About the beautiful Glacier Bay National Park

Location: Alaska, USA
Towns near by: Gustavus, Alaska, USA
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September 2009 - The crew of the sailing yacht Mad Dog Voyager bear the distinction of being the first and only to have spent an entire winter in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve living aboard and actively exploring Glacier Bay by boat. During our time in Glacier Bay, over a 2 year span, we have travelled on our boat to every accessible point within Glacier Bay during each period - summer, winter and the shoulder seasons (spring & autumn).

Details about magnificent place called Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay glacial coverage maps 1780 - 2009 (click here)

Glacier Bay is best described as a place not that “time forgot”, but rather where “time took a little longer”. As little as 250 years ago, Glacier Bay was nothing more than a 3-mile dent in the icy shore along the northern edge of Icy Strait, Alaska. Sleeping under 4,000 ft / 1,200 m of glacial ice, deposited by the Little Ice Age, the beauty of Glacier Bay was waiting like a flower waiting for spring to open it’s petals to the world.

Since that time, and still today, Glacier Bay amazes visitors, environmentalists, geologists and biologists around the world. To witness the massive glacial retreat while, at the same time, watching as plants and animals populate the barren wasteland left behind by these same glaciers.

There have been many books written about Glacier Bay and the connections people have with it. Some people describe it as a living, breathing entity, a very spiritual place with a “soul” of its own; some experience a “rebirthing” of their connection with nature, to others it is a place to find your inner self, a place to establish and discover self-awareness. We have found Glacier Bay to be an incredibly beautiful wilderness preserve that will rival anything else on the planet. The variety of animals and the freedom they enjoy living in this unique location is truly a monument to nature’s capabilities.

Mad Dog Voyager and its crew The Mad Dogs have been very lucky to be able to spend the time that we have in Glacier Bay Park and National Preserve. We spent several weeks during July 2008 in the Park enjoying what Glacier Bay had to offer during the summer, but were bitten by the wilderness bug. Once Glacier Bay closed its Visitor Information Center, the Park became a desolate, almost abandoned, place. Since September 1, 2008 Mad Dog Voyager has been an almost permanent fixture of the Park. Many of the local residents are surprised to hear of a sailboat spending winter, Christmas and New Years inside the Park. “We’ve never had anybody do this before!” explained one of the Rangers as we discussed our plans.

Our website and all of the photos we’ve taken is a tribute to the untapped and virtually unknown beauty that Glacier Bay has to offer during the winter season, however it is not without its dangers. In order to spend any amount of time in Glacier Bay during the winter, a fully self-sufficient boat and crew are required. It was almost 2 months during one of our journeys into the park that we did not see another boat or hear another voice. It is one thing to not hear another voice, but when there is no VHF radio reception (in some areas) there exists dangers and hazards that must be weighed against the skill level and adventure demanded by the visitor.

The Glacier Bay Park Rangers are a fantastic and dedicated group of people doing an outstanding job. However, their job is made difficult due to the lack of radio reception within some areas of the size of this "park" and the remoteness of the entire Glacier Bay Preserve. Additionally, if a radio call for help was successfully made, there are still many aspects of weather, location, and having the facilities to reach someone in a serious situation, which presents serious barriers to immediate, on-the-spot assistance.

Your safety in Glacier Bay
More about preventing problems while traveling in this vast wilderness area

Wildlife in Glacier Bay
More information about the wildlife in Glacier Bay National Preserve