DISCOVERTHEBESTOFanchorage

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of the ocean in the St. Elias Mountains at Mount Fairweather,
the park’s tallest peak at 15,300 feet (4,700 m), transitioning to
the Fairweather Range from there southwards. The Brady Icefield
caps the Fairweather Range on a peninsula extending from
the ocean to Glacier Bay, which extends from Icy Strait to the
Canada–US border at Grand Pacific Glacier, cutting off the western
part of the park. To the east of Glacier Bay the Takhinsha
Mountains and the Chilkat Range form a peninsula bounded by
the Lynn Canal on the east, with the park’s eastern boundary with
Tongass National Forest running along the ridgeline. The park’s
northwestern boundary, which also abuts Tongass National Forest,
runs in the valley of the Alsek River to Dry Bay. The preserve
lands comprise a small area at Dry Bay — the majority of Glacier
Bay lands are national park lands. The park boundary excludes
Gustavus at the mouth of Glacier Bay. The lands adjoining the
park to the north in Canada are included in Tatshenshini-Alsek
Provincial Park.
No roads lead to the park and it is most easily reached by air
travel. During some summers there are ferries to the small community
of Gustavus or directly to the marina at Bartlett Cove.
[8] Despite the lack of roads, the park received an average of
about 470,000 recreational visitors annually from 2007 to 2016,
with 520,171 visitors in 2016. Most of the visitors arrive via cruise
ships. The number of ships that may arrive each day is limited by
regulation.[8] Other travelers come on white-water rafting trips,
putting in on the Tatshenshini River at Dalton Post in the Yukon
Territory and taking out at the Dry Bay Ranger Station in the
Glacier Bay National Preserve. Trips generally take six days and
pass through Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon and
Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in British Columbia.
Alaska Aviation Museum
Aviation has played a major role in Alaska’s development
– before there was a significant network
of paved roads or railways, there were landing
strips – and at the Alaska Aviation Heritage
Museum you can learn how airplanes helped the
Last Frontier take flight. Exhibits focus on the careers
of bush pilots, who mastered flying over the
state’s rough terrain, plus the history of Alaskan
aviation. While touring, check out the historic
aircraft housed in the storage hanger. Recent
visitors recommend taking your time to explore
and see all of the planes, and not to miss the last
hanger, where you can watch volunteers rebuilding
vintage bush planes.
Overlooking Lake Hood from the grounds of the
Anchorage airport, the Alaska Aviation Heritage
Museum is a great place to either start or end
your Anchorage trip. You can visit between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m. every day during the summer and
Wednesdays through Sundays during the winter.
Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children
(ages 5 to 12). For more information, check out
the museum website.
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