Glacier Bay
Following visits to Katmai and Kenai Fjords National Parks, Glacier Bay was my third and final stop on my 12 day Alaska trip. Nestled right along the Canadian border in southeast Alaska, Glacier Bay protects historic fjords, tidewater glaciers and the towering peaks of the Fairweather Range. Even though the park hosts upwards of 1 million visitors annually, the vast majority arrive via cruise ship and only scratch the surface of the park.
Served by tiny Gustavus, a town of just 250 people with one flight to Juneau a day, less than 10% of the park's visitors come on the ground. With 3 nights booked at the Glacier Bay Inn, I planned to go off the beaten path and spend time in the depths of Glacier Bay. After arriving in Juneau the night before, I took the 12 minute (yes I timed it) flight to Gustavus before boarding hotel sponsored transportation into the National Park. My time in Glacier Bay was highlighted by two trips: A park cruise through the fjords towards the park’s tidewater glaciers and an unforgettable RIB boat whale watching tour through the nearby Icy Straits.
Fjord Cruise
The main activity for my first day was a Glacier Bay Lodge operated trip through the fjords of Glacier Bay. Departing from Bartlett Cove (where the hotel, visitor center, and main dock is), the vessel takes a few hours maneuvering down the roughly 50 mile length of Glacier Bay before choosing to visit one of the two main tidewater glaciers in the park. The boat then takes a leisurely trip back to Bartlett Cove after approximately 8 hours at sea.
The first view of the journey was while boating past South Marble Island. Known for its colony of sea lions, South Marble Island is an excellent place to search for wildlife– even from a boat. Sure enough, when we passed by the island was covered in sea lions. With over 100 visible sea lions, the island is sure to catch your attention. South Marble Island is also excellent for nature photography. Situated behind the island are towering peaks from the edge of the Fairweather Range and in front of the island are the crystal blue waters of Glacier Bay. Moreover, the golden yellow rocks on the island are sure to stand out in an otherwise blue heavy composition. Lucky for me, a sea lion was perched right at the top of the island, posing as a great focus point while I took rapid fire pictures.
A sea lion colony posing nicely on South Marble Island creates some of the nicest views in the entire National Park!
After passing South Marble Island, the ship continued down Glacier Bay with excellent views along the way. At this point, I learned which of the two main glaciers our trip would be visiting– Johns Hopkins Glacier. Though smaller than Grand Pacific Glacier, Johns Hopkins Glacier offers better views with 10,000+ ft mountains surrounding the glacier. The first turn into the Johns Hopkins Inlet offers the first view of the tidewater glacier. Icebergs dot the inlet and the 10,495 foot Mount Orville dominates the background for great landscape photography opportunities. The boat continued 10 miles to the front of the glacier. Once the engines turned off and the boat was stopped, everyone flooded to the edges of the boat to hopefully watch glacier calving– when chunks of a glacier break off. About 10 minutes in, the glacier crumbled. Though not a full iceberg, a few tons of ice slipped into the inlet causing a large wave and ice clouds.
Whale Watching
The ‘Icy Straits’ separating Chichagof Island and the southeast Alaska mainland is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. With some of the best spots in the strait located just south of Glacier Bay and Gustavus, a RIB boat whale tour is a must for anyone visiting the area by land. My goal on the tour was to photograph a breaching whale– when a humpback whale jumps out of the water. Although scientists aren't positive about why whales breach, they believe conveying emotions and asserting dominance are main factors. The TAZ, my tour operator, boasts one of the best ‘breach rates’ in the area with about 75% of tours witnessing the feat.
My tour began at 10:00am and, after a quick safety briefing, we boarded the boat and drove full speed into the Straits. Only 30 minutes into our journey and we were already tracking a pair of humpback whales. Here's how whale timing works: typically, humpback whales will first hover around the surface for air and then dive down (this is where you can see their tail). About 10-15 minutes after the dive, a whale will typically return to the surface either via a breach or by stopping at the surface. Clearly, finding breaching whales is a matter of luck, patience and persistence. 10 minutes after the pair of whales dove down I was on ‘high breach’ alert, where I placed my camera into rapid fire settings and was ready for a breach. Just after that, the whale breached but I was not fast enough and was only able to capture the final moments. Nonetheless, watching the feat was incredible. The boat then moved onto another recently spotted whale. After waiting the 10 minutes from the initial dive, I repeated my process and waited for the breach. This time, the whale breached in my direction and I captured my best whale photos yet! Just near the end of the 3.5 hour tour we saw another whale breach and then we headed back into the dock. My Icy strait whale watching trip was one of my top wildlife encounters.
Glacier Bay is one of the best balances between calmness and adventure in the National Park System. By visiting on land, I was able to explore largely untouched sections of the park and avoid massive cruise ship crowds. The calm boat tour was a great way to dive deep into the park and see what it had to offer! On the adventure side, the whale watching was truly unforgettable and easily one of my top trips in the National Park System (though slightly outside the boundary of Glacier Bay). Following my trip to Glacier Bay, I took a sequence of 4 flights to get back to New York and came with tons of photos and stories to share.