Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was designated a national monument in 1925. It's purpose was to preserve the glacial environment and plant communities for public enjoyment, scientific study, and historic interest.

Glacial ice has a bluish cast because when light hits ice cystals, long wavelength colors are absored while short wavelength colors reflect right back through the ice to your eyes.

It rains about 80 inches a year near park headquarters, and in May and June each day there is over a 50% chance of sunshine.

Much of Glacier Bay is over 1,000 feet deep. What you see is just "the tip of the iceberg".

Minke, humpback and orca whales are sometimes spotted in Glacier Bay.

Average summer temperature is 45-67 F and the winter 18-37 F.

If you would like to know more about Glacier Bay, try the following links:

Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Homepage

The scenery throughout Glacier Bay was absolutely breaktaking. Glaciers form because snowfall in the high mountains exceeds snow-melt. The snowflakes first change to granular snow - round ice grains - but the accumulating weight soon presses it into solid ice. Eventually, gravity sets the ice flowing downslope at up to 7 feet per day. This photo clearly demonstrates the immense size of these glaciers.

There are beautiful mountains like this throughout the park as well. Mount Fairweather is the range's highest peak and stands at 15, 320 feet. Near Johns Hopkins inlet, several peaks rise from sea level to 6,520 feet within just 4 miles of shore.

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