Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is situated in Southeast Alaska, west of Juneau. It occupies the northernmost part of the southeast coast of Alaska, between the Gulf of Alaska and Canada. On February 26, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge designated the Glacier Bay area as a national monument under the Antiquities Act. Following an expansion by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, the Alaska National Interest Lands Preservation Act added 523,000 acres on December 2, 1980, and created Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In 1979, Glacier Bay became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 1986 a Biosphere Reserve. The park takes its name from its many tidewater and terrestrial glaciers, which number 1,045 in total. Among the wildlife in Glacier Bay are Brown and Black Bear, Timber Wolf, coyote, moose, Black-Tailed Deer, Arctic and Red Fox, porcupine, marmot, Dall Sheep, bobcat, beaver, Canadian Lynx, two species of otter, mink, wolverine and Mountain Goat. Nesting birds in the park include the Bald Eagle, the Golden Eagle, five species of woodpecker, two species of hummingbirds, ravens, four species of falcon, six species of hawk, osprey and ten species of owl. Among marine mammals, the Sea Otter, Harbor Seal, Steller's Sea Lion, Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Killer Whale, Minke Whale and Humpback Whale swim in the open sea. Around 80% of visitors to Glacier Bay arrive by boat. The park and preserve is home to a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, climbing, kayaking, rafting, fishing and bird watching.