Teton Interagency fire managers have announced today that the fire danger rating has increased to Very High for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and Teton Interagency Dispatch Area.
With exceptionally dry conditions, local residents and visitors alike should practice heightened fire safety at all times. Indeed, two wildfires continue to grow near Grand Teton National Park:
* The Cliff Creek Fire was discovered on the Bridger-Teton National Forest at 2:30pm on Sunday, July 17th. It was reported approximately 5 miles north of the town of Bondurant. The lightning ignited fire has now burned more than 10,000 acres, and has closed Highway 191 between Bondurant and Hoback Junction until further notice. For more information on this fire, please click here.
* The Lava Mountain Fire is burning northwest of Dubois on the Wind River Ranger District of the Shoshone National Forest. This fire was also caused by lighting on July 10th, and is currently active in thick timber. This fire has burned just over one thousand acres. For more information on this fire, please click here.
When determining fire danger ratings, fire officials evaluate several factors such as: the moisture content of grasses, shrubs and trees; projected weather conditions (including temperatures and possible wind events); the ability of fire to spread after ignition; and the availability of fire-fighting resources. A fire danger rating of ‘Very High’ means that fires can start easily, spread quickly and burn intensely.
Recent hot temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions have combined to increase the potential for intense fire activity across the Teton Interagency fire area.
The smallest spark has the potential to cause significant damage, always crush smokes dead out; never leave a campfire unattended; ensure that your vehicle has a properly installed spark arrester that is operational; and, stop and park only in areas clear of vegetation.
Campers are reminded that unattended or abandoned campfires can easily escalate into wildfires; therefore, it is important that all campfires are completely extinguished and cold to the touch before leaving a site. Campers and day users should have a shovel on hand and a water bucket ready for use. All campfires must be completely extinguished and cold to the touch before leaving a site.
All recreationalists should be mindful that they could be held liable for suppression costs if their actions contribute to starting a wildfire.
To report a fire or smoke in Bridger-Teton National Forest or Grand Teton National Park, call the Teton Interagency Fire Dispatch Center at 307.739.3630. For more fire information, please visit www.tetonfires.com.
“Climbing higher for a still broader outlook, I made notes and sketched, improving the precious time while sunshine streamed through the luminous fringes of the clouds and fell on the green waters of the fiord, the glittering bergs, the crystal bluffs of the vast glacier, the intensely white, far-spreading fields of ice, and the ineffably chaste and spiritual heights of the Fairweather Range, which were now hidden, now partly revealed, the whole making a picture of icy wildness unspeakably pure and sublime.”
- John Muir on seeing Glacier Bay for first time in 1879
Without a doubt, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was the highlight of our entire cruise. After the photos and videos I saw prior to our trip, it was also the most anticipated. No doubt we were very blessed to have outstanding weather that day. Many of the ship crew members also commented how extremely lucky we were to have had such a glorious day, as this area is usually cloudy, and receives quite a bit of rain.
Our ship entered Glacier Bay around 6:00 AM on the 5th day of our trip. We stayed within the park boundaries for more than nine-and-a-half hours. Sometime during the wee hours of the morning a couple of park rangers boarded our ship. Throughout the day they gave presentations and answered a variety of questions from the passengers. They also helped with spotting wildlife as we made the roughly 65-mile journey to visit Johns Hopkins Glacier and Margerie Glacier.
Surprisingly we saw very little in the way of wildlife. We did see a bald eagle, porpoise, sea lion, harbor seal and a couple of humpback whales. I was hoping to see more, but that was fine, we were there for the scenery. Some of the other wildlife that thrive in and around the bay include minke and killer whales, sea otters, moose, black and brown bears, wolves, mountain goats, wolverines, lynx, as well as a wide variety of birds and waterfowl.
“The very thought of this Alaska garden is a joyful exhilaration. …out of all the cold darkness and glacial crushing and grinding comes this warm, abounding beauty and life to teach us that what we in our faithless ignorance and fear call destruction is creation finer and finer.”
- John Muir on Glacier Bay
John Muir made his first visit to Glacier Bay in 1879, only one year prior to the establishment of his beloved Yosemite National Park. Muir came to Alaska to learn about glaciers and how they shape the landscape. He believed that the Yosemite Valley had been carved by ice, and wanted to prove his theory by studying the glaciers in Alaska. At the time of his first visit the main glacier in Glacier Bay had already receded 45 miles up the bay, thus opening the bay to navigation, exploration and research for the first time.
