Glacier Bay National Park Active and Adventure Vacations

Glacier Bay National Park Active and Adventure Travel Guide

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Mountains in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Rosemarie Salazar/courtesy, National Park Service)

Glacier Bay National Park Active and Adventure Highlights

By Travel Expert: Karen Kefauver
  • Try a one-day kayaking adventure: rent a sea-touring kayak and strike out on your own or join a guided day kayaking trip. Bartlett Cove offers the novice kayaker a much protected rainforest environment in which to paddle and explore. Kayakers may traverse the shores of Lester Island and Point Gustavus, where they will have opportunities to spot seals, porpoise, sea otter, black bear, moose, bald eagles, and whales.
  • Backpacking in the park is a rewarding experience for those who are willing, and have the knowledge, to explore off-trail. Though Bartlett Cove has four maintained day-hike trails, the rest of the park is a glorious blank slate of wilderness and beach.
  • For an adventurous multi-day trip, kayak West Arm and Muir Inlet. The nearest tidewater glaciers to Bartlett Cove are about 50 to 65 miles away in the Muir and West Arms. Kayakers generally should allow five to eight days to paddle each way.

Glacier Bay National Park Overview

Glacier Bay is a work in progress; the boat ride to its head is a chance to see creation unfolding. The bay John Muir discovered in a canoe in 1879 didn't exist a century earlier. Eighteenth-century explorers had found instead a wall of ice a mile thick where the entrance to the branching, 65-mile-long fjord now opens to the sea. Receding faster than...

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Hotels

Glacier Bay Lodge
179 Bartlett Cove Road
Gustavus, AK
Hotel Class: 3 class stars
Distance: 46.1 Miles
(from destination center)
Active Expert Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0 out of 5
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Annie Mae Lodge
2 Grandpa's Farm Road
Gustavus, AK 99826
Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
Distance: 44.9 Miles
(from destination center)
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from: $174 compare hotel rates
Glacier Bay Lodge
179 Bartlett Cove Road
Gustavus, AK 99826
Hotel Class: 3 class stars
Distance: 46.1 Miles
(from destination center)
Active and Adventure Expert Rating
Not Yet Rated
Traveler Rating
Not Yet Rated
Recommended for:
Parks and Outdoors travel
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Attractions

Alaska Discovery
Juneau
5449 Shaune Drive, Suite 4
Juneau, Alaska 99801 Map
Distance: 0.0 Miles (from destination center)
Description: Glacier Bay is a wilderness park offering land... Read More
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Bartlett River Trail
Bartlett Cove
Bartlett Cove , Alaska
Distance: 40.2 Miles (from destination center)
Description: This lovely and easy walk, relatively level,... Read More
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Woodwind Adventures
Glacier Bay
PO Box 47
Gustavus, Alaska 99826
Distance: 44.5 Miles (from destination center)
Description: Woodwind Adventures offers whale-watching tours... Read More
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Feature Articles

More Glacier Bay National Park Active and Adventure Feature Articles (5)
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Trip Ideas

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Glacier Bay National Park Vacation Rentals

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from: $463
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7 Bedroom VACATION HOME in BAY, AR 72411
Bedrooms: 7 Bathrooms: 7 Sleeps: 14
Amenities: Air Conditioning
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from: $42
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2 Bedroom VACATION HOME in BAY, AR 72411
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Sleeps: 4
Amenities: BBQ, CD Player, Cable/Satellite TV, Hot Tub, Jacuzzi, Oceanfront, Patio, Phone, TV, Towels, VCR
Details
from: $42
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2 Bedroom VACATION HOME in BAY, AR 72411
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Sleeps: 4
Amenities: BBQ, CD Player, Cable/Satellite TV, Hot Tub, Jacuzzi, Oceanfront, Patio, Phone, TV, Towels, VCR
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