Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
P.O. Box 140
Gustavus AK 99826-0140, (907) 697-2230
Special Topics: Glaciers � Mountains �
Recreation Activities: Boating � Camping � Educational Programs �
Fishing � Hiking � Hunting � Wilderness Area � Wildlife Viewing
Camping Areas
Bartlett Cove
Open From May to Sept
Phone 907-697-2627
Details
All campers are required to obtain a free permit and attend a camper orientation
which is given on demand at the Visitor Information Station near the dock.
Campers may check out a bear-resistant food canister at this time (free of
charge and required for most backcountry camping). A free campground (14-day
limit) with bear-resistant food caches, firewood, and a warming hut, is located
at Bartlett Cove. No reservations are accepted, but a permit is required.
Campground permits are issued at the Visitor Information Station on a
first-come, first-served basis. If desired, campers may be dropped off in the
backcountry by the Park抯 concession-operated tour boat.
Lodging Options
Alsek River Lodge
Open Summer season
Phone (907) 784-3451
Details
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay National
Preserve. The Alsek River Lodge is a small rustic lodge primarily focusing on
guided hunting, photography & sport fishing activities and services. Access is
by small plane.
Glacier Bay Lodge
Open Mid-May to mid-September
Phone (888) 229-8687
Details
The Glacier Bay Lodge offers overnight accommodations, a restaurant, gift shop
and fuel sales (gasoline, #2 diesel, and white gas) as well as a daily vessel
tour to the park's spectacular tide-water glaciers.
Johnny's East River Lodge
Open Summer season
Phone (907) 463-1288
Details
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay National
Preserve. Johnny's East River Lodge is a small wilderness lodge focusing on
sport fishing and wildlife viewing activities and services. Access is by small
plane.
Northern Lights Haven
Open Summer season
Phone (253) 564-4583
Details
Located 60 miles southeast of Yakutat, Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay National
Preserve, Northern Lights Haven is a small rustic lodge primarily focusing on
sport fishing activities and services. Access is by small plane.
Additional Information
Getting There
Plane
Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service from Seattle via Juneau to Gustavus
during the summer visitor season. The Gustavus airport is 10 miles by road from
park headquarters at Bartlett Cove. Several air taxi companies provide daily
small-plane flights year-round from Juneau to Gustavus as well. Air taxis also
fly a network of routes that link Juneau and Gustavus to Haines, Skagway, and
other southeast Alaska towns. Click on the Visitor Services Directory link above
for a listing of these air services.
For those wishing to visit Glacier Bay National Preserve at Dry Bay, air
transportation can be arranged from Yakutat, which has daily jet service from
Seattle and Anchorage.
Car
There are no roads to Glacier Bay and no Alaska Marine Highway ferry service.
The only road in the park runs ten miles between Bartlett Cove and the
neighboring community of Gustavus. There is a rental car business in Gustavus.
Most Gustavus lodging establishments provide transportation to Bartlett Cove for
their guests.
Public Transportation
A passenger ferry operates between Juneau and Gustavus/Bartlett Cove on a
limited schedule (Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday trips).
Several cruise ship lines offer Alaska cruises from major west coast cities that
include a Glacier Bay visit. Tour boats, which are generally smaller and carry
fewer passengers, offer cruises to Glacier Bay that depart several times a week
from Juneau and other southeast Alaska towns. Charter boat services originating
in local communities are also available.
A taxi and a bus service run between Gustavus and Bartlett Cove.
Click on the Visitor Services Directory link above for a listing of companies
that provide all of these services.
Getting Around
For those arriving at Bartlett Cove or Gustavus and desiring to travel into the
park, Glacier Bay is best seen by boat. The distance to the tidewater glaciers
is 50-60 miles. The Glacier Bay Lodge park concession runs a daily tour boat
beginning in late May through mid-September. The journey takes about eight hours
round trip. A National Park Service ranger-naturalist is on board to point out
the bay's natural features and wildlife and to answer questions. For
reservations and information, click on the Glacier Bay Lodge/Day Boat link
above.
There are few trails in the park, and most campers journey through the bay by
kayak, either on their own or as part of a guided trip. Kayaks may be rented,
and a kayak drop-off vessel operates daily during the summer months. For more
information, click on the "Kayaking" and "Camping" links on the Activities page
of this website (see "more" below).
Limited hiking opportunities are available from Bartlett Cove, either along the
beach or on one of the approximately seven miles of trails that wind through the
rain forest. Click on the "Hiking" link on the Activities page for more
information and a map showing trail locations.
In addition to traveling by tour boat or kayak, other options include seeing
Glacier Bay by locally chartered vessel or viewing the park from a flightseeing
aircraft. Click on the Visitor Services Directory link above for a listing of
companies that provide those services.
Pleasure boats are welcome. A free permit is required, and there is a limit on
the number of vessels allowed in the park at one time. For complete boater
information, click on the "Boating" link on the Activities page.
The Tatsenshini/Alsek Rivers begin in Canada, run through the northern edge of
the park, and empty into the Gulf of Alaska at Dry Bay in Glacier Bay National
Preserve. Commercially guided trips are available, and a permit is required for
private trips.
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