Glacier Bay Lodge: Back to the '60s

Our flight from Juneau arrived at 8:30 pm just in time
 for dinner at Glacier Bay Lodge.

Some things never change, and Glacier Bay Lodge, on the edge of Bartlett Cove in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, feels like one of them. Built in 1966, it is the only federally funded lodge in the national park system. Building it was no small trick, since everything for construction arrived by barge. There are no roads into Glacier Bay National Park. We are talking remote.
We arrived with our three grandchildren, ages 10, 8 and 6, after 13 1/2 hours of flying...and we only came from Oakland, California! We had a couple of long layovers, and caught the daily flight on Alaska Airlines from Juneau to Gustavus, a burg of about 300 hardy souls. The shuttle bus was there to take us to the lodge, where we checked into our room. Rooms have one double bed and one single: there were five of us. A large rollaway was soon in place, and as our 10-year-old grandson wrote in his journal: "It was a bit small, but it all worked out." And it did.

Swinging at Glacier Bay Lodge.

We hustled to get dinner before the dining room closed, and found the food as good as our last visit four years ago. At 10:30 pm, it was still bright outside, so we took a little walk and swung on the wooden swing below the lodge.
It was 7 am before we knew it, so it was on with the gear, breakfast and our all-day cruise. The Baranoff Wind is a comfortable day cruiser that shuttles guests through this water wonderland taking whichever route seems best for the day. On our last visit we went to the Margerie Glacier; this time it was to Johns Hopkins Inlet and Glacier that had been sealed off due to heavy ice until a few days before our arrival.

Johns Hopkins Glacier looms behind the inlet.

Think bobbing among icebergs. Each trip is different, but a ranger accompanies you, and everyone gets an eye-full of wildlife including hundreds of birds, grizzly bear, sheep, sea otters and whales. Ranger Emma was not only knowledgable, but great with our grandchildren. Two opted to become Junior Rangers, and the experience was fun for both girls.

The second day, it was rain, rain, and more rain, but that didn't stop my husband and grandson from their planned day of halibut and salmon fishing with Capt. Mike Halpert. How often can a boy catch is own bait then pull in a fish that weighs as much as he does? Pure joy!
We had seen a few whales as part of our Baranoff Wind tour, but our half day on The Taz was extraordinary whale watching. The 45 foot, 23-passenger craft is outfitted with a hydrophone system that gives guests an incredible opportunity to not only see whales, but to hear them. The mammoth humpback whales had a lot to say as they swam around us, under us then "bubble netted". The feeding technique involves a warm of whales that circle creating a bubble net around their herring prey. You can hear them chatting and see the surface bubble; then suddenly there is a loud call and in unison their mouths soar into the air, swallowing their catch in openings big enough to hold a VW bug. Humbling for humans to watch.
John Muir was humbled by Glacier Bay in 1879, and again, some things never seem to change. The massive ice that once filled the bay is gone; huge chunks of glacial history crash and fall, calving into the water; sea life abounds thrilling those who watch; multi-storied cruise ships slide through the wonderland and kayakers do the same. So, it has changed, and will continue to do so. But whoever experiences these  feats of nature continues to be humbled.
As Bill Brown, former NPS historian and author says: "It is a great cultural adventure. Whatever your discipline or your profession or your avocation, when you see Glacier Bay in all its magnificence, you know you're in the presence of glory."

Humpback whales "bubble netting" their catch at
Point Adolphus in Glacier Bay National Park's marine preserve.

Tips on visiting Glacier Bay Lodge:

• Rooms are along wooden walkways set along the water or tucked into the woods. If you have any mobility issues, make sure to let them know.
• The restaurant offers excellent food. The morning buffet is worth it, particularly for kids. 
• Enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail on the deck.
• Go on both the all day Baranoff Wind trip and a separate whale watching morning or afternoon trip on The Taz. Lunch is served on the Baranoff but not The Taz.
• Go into town one evening if you want a change from the lodge. The Homeshore Cafe is VERY casual, but offers good pizza. Oh, and there is a museum in the filling station.
• Evening ranger programs are informative as is the Visitor Center on the second floor of the lodge. 
• There are easy, beautiful trails around the lodge. I have seen Black bears walking in front of the lodge, and there were Brown bear encounters with stream fishermen while we were there. All of these are posted, so simply be aware.
• You do not need to rent a car. There are virtually no roads. The lodge shuttle bus is on Alaska time, meaning check and double check on pick-ups particularly for the airport. We hauled our luggage onto The Taz to make sure it would be with us for our flight that left an hour after we disembarked from our cruise. It was a good call.
• The Taz, Glacier Bay Lodge and the Glacier Bay National Park websites are all helpful in planning your trip.

I like to read books on wherever I'm traveling, and I recommend Kim Heacox's The Only Kayak. There are signed copies at the visitor center bookstore or order it through this site and Amazon.com. Kim and his wife, Melanie, live in Gustavus, and among other things, he is an exquisite writer and storyteller. Lucky for me, we unexpectedly ran into them at dinner one night at the lodge.

Glacier Bay Lodge is featured in Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume 2.