Alaska's Majestic Glaciers

Hubbard Glacier

​When it comes to breathtaking landscapes, few places rival Alaska’s stunning glaciers.  Here is a closer look at Alaska’s most iconic glaciers, from North to South, and the wildlife to watch for along the way.

​Glaciers of Prince William Sound – Ice and Wildlife Abound 
Just east of Whittier, Prince William Sound hosts dozens of glaciers pouring into sea inlets, providing a diverse glacial experience. In the northwestern part of Princess William Sound is College Fjord – often listed on cruise itineraries – which is home to picturesque Harvard and Yale Glaciers. College Fjord offers dramatic vistas and is renowned for its calm waters perfect for serene glacier viewing.  Keep watch for mountain goats and Dall sheep on the fjord’s rugged cliffs.

​Hubbard Glacier – The Giant That Keeps Growing
Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America, stretching an impressive 76 miles long and up to 7 miles wide at its terminus. Unlike many glaciers worldwide that are retreating, Hubbard is actually advancing, slowly pushing forward about 80 feet per day!  For travelers, encounters with Hubbard means witnessing a powerful force of nature with towering ice cliffs often calving massive icebergs into the ocean.

Hubbard Glacier is best viewed from a cruise ship since they can navigate right in to Disenchantment Bay.  You’ll see Bald Eagles and a large variety of seabirds.  Brown bears and Sitka Black-tailed deer are often spotted along the shoreline and common marine life includes humpback whales, harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters.  

​The Glaciers of Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park, a UNESACO World Heritage site, is a 3.3 million-acre wilderness with over a dozen tidewater glaciers actively sculpting the land.  Margerie Glacier is renowned for its striking blue ice cliffs that soar up to 250 feet,

creating dramatic icefalls and calving. Grand Pacific Glacier, equally majestic, is notable for its thick, serrated ice front and the deep crevasses that emphasize the glacier’s continuous movement.

Grand Pacific Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier National Park is a living laboratory of climate and geological activity. Some glaciers here are retreating, while others advance, creating evolving landscapes.  Cruise ships generally spend a full day cruising through Glacier National Park allowing ample time stop and admire the many tidewater glaciers flowing into the Bay.

The park supports a wealth of wildlife and visitors may see humpback whales, sea otters, harbor seals and both black and brown bears.  Birders can fill their checklist with the high diversity 

and abundance of birds including Murrelets, puffins, cormorants, harlequin ducks & scoters, gulls and bald eagles.

​Mendenhall Glacier – America’s Backyard Ice Marvel
Situated just 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier is a favorite stop for travelers seeking close-up views. This 13-mile-long, massive glacier flows from the Juneau Icefield and offers scenic hiking trails and stunning waterfalls. 
Mendenhall Glacier is retreating.  It ends in growing Mendenhall Lake – a lake of its own creation over the past 100 years as the glacier melted. It is absolutely worthwhile to see Mendenhall soon and witness the changing landscape.
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If travelling by cruise ship, Mendenhall Glacier is accessible during your port of call at Juneau.  Take a tour or taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center, an informative and a good place to view the glacier.  Watch for mountain goats and black bears in the surrounding Tongass National Forest.

​Sawyer Glacier at Tracy Arm – Twin Ice Giants 
Continuing south from Juneau is Holkham Bay, the entrance to Tracy Arm fjord.  Cruise ships will navigate the narrow 27-mile long fjord, passing through tall granite cliffs and waterfalls.  Spend the day spotting wildlife along the banks given the ships close proximity to shore.  Watch for black bears fishing for salmon, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, harbor seals, eagles and more.  Get out your binoculars!

At the end of Tracy Arm fjord are the towering North and South faces of Sawyer Glacier.  Still an active calving glacier, you’ll see lots of icebergs and wildlife.  Most cruise ships spend 1½ - 2 hours here, rotating for continuously fresh views.  

Sawyer Glacier

​Dawes Glacier at Endicott Arm – A Fjord Experience 
Holkham Bay is also the entrance to Endicott Arm but heads south (Tracy Arm heads north).  A day of cruising the 30-mile

Endicott Arm Fjord

Endicott Arm yields an experience as grand as Tracy arm – with soaring granite cliffs, waterfalls and wildlife.  At the end of Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier presents a 

​spectacular vertical ice face, cascading blue ice, and often quieter, more intimate viewing than more crowded sites. This glacier climbs down steep slopes into a narrow fjord, a perfect setting to see seals basking on ice floes and harbor porpoises darting through the water.
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Weather conditions occasionally require cruise lines to substitute one arm for the other.  Fortunately, the experience will be equally good so you won’t miss out.

​Living Monuments
Alaska’s glaciers are not just frozen ice—they are living monuments to Earth’s climate history and natural artistry. Whether you seek adventure, inspiration, or tranquility, these glaciers provide unforgettable encounters with raw nature and abundant wildlife.