Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve guide · 1 min read
Cruise Ships and Rangers Aboard
Most visitors to Glacier Bay see it from a large cruise ship, a custom that has held for more than a century.
Passengers do not go ashore inside the park, and no ship ties up at a dock within its boundaries. A typical day on the water lasts nine to ten hours and often includes a stop beside a major tidewater glacier. Usually two ships a day head up the West Arm and spend four hours or more among the glaciers.
National Park Service rangers climb aboard for the day to act as guides. Along the route they describe the scenery, the human history of the area and the wildlife, field questions, and give special talks. They also lead Junior Ranger activities for children. Every ship sets up an information desk, generally in a main lounge, and visitors can drop by. Your ship's daily program shows where the desk is located.
The bay opens off Alaska's Inside Passage and carries boats all the way to the tidewater glaciers that draw most people. From the deck, passengers can watch the glaciers calve, as blocks of ice snap loose and tumble into the water. Along the way, watchers may spot brown bears, sea otters, humpback whales, or a range of seabirds.
Johns Hopkins Glacier and Inlet is one of the glacier areas seen from the water. A broad sheet of ice spreads across a valley flanked by steep mountains. Rangers also ride on tour boats in the bay, so smaller vessels offer the same kind of narrated commentary. Whichever way you travel, keep an eye on the ice, the shoreline, and the animals living along it.
