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Reid Glacier in August 2016. Photo by Pi3.124 –

Top 10 Facts about the Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a large natural area in southeastern Alaska, U.S., on the Gulf of Alaska, west of Juneau. 

On February 26, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the area around Glacier Bay a national monument under the Antiquities Act and a preserve in 1980.

It was also designated as a World Heritage site in1992.  The designation as a UNESCO Site was because of its spectacular and amazing glacier and ice field landscapes. Furthermore, it is significant because of the grizzly bear caribou and Dall sheep habitat. 

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter 1978 gave the go-ahead for the expansion of the monument. This was done by the Alaskan National Interest Lands Conservation Act which expanded the National Monument by 523,000 acres. On December 2, 1980, they created Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

At the time, the monument contained less than half the area of the present park. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act elevated the monument to national park status. Additionally, they also extended the park boundary northwest to the Alsek River and Dry Bay.

Here are the top 10  facts about Glacier Bay National Park.

1. A lot of explorers visited the site because of its amazing glaciers

Efforts for protecting Glacier Bay were made by John Muir and other conservationists. In 1925 President Calvin Coolidge signed a proclamation creating Glacier Bay National Monument.

John Muir visited Glacier Bay in 1879 before the establishment of Yosemite National Park. He visited the park because he wanted to learn more about glaciers and the formation of glaciated landscapes.

Muir documented his travel in the book travels in Alaska promoting Glacier Bay.  

George Vancouver later visited the region in 1794 the explorers are believed to have seen the Glacier Bay at its peak.

Russians were also fascinated with the area in 1880 and also the Americans were drawn to the area because of the Gold Rush.

Alaska game managers came under heavy criticism in the 1920s for a perceived lack of interest in protecting Alaskan brown bears.

2. Minerals were once found in lakes formed by the glacier

Close view of Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Photo byvonlohmann –

 A lot of minerals were found in the deposits such minerals including copper and nickel ore under the Brady ice field.

 In 1936, The “emergency” bill was opened that permitted mineral exploitation in the monument.  This had been confined to small prospects until this time. It was later changed by Montana senator Lee Metcalf proposed that mining be stopped at the monument and several other parks.

However, the final bill contained a number of significant exemptions, and the Newmont claim has never been resolved, although no mining activity has been proposed since the 1970s.

3. The park extends to Canada

The park and preserve occupy the northernmost section of the southern-eastern  Alaska coastline between the Gulf of Alaska and Canada.  

At the Canada–US border, the park approaches within 15 miles of the ocean in the St Elias mountains. While at Mount Fairweather, the park’s tallest peak is at 15,300 feet. It then transitions to the Fairweather range from there southwards.

The Brady Ice field caps the Fairweather Range on a peninsula extending from the ocean to Glacier Bay, which extends from the icy strait to the Canada–US border at the grand pacific glacier, cutting off the western part of the park.

4. There are no roads leading to the park but access is via a ferry or by air 

Tourists get a close view of Margerie Glacier. Photo by Nvvchar –

 Almost all the visitors who come to the park arrive on cruise ships.no roads lead to the park but they can also be reached by air travel.

Visitors to the park are offered boat rides on smaller boats that offer excursion trips to more distant park features.

 Despite the lack of roads, the park received an average of about 470,000 recreational visitors annually from 2007 to 2016, with 520,171 visitors in 2016.

Most of the visitors arrive via cruise ships. The number of ships that may arrive each day is limited by regulation.

Other travellers come on white-water rafting trips, putting in on the Tatshenshini River at Dalton post in the Yukon territory. 

5. The park has six climatic zones

According to the Koppen climate classification system, Glacier Bay National Park has six climatic zones: Subarctic With Cool Summers and Year Around Rainfall (Dfc), Subpolar Oceanic (Cfc), Temperate Oceanic (Cfb), Humid Continental Mild Summer Wet All Year (Dfb), Humid Continental Dry Cool Summer (Dsb), and Warm Summer Mediterranean (Csb).

6 . The Park is named for its abundant tidewater and terrestrial glaciers, numbering 1,045 in total

The Muir Glacier in 1994. Glacier Bay National Park. Photo by LCGS Russ –

There are seven tidewater glaciers in the park: Margerie Glacier, Grand Pacific glacier, McBride glacier Lamplugh, glacier Johns Hopkins glacier, Gilman glacier and Laperouse glacier. 

In the 1990s, the Muir glacier receded to the point that it was no longer a tidewater glacier.  The advance and recession of the park’s glaciers have been extensively documented since La Perouse visited the bay in 1786.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, “In general, tidewater and terrestrial glaciers in the Park have been thinning and slowly receding over the last several decades.” Some glaciers continue to advance, including the John Hopkins Glacier and glaciers in Lituya Bay.

 7. Over the years there has been a great glacial retreat caused by changes in weather

More than 200 years ago, Glacier bay was covered by the grand pacific glacier which covered more than 4000 feet.

Since then the ice has been retreating and now the global warming that took place over the years thus has taken its present form.

As the original glacier diminished in size, it left 20 separate glaciers, of which 11 are tidewater glaciers that calve into the bay. In the process of calving, blocks of ice up to 200 feet (61 metres) high break loose and fall into the water with tremendous force.

 The Johns Hopkins Glacier, for example, cannot be approached any nearer than about 2 miles by sea. This is because of the volume of the ice blocks that break loose from their cliffs. Most visitors to the park come by cruise ship and thus view the glaciers from the water.

8. A lot of different animals are found in the Glacier Bay

A black bear yearling in Glacier Bay Park. Photo by TheEntropist –

The wildlife in glacier bay national park is very unique from brown and black bear species, timber wolf, coyote, moose, black-tailed deer, arctic red fox species, porcupine, marmot, Dall sheep, beaver, Canadian lynx, two species of otter mink wolverine and mountain goat.

Birds that are found in the park include the bald eagle,  golden eagle, five species of woodpecker, two species of hummingbird, raven, four species of falcon, six species of hawk, osprey and ten species of fowl.

There are also marine mammal species that visitors can see at the park they include sea otter harbour, seal stellar, sea lion, Pacific white-sided dolphin, orca minke whale and humpback whale.

The park also has a dramatic range of plant life, the vegetation around the park was very unique.

9. Hunting and trapping sports-wise is allowed in the park

The visitors who come to the park are allowed to do a lot of activities. Some of them are hunting and trapping. One is required to license and permit and follows all other state regulations. 

Typically hunted species in the preserve include black bears, mountain goats wolves wolverine snowshoe hare ptarmigans waterfowls, and a number of furbearers. There is one big game hunting guide authorized through concession contracts to operate within Glacier Bay National Preserve.

Three lodges and one outfitter can provide transportation and services for fishing and hunting small game and waterfowl.

Sportfishing is another activity popular in the park.  Halibut are frequently valued by deep-sea fishers and in rivers and lakes.

Dolly Varden and rainbow trout provide sport. An Alaskan sport fishing license is required for all nonresidents 16 and older, and residents 16–59, to fish in Alaska’s fresh and salt waters.

10. It was once used by the army during World War II as a logistics base

A Research ship of NOAA in the Glacier Bay. Photo sourced from

The park was used during the war as a logistics base. They were transferring material from barges transiting the inside passage to seagoing vessels logging the area for pilings to be used in piers.

Though the base that was set up was never used the army built an airfield in an area called Gustavus which offered a flat terrain and good weather.