GLACIER BAY, ALASKA

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve in the Alaska panhandle west of Juneau.

Glacier Bay became part of a binational UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, was inscribed as a Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and in 1994 undertook an obligation to work with Hoonah and Tlingit Native American organizations in the management of the protected area. In total the park and preserve cover 5,130 square miles (13,287 km²). Most of Glacier Bay is designated wilderness area which covers 4,164 square miles (10,784 km²).

Glacier Bay is home to nine tidewater glaciers that calve. In part because of variations in snow accumulations, most glaciers in the eastern and southwestern areas of the bay are receding, while several on its west side are advancing.

The park and preserve hosts many outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, mountaineering, kayaking, rafting, fishing, and bird-watching. Sport hunting and trapping are also allowed in the preserve.