National ParkBiosphere Reserve
Glacier Bay
Alaska (USA)Designated in 198013,044 km²
A living laboratory of glacial retreat: the bay was under solid ice barely 250 years ago
Area
13,044 km²
Protection category
IUCN II
Parque nacional —
Designated in
1980
When Captain George Vancouver sailed through the area in 1794, the whole of what is now the bay was a single solid glacier over 30 km wide and several hundred metres thick. By 1879, when the naturalist John Muir visited, the ice had already pulled back more than 77 km, one of the fastest glacial retreats on record and now studied as a global scientific reference for ecological succession after ice disappears. Declared a national monument in 1925 and a national park in 1980, it is reachable almost solely by sea, and is one of the most sought-after calls on Alaskan cruises.
Location
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Glacier Bay: 59 documented species
Mammals23Birds15Amphibians1Cartilaginous fish
Flora and ecosystems
Ecosystems found in the United States, where Glacier Bay lies.
DesertTemperate forestTundra / polarWetland
Experiences in this park
Birdwatching
Wildlife you can see now
What is worth looking out for this month in the United States?
Now is a good time: Urban bat colony under Congress Avenue Bridge (March to November (peak in summer))
Similar parks
Which other parks are like this one?
Same country: United States
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Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about this park.
Comments
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