Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

About Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

These diverse land and sea areas are closely intertwined and offer a unique and powerful place to discover and get to know. These include the snow-capped ranges of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the largest marine park in the world and the largest national park in North America.

This area is more than 30 miles from the coast, and almost a fifth of the park is made up of marine waters. Of course, the oceans are home to marine mammals, but the ocean's proximity to land means that the life of virtually all animals in Glacier Bay is tied to their own ecosystems.

In summer, humpback whales return to the bay from their winter quarters in Hawaii for foraging, while in winter they return from the Pacific Ocean to return to Glacier Bay to feed.

Other marine mammals such as sea lions, sea turtles and seals also feed in the area.

Steller's sea lions gather on rocky islands to mate and rest, and sea otters populate Glacier Bay and the park's waters in the Ice Road and Cross Sound. Thousands of seals breed and raise their young on the drifting ice, while humpback whales and other marine mammals go in search of food and prey.

Many land animals also use the marine environment for their foraging and travel; moose and bears, for example, are often seen as long-distance swimmers.

At low tide, bears work on the beaches, tipping rocks over and working the beach for food and shelter when the sun sets. Wolves and coyotes are also found on the shore, fighting their way through the Alden and the thicket. They wander along the edge of tall grasses and are pulled to the edge of the water, attracting the attention of other animals such as bears, elks, wolves and other wildlife.

The park is home to a healthy population of land mammals, but the sea is really the common element that connects all the fauna of the park.

Coyotes, elks and wolves have settled in the park but have only recently moved in. Goats and brown bears are quickly back on the glacier, as are a large number of other species such as sea lions, sea otters, seals, walruses, elks, wolves, coyotes, bears and more.

River otters are as common as martens, minks and weasels, while lynxes, snowshoe hares and beavers reach the coast from inland river corridors. Wolverines are rarely and rarely spotted, and black bears roam the wooded parts of the lower bay. The Huna (Tlingit), which hunts seals, walruses, sea lions and other marine mammals, live in the upper bay. Occasionally they were spotted as far south as Alaska.

The evidence of traditional activities includes the bark taken from trees for various purposes and the evidence of the use of fire as a cooking agent. Since 1916, studies of plant sequences have been conducted, and Dr. John Cooper, professor of biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, was instrumental in establishing this sanctuary. Here you can read about the many obstacles that hampered Dr. Cooper's intensive lobbying, but ultimately succeeded. Cooper also talks about what he has lost in his efforts to protect the newly created national monument.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is located west of Juneau, AK, and is accessible only by plane or boat. The only road connects the small town of Gustavus with Glacier Bay, the only access point to the park. There are so many glaciers in the area that it takes more than ten years for visitors to return to glacier Bay. In the late 1990s, GlacierBay's glaciers were so badly shaken that the burgeoning tourism industry almost died.

There is no connection to the Alaska Highway System, so many visitors from Anchorage, Alaska, arrive in Glacier Bay by boat or plane. During the summer season, Alaska Airlines offers direct flights from Juneau, AK to Gustavus, MN, the only airport in the park. Alaska Airline, a member of the US Air Force, also offers year-round scheduled flights to and from Gustavus.