Glacier Bay is part of the National Park Service and vessel permits are required before entering Glacier Bay from June 1 to August 31. You can request a permit by contacting the National Park Service at Bartlett Cove. Comrprised of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests, and waterways, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve are a highlight of the Inside Passage and part of a 25-million-acre World Heritage Site – one of the world’s largest protected natural areas – designated by UNESCO.

Glacier in Glacier Bay

We entered Glacier Bay after picking up a pilot and a ranger from the National Park headquarters at Bartlett Cove. We ventured forth into the bay and headed towards the tidewater glaciers at the north end of the bay. A journey through Glacier Bay is more than a journey through geography; it is a journey through time. We traveled roughly sixty-five miles from the forested lower bay to the rocky, icy upper bay, where glaciers meet the waterline and are as tall as twenty-story buildings. It is hard to realize that the glaciers are that high unless there is a watercraft to put it into perspective.

The captain of the ship uses the gigantic thrusters on the ship to swing the ship 360 degrees so everyone may view each and every glacier from every angle. The Margerie Glacier at the end of Tarr Inlet is spectacular, as is the John Hopkins Glacier.

If we are lucky, we will watch the calving, the breaking off of ice chunks from the glaciers. They are constantly on the move and the constant cracking of the ice sounds like gunshots from a distance. The glaciers are many colors. Blue is the only color retained within the ice and not reflected away, giving the ice a blue appearance. “Dirty ice” is also seen. As the glaciers move along, dirt and rocks are embedded within the ice and are carried to the water.

On to College Fjord

Glacier in College Fjord

After we left Glacier Bay, we sailed northward towards the port of Whittier, with a side trip to College Fjord. College Fjord is the hidden jewel of Prince William Sound. It is located in a narrow channel outlined by mountains and punctuated by ice-blue glaciers. The Harriman Expedition of 1899 named these glaciers after Ivy League colleges. Again we were treated to 360-degree viewing by the captain. We counted seven glaciers at one point, all flowing gracefully and beautifully into the water. The glaciers were a sparkling end to our voyage through the Inside Passage.

Tomorrow – Join us in finding out why anyone would want to go to Prudhoe Bay.