7 Best Sights in Juneau, the Inside Passage, and Southeast Alaska, Alaska

Tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park calve icebergs into the sea with loud blasts. Humpback whales breach, spout, and slap their tails against the water. Coastal brown bears feed on sedge, salmon, and berries. Bald eagles soar overhead, and mountains in the Fairweather Range come in and out of view. This magical place rewards those who get out on the water—whether it be in a cruise, a day boat, or a kayak. Glacier Bay is a marvelous laboratory for naturalists of all persuasions. Glaciologists, of course, can have a field day. Animal lovers can hope to see the rare glacial "blue" bears of the area, a variation of the black bear, which is here along with the brown bear; mountain goats in late spring and early summer; and seals on floating icebergs. Humpback whales are also abundant in these waters; the best time to see them is June through early August. Birders can look for the more than 200 species that have already been spotted in the park, and you are assured bald eagle sightings. The bay is a still-forming body of water fed by the runoff of the icefields, glaciers, and mountains that surround it. Today many glaciers in the park, including the namesake glacier of naturalist John Muir, who was one of the region's earliest proponents, continue to retreat: the Muir Glacier's terminus is now scores of miles farther up the bay from the small cabin he built there. However, some of the glaciers are still healthy, such as the Johns Hopkins Glacier and the Marjorie Glacier, which receive enough snow to maintain their size or even grow. Bartlett Cove, an area that's been ice-free for more than 200 years, has a lush spruce-and-hemlock rain forest as well as the 2,500-square-foot Huna Tribal House (Xunaa Shuká Hít), a space for tribal members and for visitors to learn about Tlingit history and culture.

This 5-mile, round-trip route borders an intertidal lagoon, runs alongside an old glacial moraine, zigzags through the woods, and spits you out in a designated wilderness area at the Bartlett River estuary. From the trailhead, located a short walk from Glacier Bay Lodge, it's about 2 miles to the river, and although this portion can be muddy and slippery, the park service does maintain it. The stretch that continues along the riverbank for a couple more miles isn't maintained, and segments of it can be difficult to navigate, depending on the tide or recent rainfall. Bear sightings are common here, especially when the salmon are running. Moderate–difficult.

Of the handful of trails in the Bartlett Cove area, this is the shortest and easiest. It's a 1-mile round-trip route that starts just across the road from Glacier Bay Lodge and travels through the rain forest and along the beach. Boardwalks make up the first half of the trail, allowing those using wheelchairs to access the two viewing platforms that overlook a pond where moose can sometimes be spotted. Easy.

The inlet to John Hopkins cuts deep into the Fairweather Range, making it another of the lucky few glaciers that have remained stable in recent years. Although it is tidewater, it isn't visited as often as Margerie Glacier because it takes longer to travel down the inlet to it. Further, this inlet is closed to motorized traffic for the first half of the summer as it's a critical habitat for pupping harbor seals.

The final destination for most tour vessels and cruise ships, charismatic Margerie frequently calves large chunks of ice off its 350-foot face. Unlike most of the world's glaciers, Margerie has maintained a relatively stable position over the past several years thanks to high precipitation levels in the Fairweather Mountains where it originates.

This 2,500-square-foot, recreated, cedar post-and-plank clan house, dedicated in 2016, is a space for the Huna Tlingit clans—whose ancestral homeland is Glacier Bay—to gather for meetings and ceremonies. It's also a place where visitors can learn about traditional food, art, crafts, dance, and other aspects of Tlingit culture. Xunaa Shuká Hít (roughly translated as "Huna Ancestor's House") was a collaborative project between the National Park Service and the Hoonah Indian Association.