Outer Coast Province
This province is riven by tectonic plates and is being rapidly thrust upward, resulting in a landscape dramatically laid out in bands that parallel the coast. The Fairweather and Saint Elias mountains have been etched by glacial erosion into a high, jagged palisade. These ranges formed the source area for the Little Ice Age flows, and their peaks are still surrounded by ice fields today.

Abundant forests and rich wetlands here provide some of the most productive fish and wildlife habitat in North America. Sandy, wave-pounded beaches are interrupted by glacial deposits that trap estuaries behind them. This beach-estuary complex is a critical habitat, notably for brown bears, wolves, waterfowl, and salmon. Much of the entire Pacific populations of Pacific loons and gray whales pass through the area.

Yakutat Bay is a large glacial fjord that was filled with ice 1,000 years ago. The Hubbard Glacier at the bay's elbow has periodically advanced to block the tributary Russell Fjord and create a lake. The most recent episode occurred a decade ago.

Desolation Valley takes ice from the mountains like a huge gutter and channels it to a few outlet valleys where the ice reaches the sea.

Permit Information
Backcountry campers and hikers are required to obtain a free permit from the Glacier Bay Visitor Center in Bartlett Cove.

Directions
The Outer Coast Province extends northwestward along the Gulf of Alaska from Icy Point to Yakutat Bay. It is accessible by boat or airplane.

Information Center
The park's only visitor center is located in the Glacier Bay Province. It is located on the second level of the Glacier Bay Lodge in Bartlett Cove. There is a ranger station in the Glacier Bay Preserve near Dry Bay.

Activities