Trails in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

Hiking in Glacier Bay is intimate, quiet, and refreshingly unfussy. This is not a park with a sprawling trail network; it is a vast wilderness where a small handful of trails offers a direct, grounded way to experience the edge of one of Alaska’s grandest landscapes. Most hikes are clustered around Bartlett Cove, the park’s only developed area, and they lean easy to moderate, making Glacier Bay especially appealing for travelers who want a short walk through coastal forest, shoreline, and muskeg without committing to a full-scale backcountry expedition. There is also a difficult option for hikers looking for more challenge, but the overall experience here is less about racking up miles and more about stepping into a raw, glacially shaped environment that feels immense from the very first footstep. The standout walks are the Bartlett River Trail and the Forest Loop Trail, both excellent introductions to the park’s temperate rainforest and wildlife-rich lowlands. These easier routes deliver exactly what Glacier Bay does best: dense spruce and hemlock forest, tidal scenery, birdlife, and the real possibility of spotting bears or moose in the distance. For hikers wanting a bit more effort, the park’s moderate trail options add a stronger sense of immersion while still staying accessible to most active visitors. The difficult trail is there for those who want a more rugged outing, but even the shortest hikes in Glacier Bay feel memorable because the setting does so much of the work. In a park better known for boats, fjords, and tidewater glaciers, hiking offers something more personal: a chance to slow down, hear the forest, smell the salt air, and experience this extraordinary coastal wilderness at human pace.