Exploring Glacier Bay up close
Written: Aug 20 '03 (Updated Aug 28 '03)
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Pros: Tidewater Glaciers. Abundant Wildlife and fishing.
Cons: Relatively Expensive. Expect Clouds & Rain
The Bottom Line: Tidewater glaciers, fishing, wildlife, great food & hospitality, remoteness -- this is THE place to go if you want all of the above.
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| Uncle_Tippet's Full Review: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve |
Most people visit Glacier Bay National Park from the deck of a cruise ship. That's often a good way to go as the big cruise ships leave Juneau in the evening and spend the night navigating so that you wake up in the next day in front of the great tidewater glaciers. But there's more to Glacier Bay than just glaciers. And there are other ways to get to Glacier Bay besides being on a cruise. We spent 3 days at there and hope the review will help folks decide whether it's worth making the trek out to Glacier Bay National Park.
Basic Facts
Glacier Bay National Park is in Southeastern Alaska where the weather is generally cloudy and rainy. There's a reason why they call it a temperate RAINFOREST. Daytime summer temperatures are typically in the 50's and 60's although it can sometimes dip into the 40's.
Only 2 large cruise ships per day are allowed in the park and there is no place within the park for large cruise ships to dock. There's a daily jet service on Alaska Airlines during the summer and also many small planes that fly into the airport. In addition, there's daily ferry service from Juneau. You can't drive to Glacier Bay as there are no roads into it. The only road in the area runs 10 miles from Bartlett Cove (where the park visitor center is located) to Gustavus (where the ferry dock and airport is located).
Day cruises to Glacier Bay from Juneau are impractical as the tidewater glaciers are too far away. So almost all visitors to Glacier Bay will have to stay overnight (be it on a cruise ship or at a local inn). That's why trips to Glacier Bay can get expensive.
The main lodge in Glacier Bay National Park is the logically named Glacier Bay Lodge. It has a 56 rooms, a full-service restaurant, a nice lobby with fireplace and a gift shop. There's also a free walk-in campground located near the Lodge. Other lodging is available in Gustavus where most offer full American plans with breakfast and dinner included. All lodging include transfers to/from the airport or ferry dock. Because Gustavus is not incorporated -- we didn't have to pay any sales tax on lodging or purchases in Gustavus.
For more detailed information about the park, download the park guide at: http://www.nps.gov/glba/InDepth/visit/Fairweather_2002_final.pdf
Day One
We decided to fly Alaska Airlines from Juneau into Glacier Bay, We took off at 5:00pm and landed by 5:30 -- a total flight time of 12 minutes. We were hoping to be able to view the park from above but it was too cloudy. The airport terminal in Gustavus looked new -- and it only serviced the one flight in and the one flight out on Alaska Airlines. The small planes also use the airport but don't use the terminal and avoid having to go through security.
We originally tried to stay at the Glacier Bay Lodge but they were fully booked for August when we tried to make our reservations in April. We didn't want to pay $300/night for many of the inns in Gustavus even though they provided all meals and settled instead for the Whalesong Lodge (http://www.whalesonglodge.com). It was $100/night with no food service. They did, however, meet us at the airport and drove us to the lodge.
What first struck me about the Whalesong was the lack of locks. The front door was unlocked. There were no locks on any of the 4 guest rooms. It had a nice living room and dining table -- but no kitchen. Self service coffee and tea was available and the living room was stocked with books, games, jig-saw puzzles and a scrapbook with photographs about the history of the lodge. There was also a portable Radio/CD Player.
The owners stay on the upstairs floor with a separate side entrance so it was very private. They also own and operate the Glacier Bay Country Inn so they don't actually so if we needed anything, we simply used the phone in the lodge to call the front desk of the country inn. Other than that, we only saw the owners when they came in to clean the room. Very private. There was only one other guest (from Japan) when we were there.
The Whalesong used to be an abandoned grocery store but was converted into lodging several years ago. The beds were very comfortable and our room included a private bath with shower stall and a queen bed. There were no TVs and the only phone was in the shared living room. There was a porch with chairs we could use to sit outside.