In his 1915 book, Travels in Alaska, which was a collection of newspaper dispatches, lectures and articles, Muir began promoting Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage to the broader public. This led to President Calvin Coolidge proclaiming Glacier Bay a national monument in 1925. In 1980 Glacier Bay was elevated to a National Park and Preserve. In 1986 it was recognized as a Biosphere Reserve, and then was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Today, the world's largest protected marine sanctuary also protects 16 tidewater glaciers and 30 valley glaciers within an area that encompasses 3.3 million acres. In all, there are more than 1000 glaciers in the park. The mountains surrounding Glacier Bay are some of the highest coastal mountains in the world, with the tallest peak in the park, Mount Fairweather, rising 15,300 feet above sea level. The stunning beauty of this park attracts roughly 450,000 visitors a year, with roughly 90% arriving by cruise ship.
After a couple of hours of sailing we approached the end of the bay, passing Reid Glacier and Russell Island, just before reaching Johns Hopkins Inlet. Near the entrance to the inlet was the snout of Lamplugh Glacier, which stretches 16 miles south towards the Brady Icefield:
Topeka Glacier also comes into view near the entrance to the inlet:
Once we rounded Jaw Point, a nearly 90-degree bend in Johns Hopkins Inlet, we could finally see Johns Hopkins Glacier at the head of the inlet. Our view was rather distant since the ship could only go so far into this fjord. From its source along the eastern slopes of Lituya Mountain and Mount Salisbury, the glacier extends for 12.5 miles before spilling into the bay. At its terminus the glacier rises 250 feet above the water, with another 200 feet submerged below:
After making a 180-degree turn the ship began making its way towards Tarr Inlet. As we cruised towards the far end of this fjord we headed straight for Grand Pacific Glacier, which stretched just below the mountains across the border in Canada. Although 2 miles wide and 35 miles in length, Grand Pacific Glacier stands only 60 feet high:
Our ship sailed all the way to the end of the inlet, just shy of where Margerie Glacier meets the sea. As we approached we were very fortunate to see some fairly significant calving. We also heard quite a bit of cracking and rumbling inside the ice as the ship got to within a quarter-mile of this massive glacier. At the point where it reaches the ocean, Marjorie Glacier is about a mile wide. From its source along the southern slopes of 12,860-foot Mount Root, the glacier extends for 21 miles before reaching the bay. It rises 250 feet above the water, with another 100 feet submerged below the surface:
Margerie Glacier was once considered to be one of the most active glaciers in the national park, but has stabilized in recent years, and is neither advancing nor retreating. Johns Hopkins Glacier, on the other hand, is advancing at a rate of 10-15 inches per day.
Glacier Bay is thought to contain some of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. According to the national park website the main glacier reached its maximum extent at the end of the Little Ice Age around 1750. At that time the glacier extended all the way into Icy Straight. However, when Captain George Vancouver sailed into the area in 1794, he and his crew described what we now call Glacier Bay as just a small five-mile indent in a gigantic glacier that stretched off to the horizon. By 1879 John Muir noted that the ice had retreated an additional 40 miles, and was in the process creating the bay. By 1916 the main glacier had melted back 60 miles to the head of what is now Tarr Inlet. Since then, over the last one hundred years, the glacier has retreated only an additional 5 miles. The park website also notes that some of the glaciers are retreating while others are advancing.
Indeed, Glacier Bay continues to be shaped by nature. Less than two weeks after our visit a massive landslide spread debris for miles across the Lamplugh Glacier. According to reports the rock face of a 4000-foot mountain, located between the Brady Icefield and Johns Hopkins Inlet, collapsed on a high, steep slope. Once the debris hit the glacier it kept sliding for roughly 6.5 miles. Scientists estimate that the landslide carried about 132 million tons of rock and debris – the equivalent of about 60 million mid-size SUVs - down the mountain and glacier. The Alaska Earthquake Center said the slide was the equivalent to a magnitude 5.5 earthquake. Although no one was around to see it, Paul Swanstrom, a pilot with the Mountain Flying Service, recorded the avalanche on video just two hours after the dust was just settling:
Lonely Planet Alaska is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you in Alaska. This guide includes full-color maps and images, highlights and itineraries to help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests, as well as insider tips, cultural insights, reviews for all budgets, and essential info at your fingertips, such as hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips and prices.
“Shut in by sublime Yosemite cliffs, nobly sculptured, and adorned with waterfalls and fringes of trees, bushes, and patches of flowers, but amid so crowded a display of novel beauty it was not easy to concentrate the attention long enough on any portion of it without giving more days and years than our lives can afford.”
