Glacier Bay, Alaska – After four days in Juneau, we flew with Daddio and the twin-agers to Gustavus to visit Glacier Bay National Park. Here’s how it went down with the teens in Alaska, Glacier Bay edition.
Glacier Bay Lodge
We opted to stay at the on-site Glacier Bay Lodge, in Bartlett Cove, as it is the hub for most of the region’s activities, including hiking, kayaking, and cruises through the national park. Normally, I would prefer to stay in town and be more independent. But in this case–considering the short stay and the limited attractions in town–we made an exception.
The downside is that there is nothing in the vicinity of the lodge, aside from a few hiking trails, a boat dock and a Tlingit clan house. The only place for meals is the rather expensive on-site restaurant. The lodge’s common space is pleasant–with overstuffed couches around a blazing fire–but it is always crowded, as it’s there is no cell service or wifi in the guest rooms. The twins took to walking around the grounds, which made me nervous at night. (And they did have a run-in with a porcupine!)
The lodge provides free transportation to the airport and to the ferry dock, but not into town. That said, there are not a lot of reasons to go into town. Gustavus has one restaurant and one cafe, a historic gas station, and the sweet (and tiny) family-run Strawberry Point History Museum. It may be worth a trip on a rainy day, but otherwise Gustavus itself is not a big draw.
Glacier Bay Day Boat
This is the big draw. Spectacular tidewater glaciers and snow-capped mountains set the scene for a fantastic day on board the Glacier Bay Day Boat. The high-speed catamaran makes the 65-mile journey from the lodge at Bartlett Cove to the north end of Glacier Bay, showing off incredible scenery and resident animals along the way.
The excursion offers dramatic views of the high peaks of the Fairweather Range, home to some of the world’s highest coastal mountains, including Mt Fairweather (15,266ft). At the northwest end of the bay, Margerie Glacier is a stunning and iconic tidewater glacier that stretches nearly a mile wide and towers some 250ft above the waterline. Growlers and bergy bits (mini ice bergs) float in the cerulean water.
The scenery is otherworldly and impressive, but the thrill of this cruise was the incredible wildlife sightings. We saw brown bears, harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters, breaching humpbacks, orcas, mountain goats and puffins!
Anyone who read the Last Stand of the Raven Clan knows that the Russians and Americans decimated the sea otter population in Alaska in the 19th century. An international treaty prohibited commercial hunting starting in 1911, so numbers have improved. They are still pretty rare… except in Glacier Bay, where there are thousands floating around. This was a first for us, and a real highlight, considering the otters’ starring role in our book.
On the way back to Bartlett Cove, the twin-agers were sworn in as Junior Rangers. (To be clear, there were minimal requirements.)
Ranger: Does anybody have any questions?
S: Does this badge mean we can arrest people?
Glacier Bay Sea Kayak
Sea kayak is a popular way to explore Glacier Bay National Park, considering the lack of roads or hiking trails. In fact, our day boat picked up a group of paddlers who had just completed ten days of camping and kayaking in the wilds of the park. Sounds amazing.
However, we skipped the camping, opting for a one-day kayak outing around Bartlett Cove. It was a rainy day and we did not see many animals from our kayaks, aside from the plethora of water birds. But it was fun to explore the cove. We were completely decked out in rain gear, so nobody got wet. And personally, I was grateful for the opportunity to move my body, before getting on the boat the next day.
Bonus Day
We were scheduled to fly out on day three, but then the clouds rolled in. It rained steadily all day long, canceling the morning hike we had planned. I went into town to check out the museum, while the twin-agers sat around the lodge and watched TikTok. (Glacier Bay Lodge really needs a rec room with games and a ping-pong table and cozy indoor entertainment. This seems like a no-brainer in a place that gets 250 days of rain a year.)
As it turned out, our hike was not the only thing canceled that day. Every single flight in and out of the Gustavus was also canceled, including ours. I spent the evening rebooking three different sets of flights, since the twins, Daddio, and I all had different bookings and itineraries. As you can imagine, the lodge common area was packed with people, all trying to rebook their flights. It wasn’t pretty.
But we figured it out. (We dropped a chunk of change on a new flight for Daddio, but we figured it out.) And the next day the sun came out, so we were able to go on that hike after all.
