Introduction
At the northern end of the Inside Passage, 550 mi/880 km southeast of Anchorage, the Glacier Bay National Park waterway stretches for 65 mi/105 km and contains 16 tidewater glaciers. In 1980, Glacier Bay became a U.S. national park and preserve. It encompasses 3.2 million acres/1.3 million hectares and can be visited only by sea or air.
Small boats and planes generally leave from the nearby town of Gustavus. Facilities and services at the park include naturalist talks and walks, sea-kayak rentals and rustic backcountry lodges. Gustavus also has several lodges and bed-and-breakfasts. A numbe...