- John Muir’s description of the Tracy and Endicott Arm Fjords during his visit in 1879
I must admit I was quite disappointed. After boarding the high-speed catamaran we learned that Tracy Arm was impassable due to too much floating ice. Instead, we were going to visit Dawes Glacier in nearby Endicott Arm. However, once we arrived at the glacier at the end of the fjord there was no longer any disappointment on my part. It was absolutely spectacular!
As the ms Nieuw Amsterdam cruised up Stephens Passage, heading towards Juneau, it stopped in mid-ocean to allow our excursion group to board the catamaran. This transfer occurred just outside of Holkham Bay, which marks the split between the Tracy and Endicott Arm Fjords. Instead of taking a left into Tracy Arm, we turned right into Endicott Arm. As we sailed through the bay we could see quite a bit of ice floating out of Tracy Arm.
The Endicott Arm Fjord marks the southern boundary of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness area within the Tongass National Forest. It’s located about 45 miles south of Juneau, Alaska. Designated by Congress in 1980, the Wilderness contains 653,179 acres, and includes two deep and narrow, glacially-carved fjords. Both fjords are more than 30 miles in length. At the head of each is an active tidewater glacier, which frequently calve large icebergs during the summer months, some as large as three-story buildings. Some say that the Tracy Arm–Fords Terror Wilderness encompasses terrain and scenery that rivals Glacier Bay National Park. I would say it's close...
Weather-wise, our luck continued this day. The forecast for Juneau on this day called for a 100% chance of rain. Although we did see a few of sprinkles of rain and sleet, which lasted less than 10 minutes, the weather otherwise was absolutely spectacular. I even got a sun burn, which was the last thing I expected to get in Alaska - especially when you consider that this part of the state gets some precipitation on roughly 222 days per year!
During our 31-mile journey to the end of the fjord we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including a brown bear, a bald eagle, sea ducks and several humpback whales. Visitors to the area may also see black bears, wolves, mountain goats, deer, moose, Arctic terns, pigeon guillemots and orcas. Endicott Arm is also one of the largest breeding grounds for harbor seals in the world.
Visitors will also see several waterfalls crashing down the steep cliffs of the fjords:
As already mentioned, at the end of Endicott Arm is Dawes Glacier, a wall of ice roughly 600 feet in height, and a half-mile in width.
Though my photos don’t do it justice, the deep azure blue of the ice was simply amazing to see in person.
If you ever get a chance to visit this part of Alaska, I would highly recommend taking this tour in a heart beat.
Lonely Planet Alaska is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you in Alaska. This guide includes full-color maps and images, highlights and itineraries to help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests, as well as insider tips, cultural insights, reviews for all budgets, and essential info at your fingertips, such as hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips and prices.
A few weeks ago Kathy and I took a cruise to Alaska. Not only was it our first trip to the 49th state, but it was also our first cruise. To be honest, we’re not “cruise people”, but felt it was the best way to see the Inside Passage and southeastern Alaska. Our primary goals were seeing Glacier Bay National Park and Tracy Arm, as well as hiking through the Denver Valley along the White Pass & Yukon Rail Route. In short, we were there to see the scenery - not for the amenities of a cruise.
After doing quite a bit of research in trying to decide which cruise line to take, and what time of year to take our trip, we chose to go with Holland America in early June. We liked Holland America because it visited both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm, and if I remember correctly, was the only cruise line to do so. Some of the other lines visit Icy Straight, Mendenhall Glacier or Sitka as part of their itinerary. We chose to sail in early June because it tends to have some of the best weather in terms of the least amount of rain. Although the forecast looked rather bleak for almost every day of our trip, we saw very little rain during our one-week cruise. Early June is also a good time if you're looking to avoid mosquitoes, which can be bothersome according to some of the reports I read. Our timing worked out perfectly. The only time mosquitoes gave us any problems was while we were standing on the dock in Skagway, other than that, they were a complete non-issue.
As a result of our choice we ended up sailing out of Vancouver, British Columbia on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam, a relatively new ship which took its maiden voyage on July 4, 2010. The ship is 935 feet in length, has 11 passenger decks that can accommodate up to 2,106 passengers, has a crew of 929, and has a maximum speed of 23.9 knots (27.5 mph).
