Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve guide · 2 min read
Bartlett Cove: The Park's Only Developed Hub
Bartlett Cove is the only developed area in Glacier Bay National Park, where most services and facilities are concentrated.
Most of the park is water and wilderness, which makes this developed area a base for exploring. It sits on the shore within a temperate rainforest, with mountains and open water in view from many spots.
Glacier Bay Lodge is also here, ten miles by road from the town of Gustavus. Guests can book rooms, eat at the restaurant, buy fuel, browse the gift shop, and join the daily tour boat. The lodge opened in 1966 and stands as a textbook case of the Mission 66 program, so its history is part of the visit.
The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center occupies the second floor of the lodge. Its exhibits trace the park's natural and cultural past, and the space also holds an information desk, a bookstore run by Alaska Geographic, and a quiet reading area. Rangers lead walks and programs, and some go aboard passing cruise ships and tour boats to answer passengers' questions.
The Visitor Information Station is close to the head of the public dock. Visitors come for trip planning help, boating and camping permits, and orientation sessions for backcountry trips, and they can meet a park ranger. The Bartlett Cove Campground sits near the public dock, the lodge, and the station, which is about a quarter mile from the sites. Campers get bear-proof food storage, a fire pit, and a small warming shelter, and they need a campground permit and an orientation session, both arranged at the station.
Visitors can hike several trails, rent kayaks, and stay at the walk-in campground. Park Headquarters is also based in the cove. Whales, harbor porpoises, sea otters, and moose are among the animals you may spot while exploring the shoreline.