The Whalesong was walking distance to the main stretch in Gustavus so we decided to explore. There were several bikes in the back that we could use but we decided to hoof it. We could have also called Bob's Rental Car to rent a car for $50-$75 a day or the TLC taxi which was more like a shuttle service (it charged per person). For dinner, we could walk to the Bear Track Cafe or drive to the Glacier Bay Lodge. We could also eat dinner at some of the other lodges in town but we had to call ahead to make reservations. There was also a mercantile that had expensive supplies but reasonably priced sandwiches for sale but that closed at 7 pm.
Our goal that evening was to walk to the Mt Fairweather Golf Course -- a 9 hole course which uses the honor system (you stuffed money into a box and picked up a selection of clubs left there for public use) and where the water hazards changed with the tide. We didn't meet our goal because it started to rain so we ran back to the Whalesong, had a nice hot shower and promptly fell asleep on the comfortable bed. The place was completely dark -- no street lights to bother us.
Day Two -- Kayaking
We booked a kayaking trip with Alaska Discovery ($125/pp). They provide all gear and take folks out on Bartlett Cove which is usually very calm. There was another kayaking outfit that take folks out by the Icy Straits where whales are more common, but the water is more exposed and choppy. We could also rent kayaks for half the cost. But being inexperienced kayakers, we decided that we needed someone along with us that knew what they were doing.
The van came by at 8:15am and picked us up. It stopped a few other lodges and then drove to Bartlett Cove where we met another group of kayakers at the lodge. We walked down to the pier and were outfitted in our kayaking gear. Because it was raining, we went all the way and dressed in long rubber boots, rubber pants, rubber jackets, life vests and the kayaking "skirt". We needed to bring our own gloves and hats for warmth. We were also given a "dry bag" to put our personal items like binoculars or cameras. Outfitting us and basic training took more time than we expected so we didn't actually make it into the water till past 9:30 am.
The kayaking trip consisted of several hours of paddling, lunch and a short hike. They make it very clear that we will not be paddling by any glaciers as they are 65 miles away and involve several days of kayaking. The day trip would take us around the cove and the nearby islands where we might be able to see some wildlife.
The area is not as buggy as some other parts of Alaska, and we didn't need any mosquito repellent at all -- although it may make sense to bring some as the 'no-see-ums' hatch in the warm sun. Luckily for us, the rain kept the bugs away.
The hike was on a bear trail through the forest so it was like exploring a jungle. We had to be careful to keep away from poisonous plants and not lose our footing. There was definitely an element of danger. We didn't see any moose or bear but we did see some bear poop. The ground very spongy and muddy so we were thankful for our rubber boots.
Lunch was bagels and smoked salmon brought in bear proof containers and kept dry with Zip-lock bags.
Our return trip was a little hazardous because we had to stay clear of rip-tides and the wind picked up and made the water very choppy. But once we got back into Bartlett Cove, the water calmed down. But I was terrified when a head appeared out of no-where in front of our kayak. I started panicking thinking that a killer whale was going to ram our boat but it turned out to be a harbor seal who gave us a quick look before diving. Apart from the seal, we did see lots of birds (including bald eagles).
We got back to the lodge at 4:00. We discovered that most activities end before 4:00 so that folks could catch the ferry or plane that leaves at 5:00pm in plenty of time.
My wife had never kayaked before was very afraid of falling into the water. But now, she wants to do it again. The kayaks felt very stable and both instructors were every experienced. The gloves kept our hands from chafing but nothing could keep our arms from aching afterwards. We all had trouble lifting our water classes to our mouths.
After our kayaking trip, we decided to stay at the lodge for dinner and skipped the ride back. The Glacier Bay visitor center was on the 2nd floor of the lodge so we spent some time looking at the exhibits and walking the Forest Trail in the drizzle. It was a beautiful short trail in the rainforest around the lodge. Much of the trail was elevated on wooden decks so we didn't have to worry about mud. We also watched the 2 movies about Glacier Bay before going to dinner.
Dinner was fantastic. The baked halibut was delicious but we really enjoyed the clam appetizer. Fresh clams in a wonderful broth -- I'm salivating right now even as I think about it. The prices were reasonable (entrees were in the $15-$25 range).
