Spectacular Glacier Bay National Park - Alaska
Glacier Bay National Park is one of Alaska’s most breathtaking destinations with awe-inspiring tidewater glaciers among majestic snow-capped mountains and serene waters. Embark on a captivating journey with Haswell Travelled's Glacier Bay YouTube video, and admire five tidewater glaciers on a clear day with incredible views including Margerie Glacier’s massive icy face breaking and falling into the water called calving.
Spectacular Margerie Glacier
Glacier Bay is in the northern end of the Alaska Panhandle, a short sail west of Juneau. It became a protected area in 1925, then a National Park in 1980, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Tribes of the indigenous Tlingit people have lived in the Alaska region for over 10,000 years. Between 1550 and 1850, the world experienced the Little Ice Age, a 300-year period of global cooling that triggered significant glacier expansion across the globe. During this time, the Tlingit people lived in Glacier Bay, but as a massive glacier advanced down the valley, it eventually forced them out and into nearby areas. In 1794, Captain George Vancouver sailed here, witnessing the glacial ice blocking the entrance of the bay. As the Little Ice Age ended, glaciers began retreating rapidly in the late 1700s. In 1879, naturalist John Muir arrived to see the ice had already retreated more than 40 miles – almost two-thirds the length of the bay in 85 years. The glacial retreat has continued ever since.
Sailing into the bay’s entrance, a park ranger boards our ship and provides commentary along the way. Continuing through the bay, carved lines are visible on the mountain rock, scars left behind by the immense glacial ice when it advanced down this valley, carrying rock and debris that acted like sandpaper. Along the way, we see numerous glaciers, reminding us of the massive ice sheet that once filled this whole area just 230 years ago.
Sailing through the bay is an opportunity to be on the lookout for whales, otters, seals, bald eagles, and bears roaming the shorelines. Binoculars are definitely necessary, and wildlife is difficult to spot, and even harder to catch on camera. Photographers need a zoom lens to greatly appreciate glaciers and wildlife up close.
At the end of the bay is the Grand Pacific Glacier - the main glacier which carved out Glacier Bay, and over the last 230 years has receded to that point. It is a tidewater glacier, and at the waterline it has a face 1.3 miles wide and up to 160 feet high. It is over 20 miles long and flows at a speed up to 1 foot per day. Its brown appearance is ground-up rock and dirt blown down from nearby mountains.
Tidewater glaciers flow right down to the water. They originate on higher slopes or icefields, where the snow accumulates and compresses over time. Sometimes there are multiple source glaciers converging into one large glacier flowing to the ocean.
Margerie Glacier
Margerie Glacier is the star of the bay, another tidewater glacier with a beautiful jagged icy face. It is one of Alaska’s most photographed sights and one of the most active. It is about 21 miles long, originating in the snow fields of the Fairweather mountain range at elevations exceeding 9000 feet. Its icy face is about 0.85 miles wide and 200 feet high, flowing at a quicker 6 feet per day, with chunks ice falling into the water, called calving. As the glacier moves down the valley under its own weight, it fractures under immense stress, creating beautiful jagged formations.
Other glaciers seen in the bay are: Reid Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier, and John Hopkins Glacier.
Immerse yourself in the captivating episode of Alaska’s Glacier Bay on the Haswell Travelled YouTube channel. The video is also easily accessible via the website’s USA web page, allowing viewers to explore this enchanting content alongside other fabulous destinations.
