Taking a glacier viewing vacation in Alaska is a simply amazing experience.
I certainly will never forget my first time in Alaska, on a Princess cruise ship. I simply was unprepared for the sheer beauty and grandeur of the place.
Glaciers are actually rivers of ice that flow down the slopes of tall mountains. The glaciers in coastal Alaska are mostly tidewater glaciers, meaning that they terminate where they meet the tidal waters - usually inlets or fjords.
It is this tidewater junction that is truly spectacular, as glaciers, literally flowing down the mountains at a rate of inches a day, break off in huge chunks, falling into the pristine waters of fjords below.
These glaciers are still actively carving the geography of Alaska, and on an Alaska cruise, you can watch this amazing process in action.
The best places to view glaciers
The most popular locations to view glaciers in coastal Alaska are clustered in two main areas:
The College Fjord region southeast of Anchorage
The Inside Passage near Juneau
The College Fjord region is located off the Prince William sound and contains five major tidewater glaciers along with dozens of other smaller glaciers.
The most famous glaciers in this are the Wellesley, Smith, Harvard, and Bryn Mawr glaciers.
This area has the highest concentration of tidewater glaciers in Alaska and is a wonderful spot to view glaciers in action.
The Inside Passage to the south, near Juneau, includes three separate fjord systems, all with major tidewater glaciers.
These three fjord systems are:
Glacier Bay National Park
Tracy Arm
Misty Fjords National Monument
Of these, I believe the most spectacular is Glacier Bay, though all three areas are magnificent.
Most Alaskan cruises stop in at least one of the three fjord systems in the Inside Passage and also in the College Fjord region.
If you would like to view additional glaciers, you can book shore excursions to Misty Fjords and Tracy Arm during port stops in Juneau and/or Ketchkian.
Excursions to Glacier Bay can often be booked for the time you are docked in Juneau or Skagway.
Whichever glaciers you end up viewing, you are sure to have a wonderful time.
A glacier viewing vacation is really a magical experience, one you will no doubt remember for many years to come.
