Glacier Bay
A roadless bay of tidewater glaciers, rainforest and whales, reached only by air or sea
- Hours
- Open all year; services late May-Sept
- Entry
- Free entry
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 3.3 million acres
Glacier Bay Weather Now
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Glacier Bay is a 65-mile-long fjord system in Southeast Alaska that was almost completely covered by ice when Captain George Vancouver sailed past in 1794. Since then the glaciers have retreated faster than almost anywhere on Earth, and forests, wildlife and people have followed the ice up the bay. The area became a national monument in 1925, a national park and preserve in 1980, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is also the ancestral homeland of the Huna Tlingit.
Most visitors see the park from the deck of a cruise ship or the day boat, gliding past mountains that rise 15,000 feet from the sea to tidewater glaciers like Margerie. Others fly to Gustavus and stay at Bartlett Cove, where rainforest trails, kayaking and ranger programs fill the days. Humpback whales, sea otters and Steller sea lions are common in summer. The tide range at Bartlett Cove can reach more than 20 feet in six hours.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- June through August bring the long days, open lodge, daily boat tours and the best odds of seeing whales.
- How long to stay
- Plan two to three nights at Bartlett Cove, or one day if you visit by cruise ship.
- Getting there
- Fly to Juneau (JNU), then take the roughly 30-minute summer Alaska Airlines flight or a year-round small-plane flight to Gustavus (GST), about 10 miles from Bartlett Cove; the Alaska Marine Highway ferry also stops in Gustavus about twice a week in summer.
- Wildlife
- Look for humpback whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, brown and black bears, mountain goats, moose, puffins and bald eagles.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in Gustavus (opens in a new tab)Alaska
- Hotels in Juneau (opens in a new tab)Alaska
- Lodges inside the park (opens in a new tab)Official NPS list
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Glacier Bay
- Rain jacket and rain pantsSoutheast Alaska is temperate rainforest, and it rains often all summer.
- Waterproof rubber bootsLocals wear them on the beaches, tide flats and muddy trails around Bartlett Cove.
- BinocularsWhales, bears and mountain goats are often far off from the boat deck.
- Warm fleece and hatIt is cold and windy near the tidewater glaciers even in July.
- Bear sprayBrown and black bears roam the Bartlett Cove area and the backcountry.
A first day, start to finish
- Breakfast at Glacier Bay Lodge
- Forest Loop Trail
- Xunaa Shuká Hít tribal house
- Bartlett Cove beach and dock at low tide
- Evening ranger program in the lodge
Don't miss
- Margerie GlacierA tidewater glacier about a mile wide at the head of Tarr Inlet, roughly 65 miles up-bay, where ice regularly calves into the water.
- Glacier Bay day boat tourAn eight-hour narrated trip from Bartlett Cove up the West Arm to the tidewater glaciers, with a ranger aboard and lunch included.
- Xunaa Shuká Hít (Huna Tribal House)A clan house in Bartlett Cove, opened in 2016, that tells the story of the Huna Tlingit people whose homeland is Glacier Bay.
- Forest Loop TrailA 1-mile loop from the lodge through spruce and hemlock rainforest, on boardwalk and gravel, past ponds and the Bartlett Cove beach.
- Bartlett River TrailA roughly 4-mile round-trip walk through rainforest to the Bartlett River estuary, a good spot for bears, moose and waterfowl.
Know before you go
Do
- Book flights, the lodge and the day boat early, since Gustavus has limited space.
- Pack full rain gear and warm layers; Bartlett Cove gets rain often, even in July.
- Stop at the Visitor Information Station for permits and the required orientation before camping or boating.
Don't
- Expect services in the off-season; from mid-September to May the lodge, day boat and most programs are closed.
- Leave food or scented items in your tent; use the bear caches.
- Plan to drive in, because no road connects Gustavus to the rest of Alaska.
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, but the main visitor season runs from late May through early September and services are minimal the rest of the year. In 2026 Glacier Bay Lodge, which houses the visitor center, was open May 21 to September 8, and the daily tour boat ran May 22 to September 7. The Visitor Information Station at the Bartlett Cove dock handles permits and orientations.
Spend a night at Bartlett Cove before taking the day boat, so you can catch the 7:15 a.m. departure and an evening ranger program.Trekker's tip