Glacier Bay, Alaska

Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve contains some of the world's most impressive tidewater glaciers. The bay has experienced at least four major glacial advances and four major retreats.

Mountains rise right from its tidewater up to three vertical miles.The large variety of plant communities ranges from barren terrain just recovering from glacial retreat to lush temperate rain forest. The story of plant succession is nowhere more richly told than at Glacier Bay.

Glacier Bay has more than 50 named glaciers, as well as two major arms. Most people who come to the Park come by way of a cruise ship, and most of those ships head up the West Arm, towards the Margerie Glacier. Margerie Glacier is the parks most impressive glacier, it advances 12 to 14 feet a day and calves frequently.

The park and preserve also harbours brown and black bears, mountain goats, moose, whales, seals, plus eagles and more than 200 other species of birds.