Cruising Glacier Bay and College Fjord

On the final two days of our Alaska cruise we sailed through the narrow straits of Glacier Bay and College Fjord taking in the breathtaking views of mile wide glaciers and snowcapped, craggy peaks. The morning we arrived in Glacier Bay our cruise boat embarked several National Park Rangers who provided commentary and lectures throughout the course of the day.

A highlight of the scenic cruising was watching the calving of the glaciers as they broke apart and created a spectacular splash as they crashed into the ocean.

While touring between the glaciers the on ship naturalist broadcasted commentary as we sailed through areas dense with orcas, humpback whales, seals, otters, and birds. He even pointed out several grizzly bears on the shore but without binoculars we were unable to spot them. I now really regret that we didn’t bring binoculars as there were so many great wildlife spotting opportunities that we missed.

Overall the scenic glacier cruising was a fantastic way to get close and personal with glaciers and wildlife. Interestingly enough, researchers studied the effects of boats on wildlife in Glacier Bay and surprisingly, kayaks have the most damaging effect on sea otters and seals. Apparently a person sitting in a kayak looks an awful lot like a killer whale and many of these animals have stopped frequenting areas with kayakers. Apparently this disrupts the natural habitat and food chain and all species are then affected by this migration. Who would have thought?

As these were the last days on our cruise, tomorrow we will make our way north through Anchorage into Denali National Park. We are thrilled to finally get out and explore on our own pace. Denali here we come!