Which bay in Alaska gives its name to a national park famous for tidewater glaciers? The answer is Glacier Bay.
Glacier Bay is a deeply indented marine inlet on Alaska’s southeastern coast, and it gives its name to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The protected area covers nearly 600,000 acres and combines glacial fjords, snow-covered mountains, temperate rainforest, marine habitats and ancestral Tlingit cultural landscapes.
The bay is famous for glaciers that reach the sea and calve icebergs into tidal water. Seven tidewater glaciers are found in the park, including Margerie, Grand Pacific, Johns Hopkins and Lamplugh glaciers. The landscape has changed dramatically over time: when naturalist John Muir visited in the nineteenth century, ice extended much farther down the bay than it does today.
The name can be confused with Bristol Bay, Kachemak Bay or Yakutat Bay, all genuine Alaskan coastal features. Those bays are not the one associated with the national park celebrated for its concentration of tidewater glaciers. Glacier Bay is also distinct from the park’s full official name, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.