The start of our cruise experience did not go smoothly. We both felt lost after walking into the terminal building at the Vancouver dock. It was chaotic, unorganized, and there was very little signage to explain where to go or what to do. Once we had all of our documents in order, and the process of boarding the ship began, we felt like cattle being herded to the slaughterhouse. The whole process reminded me of the Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld.
A couple of hours after boarding, all passengers had to take part in a mandatory evacuation drill before we could set sail. Once this was completed, things became more normal and we began settling into our ship-life groove. I didn’t even realize we were moving until I walked to the back deck and saw the wake trailing behind the boat. As we cruised between the mainland and Vancouver Island (which is 290 miles in length) that first day, sailing was really smooth. However, on the second day, we sailed through open seas for several hours before reaching the Inside Passage. To make matters worse, a rain system with fairly high winds passed over us during this portion of the trip. According to the cruise log the wind was clocked at 33 knots, or 38 MPH, resulting in some relatively rough seas. Though nothing horrible, both Kathy and I did feet a little woozy, especially when we went into the confines of our tiny bathroom. To help remedy the situation we tried to spend as much time as possible outside where the fresh air - though damp and cold - seemed to do the trick.
For the most part, the first two days were fairly uneventful. Other than a few whale and porpoise sightings, and some far off mountains, we really didn’t see much.
That all changed once we reached the meat of our trip. Over the next three days we enjoyed outstanding weather and scenery.
One of the legendary tales about cruising is the quantity of great food passengers have access to from morning through night. For the most part I thought the food on our boat was pretty good, with a few items I would describe as being exceptional. I thought Holland America did a very good job with their beef dishes. Their cream of broccoli, French onion and wild mushroom soups were all outstanding as well. I also enjoyed the chance to sample foods I don’t normally have access to, such as the offerings from Indonesia, the homeland of many of the crew members.
The downside to the dining experience was dealing with the constant crowds, especially during breakfast and lunch at the Lido Restaurant, where the food is served buffet style. It was hard to have a relaxing experience, not to mention the difficulty in finding an open table to sit at. For dinner we chose to dine in the main dining room, which is a sit-down, full service experience.
I should also mention that the entire staff – room service, waiters and business personnel – were all extremely friendly and professional.
On-board entertainment was pretty good as well. On nights when it was too cold or wet to sit outside, we watched B.B. King's All-Stars at the B.B. King's Blues Club. I was really looking forward to hearing some good blues, but discovered the band played mostly Motown. Oh well. The band was still very talented; especially the female vocalist who I thought could be a national talent. We also went to the piano bar one night, which I thought was a lot of fun. Since the pianist mentioned that he liked Elton John, I jokingly requested Funeral for a Friend, which I was sure he would scoff at. Not only did he know the song, and not only did he play it, but he did one whale of a job on it – I was thoroughly impressed!
All in all we had a great experience, and are certainly glad we took the cruise, but have no intention of ever doing another one. As I said, were not really “cruise people”.
Over the next several days I will be posting photos and reports from our excursions into Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay National Park, Misty Fjords National Monument, as well as our hike through Denver Valley just north of Skagway. Below are a few more random photos from our cruise.
Float plane takes off from the Juneau airport at sunset:
Typical scene from Vancouver Island:
On Day 5 after visiting Glacier Bay, instead of sailing through Icy Straight, we instead hung a right and sailed past the Brady Icefield and Brady Glacier, with the Fairweather Mountains in the background:
Good advice…
Ketchikan harbor:
Sunset along Vancouver Island:
For a detailed tour of the boat you can watch this short video:
Lonely Planet Alaska is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you in Alaska. This guide includes full-color maps and images, highlights and itineraries to help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests, as well as insider tips, cultural insights, reviews for all budgets, and essential info at your fingertips, such as hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips and prices.
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown bag luncheon presentation by Ren and Helen Davis, co-authors of Landscapes for the People: George Alexander Grant, First Chief Photographer of the National Park Service, on Friday July 22 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the park's Community Building in West Glacier. The presentation is free and open to the public.
The talk, titled, The Unknown Elder: George Alexander Grant, First Chief Photographer of the National Park Service, shares some of Grant's photographs (several featuring Glacier), his biography and role as chief photographer for the National Park Service (NPS), and emphasizes his relevance as the NPS celebrates its' Centennial.
As freelance writers and photographers, Ren and Helen Davis have co-authored seven guidebooks and more than 100 magazine and newspaper articles.Landscapes for the People is the culmination of three years of research in the National Park Service photographic archives, the Western Archaeological Conservation Center, the National Archives, the Center for Creative Photography, and other sites.
