Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Sierra Club-Call for details
- July 7-14, 2024
- 8 days
- $6,275
- 12 spots left
*Remember: wildlife is wild life, so when it comes to stuff like whales and bears, these ratings show the likelihood of seeing those things as opposed to a guarantee. But that’s nature for ya – and who would want it any other way?
Glacier Bay, West Arm, East Arm, Icy Strait, Cross Sound, Dundas Bay
Passengers will board the Snow Goose at the Park Service Dock in Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay – a short taxi ride from the town of Gustavus. Following lunch and a brief safety and crew orientation we will set sail into Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. For the next 8 days we will cruise, kayak, and hike this magnificent gem of our National Park System.
The waters here are icy cold and the air is crisp and clear. Because Glacier Bay is a National Park and affords all the protections that come with such status, wildlife abounds within the bay. Guests can look forward to days of intimate contact with humpback whales, bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, seals, sea lions, goats eagles, and puffins to name just a few.
Since Glacier Bay has just recently emerged from the ice, it is considered a geologically young area. A trip up Glacier Bay is like a trip back in time. Old growth forests give way to bare rock as we make our way back into the upper reaches of the bay. Here, the tidewater glaciers still rumble and roar as they make their slow retreat back, dropping huge ice bergs into the sea. Magnificent granite cliffs tower above our small ship as we wind our way up the fjord through the ice floes towards the faces of these massive glaciers. Along the way, our expert naturalist and guide will point out the finer points of plant succession, glaciations’, local geology, and the interconnectedness of the animals that call this area home. The biodiversity of this place is simply amazing.
Evenings will bring secluded anchorages with time to reflect and share a delicious meal prepared by our Chef in the galley. Many evenings will offer time to quietly explore the shores by kayak or slowly motoring along in the skiff. It's amazing how much can be seen and heard along the shores in the quiet evening time. Before bed, the Captain will bring out the charts to review the happenings of the day, and to make a plan for the following day. We keep the schedule incredibly flexible to allow for adaptation to the multitude of variables that can be encountered along the way.
Toward the end of the trip, we plan to leave Glacier Bay and head west toward the outer coast of Alaska. Here, in the near coastal environment, we will encounter a completely different landscape of windswept islands, rugged sea cliffs, and whirling sea birds.
The last day of our trip will bring us back to Gustavus, where we will arrive at 11am. With a newfound appreciation of the world in which we live, and memories to last a lifetime, guests will disembark. Many will opt to catch the afternoon flight back to Juneau to continue on with their Alaska adventures or head home, while others may want to stay in one of the hotels or bed and breakfasts in Gustavus to further experience a small, coastal Alaska town.
The waters here are icy cold and the air is crisp and clear. Because Glacier Bay is a National Park and affords all the protections that come with such status, wildlife abounds within the bay. Guests can look forward to days of intimate contact with humpback whales, bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, seals, sea lions, goats eagles, and puffins to name just a few.
Since Glacier Bay has just recently emerged from the ice, it is considered a geologically young area. A trip up Glacier Bay is like a trip back in time. Old growth forests give way to bare rock as we make our way back into the upper reaches of the bay. Here, the tidewater glaciers still rumble and roar as they make their slow retreat back, dropping huge ice bergs into the sea. Magnificent granite cliffs tower above our small ship as we wind our way up the fjord through the ice floes towards the faces of these massive glaciers. Along the way, our expert naturalist and guide will point out the finer points of plant succession, glaciations’, local geology, and the interconnectedness of the animals that call this area home. The biodiversity of this place is simply amazing.
Evenings will bring secluded anchorages with time to reflect and share a delicious meal prepared by our Chef in the galley. Many evenings will offer time to quietly explore the shores by kayak or slowly motoring along in the skiff. It's amazing how much can be seen and heard along the shores in the quiet evening time. Before bed, the Captain will bring out the charts to review the happenings of the day, and to make a plan for the following day. We keep the schedule incredibly flexible to allow for adaptation to the multitude of variables that can be encountered along the way.
Toward the end of the trip, we plan to leave Glacier Bay and head west toward the outer coast of Alaska. Here, in the near coastal environment, we will encounter a completely different landscape of windswept islands, rugged sea cliffs, and whirling sea birds.
The last day of our trip will bring us back to Gustavus, where we will arrive at 11am. With a newfound appreciation of the world in which we live, and memories to last a lifetime, guests will disembark. Many will opt to catch the afternoon flight back to Juneau to continue on with their Alaska adventures or head home, while others may want to stay in one of the hotels or bed and breakfasts in Gustavus to further experience a small, coastal Alaska town.
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