We had the front desk of the lodge make arrangements for the TLC taxi cab to take us back to the Whalesong. It ended costing us $10/person for a party of 3. If I was alone, the charge would have been $15. So it's more like a shuttle service than a cab.
Day Three-Tidewater Glaciers
The highlight of the trip was the day cruise to see the glaciers. We booked our trip through the whalesong lodge for $175 / person which included transfers. If we booked the cruise directly, it would have saved us about $40. In retrospect, we should have simply rented a car from Bud as the additional cost of transfers and cab fare for our trip would have paid for the rental car.
We were picked up at 6:45am as the cruise boat left at 7:30am sharp from Bartlett Cove. This year, they downsized to a smaller boat as they average about 100 passengers each trip. When we went, we only had 52 passengers so there was plenty of room to spread out. There was a national park ranger on board to point out wildlife and provide commentary. The boat cruise used to be more popular as there were more Europeans visiting the park in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, that has tapered off because of the exchange rates and many of them visit Canada instead. Also, the increased popularity and affordability of cruises meant that it was often more cost-effective to take a large boat cruise than to fly into Glacier Bay, stay at the lodge and take the day cruise to see the glaciers.
We left on time at 7:30. Along the way to the glaciers, we saw humpback whales, several bears, lots of birds and harbor seals. We also enjoyed very good soup (seemed home-made). By the time we reached the glaciers, it was raining and freezing so we were glad that we brought warm clothes. There were several inlets with glaciers to pick from and we went to the John Hopkins Glacier -- the only one that was advancing. There were tons of harbor seals floating along on the little ice-burgs. Because of that, large cruise ships were not allowed in the inlet so we were all alone. The John Hopkins glacier calves very often and we all stood still listening to the creaking and then the roaring of ice falling into water. Words cannot describe the awesome sight.
After about an hour at the John Hopkins glacier, we started back and lunch was served. It was individually packed and the club sandwich was hot and tasty. We were very impressed with the quality of the food on the short cruise.
On the way back, we saw an eagle nest and several more whales. We docked at around 3:30 and were picked up by the dock for the short ride to the airport for our trip to Juneau.
When we arrived at the airport, we found out that plane was delayed. Instead of leaving at 6 pm, our scheduled departure was at 8pm. We were stranded at the little airport with 7 security guards and no food services. Not even a vending machine. We debated about going into town for dinner -- but that meant paying for the TLC Taxi ride. What we should have done was check our flight before going to the airport. If we had known that the flight was delayed, we could have remained at the lodge for dinner.
In the end, we just sat at the airport along with everyone else. There were a bunch of guys we met who just spent a couple of days fishing and caught a few hundred of pounds of salmon and halibut. Glacier Bay Country Inn was featured in ESPN's Fly Fishing the World show. Pep's packing (the only in town) packed and froze their fish and would ship them back. But they had 2 boxes of frozen fish sitting checked in as baggage. The guys do this every year as the fishing (both deep sea as well as angling) around that area is incredible.
The plane arriving from Juneau didn't land till 8:25pm and the ground crew worked at top speed to turn the flight around as there were no lights at the airport and we would be grounded if the sun set before we could take off. Once the inbound passengers were off, we boarded the plane and took off just as the sun set over the mountains. Just in time.
Closing Thoughts
Day trips are available from Juneau to the Tracy Arm to view glaciers for a lot less than what it would cost to visit Glacier Bay. Plus some people swear that the glaciers at Tracy Arm calve more often and the scenery just as spectacular. So was it worth the extra cost and time to visit the park?
There's an exclusiveness to Glacier Bay -- for some reason, it's seen as a "sexy" destination. We liked it because of its remoteness -- there were no crowds. The people in Gustavus are very friendly. And the glaciers were incredible.
We definitely recommend a stop at the park as it lived up to its promise. Just know to expect rain and expect a much slower pace of living and moving.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
Uncle_Tippet
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Member: Avon Leong
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Reviews written: 78
Trusted by: 10 members
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