Glacier Bay National Park Alaska200 years ago Glacier Bay National Park Alaska was one huge glacier. There wasn't even a bay! There was just one massive sheet of ice that was 100 miles long, 20 miles wide and thousands of feet thick. No national park, just a glacier. This isn't your typical national park though. First of all there is only two ways to get here. The first way is by boat. Most people see this national park from a cruise ship. Only two cruise ships are allowed in the bay at a time. The tides in the bay are strong. They rise and fall 12-20 feet every six hours. The other way to get here is to be flown in and dropped off! The nearest city is Gustavus. There are no roads in the park but there are three trails to hike once you are here. One trail walks you through a forest. Another trail is a five mile river trail. And the third trail takes you through a rainforest and around the bay.
Glacier Bay National Park has over 3.2 million acres and a 57,000 acre preserve. There is alot to do and see here. For those of you who are physically active this is a great place to kayak and hike. On the preserve you can hunt, trap and fish. Once your here you will enjoy the views of some of the tallest coastal mountains in the world. You will never forget seeing whales and the dolphins playing and feeding in and around the bay. They feed daily on herring fish in the summer. Other wildlife here at Glacier Bay National Park Alaska include bears, moose, wolves, seals, sea lions, otters, peregrine falcon, bald eagles, blue herons. From a cruise ship you to will also enjoy the marine life. This is the place that scientists study the behavior and ways of the humpback, gray, minke and orca whales. You also will go home with great photos if your one to enjoy taking pictures. Pictures of floating icebergs, wildlife and majestic snowcapped mountains. This is the area that the famous naturalist, John Muir, loved as much, if not more, than Yosemite National Park. He spent alot of time here. He called this place, "The bay of the great glaciers."
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