier Bay and National Park offer enormous opportunities for scientific study, in 1925, it was given National Monument status.
Marine waters make up nearly one fifth of the Glacier Bay and National Park. Considering that no point of land in the park is any more than 30 miles away from the coast, terrestrial and marine life are closely interrelated. Over 200 species of fish swim in the Glacier Bay and National Park waters. These include all of the Pacific salmon species. Additionally, Dungeness, king and Tanner crab along with clams, scallops and shrimp have been harvested in the region for many centuries.
The Glacier Bay National Park Lodge offers overnight accommodations, a restaurant, and gift shop and fuel sales. Additionally, the Glacier Bay National Park Lodge features a daily vessel tour to the park's magnificent tidewater glaciers. The Glacier Bay National Park Lodge is located in Gustavus on Bartlett Cove. Inside the lodge, you will find a main building that has a sitting area with fireplace. The Lodge has tourist class accommodations, a gift shop, and restaurant and park interpretive center. To reach the lodge, cruise along the shoreline and view the twelve tidewater glaciers, which are still active.
