Thinking about an Alaskan adventure to see some of the world’s most spectacular wonders?
Experiencing glacier viewing from the deck of a cruise ship is an unforgettable way to experience these incredible sights. With several glaciers available to visit on various Alaska cruises, choosing where you want to go will enhance your adventure and ensure you see the glacial landscapes that top your list.
Read on for our guide to which glacier you might choose to see on Alaska cruises.
Hubbard Glacier is North America’s largest tidewater glacier and offers one of the most accessible glacier viewing experiences in Alaska. Located in Disenchantment Bay, this massive glacier extends about six miles, and towers up to 400 feet above sea level.
Hubbard Glacier’s sheer size creates an overwhelming sense of scale that photographs simply don’t capture. The glacier is particularly active, producing frequent calving events that send massive chunks of ice crashing into the bay. The acoustic experience is as impressive as the visual with the glacier creating an almost constant soundtrack of creaking, groaning, and thunderous crashes.
Cruising through Disenchantment Bay to reach the Hubbard Glacier takes visitors past 9 of the 16 tallest peaks in North America, part of the Wrangell St. Elian mountain range including Mount Fairweather. Because Hubbard Glacier faces south, it often enjoys better weather conditions than some other glacier destinations, making it a fairly reliable choice for clear viewing conditions. The relatively wide bay also allows ships to position themselves for optimal viewing angles.
Endicott Arm is a narrow fjord stretching about 30 miles into the Alaskan wilderness. Cruising these waters leads to the spectacular Dawes Glacier. This is a more intimate glacier experience, with ships navigating through increasingly narrow waters, surrounded by towering granite cliffs and cascading waterfalls.
Dawes Glacier itself is a massive tidewater glacier that frequently calves into the fjord, creating a gallery of floating icebergs. Many cruisers feel the approach through Endicott Arm is often as memorable as the glacier itself, with the walls rising more than 3,000 feet on either side, and several waterfalls plunging into the dark waters below.
Wildlife enthusiasts particularly appreciate Endicott Arm for its harbor seals, frequently spotted lounging on ice near the glacier. The fjord’s protected waters also make it an excellent alternative when weather conditions make other glacier destinations less accessible.
Glacier Bay National Park—a UNESCO World Heritage site—features 11 glaciers, with eight in Glacier Bay. A visit here offers the chance to view more than one glacier, depending on the weather and water conditions. Cruise ships typically spend a day here, they do not dock anywhere, but stop to view a major tidewater glacier.
Over the past 10 years, more than 60 miles of ice has melted from the glaciers in Glacier Bay, making most here now considered “hanging” glaciers, that have receded far back into the mountains. The bay also provides excellent wildlife viewing opportunities, including humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, and brown bears along the shoreline.
Wherever you choose to explore to see these icy wonders, be prepared to dress for the weather and bring binoculars to help spot wildlife on the shoreline. Are you ready to explore cruise options to visit the wilds of Alaska, and it’s incredible glaciers?
