Paddling in Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay holds one of the most consequential stretches of open water in the Alaska panhandle — a deep, glacially carved fjord system pushing roughly 65 miles into the Saint Elias Range, with tidewater glacier faces, exposed crossings, and tidal currents that demand genuine sea kayaking competence.

This is saltwater wilderness paddling, not flatwater touring, and the scale of the bay shapes every decision from launch to camp.

The hub is Bartlett Cove, near the park entrance at Gustavus, where day trips run through protected rainforest waterways along Lester Island and toward Point Gustavus.

These lower-bay paddles are sheltered enough for beginners and offer close wildlife encounters — seals, sea otters, porpoises, bald eagles, and occasional whales — without committing to the full backcountry.

For paddlers with more time, the upper bay is where the park's character fully asserts itself: active tidewater glaciers, calving ice, and the kind of solitude that comes from being genuinely far from anything.

The daily tour boat out of Glacier Bay Lodge runs designated camper drop-off points upbay, letting kayakers skip the lower miles and start closer to the glaciers — a practical option worth booking well ahead, since kayak capacity on the boat is limited.

Multi-day trips of 5 to 10 days are the most common backcountry commitment.

From May 1 through September 30, all overnight users — kayakers included — must register, complete a mandatory orientation, and hold a free backcountry permit, issued at the Bartlett Cove Visitor Information Station.

Private boaters entering bay waters north of Point Gustavus and Point Carolus between June 1 and August 31 need a separate vessel permit and must contact the park by VHF on KWM20 Bartlett Cove before entering or exiting.

All food and scented items require an approved bear-resistant canister, which the park provides at no charge.

The Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers represent a completely different kind of paddling — large-volume, swift glacial rivers that breach the coast range and finish at Dry Bay, Alaska.

The Tatshenshini put-in at Shawshe (Dalton Post) in Yukon Territory is 153 river miles from the take-out, passing through Canadian provincial parks before entering Glacier Bay National Park.

The canyon just below Shawshe runs continuous Class III, Class IV at high water; the remainder is generally Class II. Turnback Canyon on the upper Alsek requires a portage.

Private trip permits for the Alsek are limited and managed by waitlist through the park. Glacier Bay does not forgive underestimation.

The weather, the open crossings, the cold water, and the distance from help are the real variables here — and they're the reason the permit orientation exists.