The Northwest corner of the panhandle of Alaska contains one of the jewels of the National Park system: Glacier Bay National Park. At over three million acres it makes up a large section of Southeast Alaska.
We had a wonderful chance to explore the west arm of the park, starting at its entrance right through to the northernmost extent of the waterway in the park which is very close to the Canadian border. There are several tidewater glaciers that spill into the fjords and the ice that is generated quickly melts due to the warmth of the ocean waters entering the park.
One of the first areas we visited was South Marble Island. This low island is home to many seabirds, eagles, and Steller sea lions. These large pinnipeds made many roaring sounds and barked at each other as we passed. We also spotted everyone’s favorite seabird – the puffin! There are two types here in the park, the tufted and the more uncommon horned. We had great views of both species from the bow as they swam along the shoreline.
Later we traveled further north and caught a glimpse of two brown bears along the shore. We then ventured on to the meeting place of two glaciers; the Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers. One is white and the other is dark and full of rock debris. There were moments of calving ice before we ventured south. We had a quick look at Johns Hopkins Glacier and Lamplugh Glacier before we ventured back down to Glacier Bay National Park for a quick walk through the forest.
