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Top 10 Interesting Facts About Glacier Bay National Park

The Glacier Bay National Park is a national park located in Alaska’s panhandle, which is between Canada and the Gulf of Alaska. The closest city to the national park is Juneau, which is Alaska’s capital city. The national park features beautiful temperate forests, some of the most iconic glaciers in the world, various protected species, and thundering mountains.

A Scottish mountaineer, John Muir, is credited to be the one who discovered the park when he first went to the bay in 1879, guided by Tlingit guides. The Tlingit were the local people who inhabited the lower part of the national park. Tourists started venturing into Glacier Bay National Park in the 1880s

1. The national park is larger than the state of Connecticut.

The Glacier Bay National Park covers 3,223,384 acres of land. This is more than the whole United States of Connecticut. Despite its big size, the national park covers only 1% of Alaska. 27% of the large tract of land is covered by the glaciers, which translates to 2055 square miles.

Additionally, there are 1045 glaciers spread throughout the national park from the last time it was counted. Out of the numerous glaciers, seven of them are tidewater glaciers. Tidewater glaciers are glaciers that flow all the way to the ocean.

2. It is adjacent to the Fairweather Range.

Glacier Bay National Park is adjacent to the Fairweather range. The range is the highest point in British Colombia as it stands at 15,226 feet. Therefore, tourists can experience the diverse ecosystem of the national park and the rugged mountains.

The mountain range is also unique in that at the peak of the mountain, the United States- Canadian border runs through it and therefore making it a significant historical landmark.

3. Glacier Bay National Park has over 40 different species of mammals

The variety of habitats found in Glacier Bay National Park allows different species of animals to inhabit the area and makes it unparalleled in terms of the diversity of wildlife. Some of the mammals living in the icy landscape are considered to be endangered species, like the bald eagle and marbled murrelet.

Among the mammals found in the region is the humpback whale which is the largest animal in the glacier. The mammal grows up to 16metres in length and also weighs approximately 35 tons. The humpback whales are on the list of endangered animals found in the national park.

4. The national park was declared a national monument in 1925.

Glacier Bay National Park was declared a monument by America’s president Calvin Coolidge. This was due to the passing of the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act. The United Nations  made the national park a designated UNESCO world heritage site. By making it a world heritage, it joined the list of other sites like Elias National Park, Kluane National Park, and Wrangell-St to make up 24.3 million acres of protected ecosystems.

5. The region experiences major earthquakes.

Over the past 150 years, there have been five major earthquakes in the Glacier Bay National Park region. The area was inhabited by locals known as the Huna Tlingit, but an earthquake resulted in a glacial surge, which forced the people inhabiting the area to leave their homes.

6. 90% of tourists visiting the glacier use cruise ships

There is no direct road going from Alaska’s capital, Juneau, to Glacier Bay National Park. Therefore, visitors have to use cruises in order to go and experience the rich ecosystem and landscape that the region is known for. The area is largely forested, and where the cruise cannot move past due to narrow rivers, visitors have an option of getting to their destination using small boats and also seeing particular features the national park has to offer.

7. Outdoor activities

There is a range of outdoor activities that visitors can engage in while in Glacier Bay National Park. Camping is allowed in the park, which is ideal for tourists who want to experience being in the wilderness and close to the different species of animals found in the park.

Birdwatching, fishing, and kayaking are other activities that people can enjoy while in the park to ensure that they get a holistic experience. As Fairweather is adjacent to the national park, tourists can do some mountaineering. The activity will be a new experience as the range has a steep elevation from 0 feet at the glacier bay to 15,226 feet at the peak of the mountain.

8. The glacier water.

The color of the glacier water found in Glacier Bay National Park is blue. This phenomenon happens when snow falls on top of the water and becomes part of the glacier. The crystals then spread because of the suppressed ice bubble and thus making the ice color blue.

The blue ice makes a beautiful and scenic site the tourists enjoy. Additionally, sunlight hitting the tightly packed ice crystals is another reason why the glacier has its blue color.

9. William Cooper was responsible for the national park’s preservation.

A botanist known as William Cooper was at the forefront of fighting for the preservation of Glacier Bay National Park. His goal was to make the park a place where people could go sightseeing as well as do research on the phenomenon. The botanist first went to the park in 1916 to do research on plant succession and later returned in1921. During his second visit, he rose in ranks and was a known member of the Ecological Society of America. The purpose of his visit was to advocate for the protection of the Glacier Bay National Park.

10. It has more than 300 species of plants.

The park is comprised of five big land ecosystems, which include coastal forests, glaciers, meadows, alpine tundra, and wet tundra. The diverse ecosystems allow for the growth of different species of plants, and because the park is protected, it ensures that there is no destruction of the plant life.