Glacier Bay is a natural wonder on the Southeast coast of Alaska. Back in the ice age, large glaciers were created in the Northern waters of the globe. As the ice age thawed out, so did the glaciers. In an inlet of the Alaskan coast the glaciers thawed out to form a bay. Glacier Bay got its name not just because of its history as a glacier, but because of the immense glaciers which still exist surrounding the bay.
Glacier Bay was established as a national monument in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge, and is part of Glacier Bay National Park. The park stretches from Gustavus to Juneau and is part of a 25 million acre World Heritage Site, one of our nation's largest. Glacier Bay is visited by thousands of cruise ships yearly and a popular spot for kayaking and hiking.
Glacier Bay is home to all sorts of incredible wildlife and stunning natural beauty. Both humpback and killer whales follow five different kinds of native salmon to the beautiful waters of Glacier Bay. Inland, it isn't uncommon to see both black and brown bears as well as glacier bears. There are also numerous types of birds unique to the area. Glacier Bay is also home to sea lions, seals and otters. The wildlife is one of the main things which attracts people to Glacier Bay.
Some say that visiting Glacier Bay National Park is like going back in time to the ice age. One of the wonders of glacier bay is its ability to make it seem like you have entered a whole different world from the one that you previously lived in. That is one of the most amazing things about traveling in general, and in Glacier Bay, not only have you entered a new world, but you've entered a whole new time period, too. Glacier Bay is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I know that it is on my bucket list.
Sources:
http://www.elstonhill.com/sitebuilder/images/eGlacierBay_20_-800x614.jpg
http://www.gullcove.com/images/534_1727_southeastalaska_w_box.jpg
http://www.wallcoo.net/animal/2008_animal_1680_desktop_01/images/Harbor%20Seal%20Glacier%20Bay%20National%20Park%20Alaska.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsXe9LrGqyWuyMJOt6Lr2yc_Dq5dPN4pRxMx-E3qWUxrUlbzv_
http://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/images/whaleside_1.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/03/6c/23/glacier-bay-alaska.jpg
http://www.alaska.com/glacier-bay/
http://www.nps.gov/glba/naturescience/index.htm
