The Glacier Bay Lodge: Everything You Need to Know for Staying in Glacier Bay NP

Visiting Glacier Bay National Park is a special experience and not many people get to enjoy the park onshore, but staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge is how you can do it. Located in the tiny town of Gustavus, the Glacier Bay Lodge is a small, cozy, rustic but nice hotel experience set in the beautiful setting of Bartlett Cove in the National Park. This is a good home base for exploring Glacier Bay National Park both on land and on the water.

Read on for everything you need to know about booking and staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge in Alaska’s Inside Passage. If you have any questions about the experience or need additional recommendations for things to do in the area, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a fun Alaska trip.

Is it worth staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge?

National Park lodges are always fun to stay in, either because they feel a bit rustic or themed with the park or just because they allow you to stay comfortable within steps of the beautiful nature National Parks are known for. The Glacier Bay Lodge is located directly on Bartlett Cove, which is both the only park of Glacier Bay National Park that you can drive to and is the launch point for the National Park boat tours up into Glacier Bay. You cannot get a more central location. Staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge also means having direct access to the National Park visitor center and trails.

While the main attraction of staying here is being in an easy location for the Glacier Bay National Park boat tours, there are plenty of things to do directly around the Glacier Bay Lodge itself. The boardwalks between the lodge rooms connect to the beach trail and from the parking area you can directly head onto the forest loop. It’s one of the best National Park lodge locations for activities, second only to the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and the Ahwahnee Lodge in Yosemite.

A bonus that I haven’t experienced at many other National Park lodges (except Brooks Lodge in Katmai NP) but perfect captures what makes staying at the Glacier Bay Lodge so special is the wildlife just outside. One morning I walked out onto the beach and had several sea otters playing right there. One afternoon there were two humpback whales in Bartlett Cove repeatedly surfacing and showing their flukes as they dove. Another night I was setup in front of the Huna Totem House taking pictures of the stars when a mama bear and two cubs walked along the beach in front of me. It’s just amazing to experience.

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Glacier Bay Lodge Amenities

The Glacier Bay Lodge is not a resort, so the amenities are limited, but when it comes to the town of Gustavus, it’s at the top of the list for an easy guest experience. There is a shuttle provided by the lodge to get guests to and from the Gustavus airport, and upon arrival, there is plenty of staff, both lodge staff and park rangers, to help you plan your days and have the best Glacier Bay National Park experience.

There is wifi at the Glacier Bay Lodge, but it’s only available in the lobby and on the deck. They do not have wifi routers in the lodge room areas, and there are no televisions in the rooms, so when you’re here you have a nearly tech-free visit. When you do need the wifi, it’s strong enough to send emails and receive text messages, but video calling is sparse and uploading videos to social media is slow to almost impossible. Maybe this will improve in time. And no, there is no cell phone reception here at the Glacier Bay Lodge or out on the trails. Really, this is a great place to visit for a tech-cleanse.

Perhaps the best amenity at the Glacier Bay Lodge is actually the lobby itself. A grouping of couches, and of course a big stone fireplace, makes for the cozy Alaska lodge experience you hope for. Upstairs from the fireplace area is the Glacier Bay National Park visitor center. This is staffed with a park ranger and is open for most waking hours. They have exhibits about the wildlife and history of Glacier Bay, as well as maps and lots of park knowledge to share. There is a gift shop here in the visitor center area and another in the lodge area.

Room Options at the Glacier Bay Lodge

Things stay pretty simple for room types at the Glacier Bay Lodge. There is either a standard King or a standard Double Double, or the same room type but called Deluxe because it’s located on Bartlett Cove so you have a better view. You can reserve an accessible room that’s located along the ramps vs down the stairs, but that’s the only difference for booking really. If you do choose to book a Deluxe room, they look out over the Cove and you’ll likely see sea otters and humpback whales from your window. No rooms have decks, but there are boardwalks connecting them and there is a grand deck at the main lodge building.

Dining at the Glacier Bay Lodge

There is a restaurant in the main lobby of the Glacier Bay Lodge, the Fairweather Dining Room, named for the Fairweather Mountains which you can see off to the west from the deck. There is both inside and outside seating, and the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast options include both an a la carte menu and buffet/continental options. Lunch is a good menu of handhelds and appetizers, and dinner is a very Alaska menu with salmon, halibut and more. It’s pretty good, but nothing to write home about. It is the only option for food within Glacier Bay National Park though, so for that I’m grateful.

Getting to Gustavus and the Glacier Bay Lodge

Very few guests drive to Glacier Bay National Park so the parking is very limited. To get to Gustavus you either must fly in on Alaska Seaplanes or Alaska Airlines, or you can take the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Juneau or Haines (depending on the route). Most guests will choose to arrive by plane and will take the shuttle to the Glacier Bay Lodge. Be sure that you’ve provided arrival information to secure your transportation, which is included in your stay. If you choose to, upon landing in Gustavus you can actually rent a car from Bud’s Car Rentals. They run at $90 USD plus tax for each 24 hour period, and they are not forgiving if you go over your time, charging for the next day. Their cars aren’t fancy, and as the agent told me when I got my rental car, “These are Gustavus cars. They may have a rattle or a check engine light but they’ll get you where you need to go.”

Book the Glacier Bay Lodge here!

More Things to do in Gustavus and Glacier Bay NP

While getting to explore Glacier Bay National Park is the primary reason almost everyone has for visiting Gustavus, it’s also a really beautiful area with some great trails, both in and outside of the National Park. Whether you’re flying in or arriving via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, you’ll find that Gustavus is best visited with a car. The Glacier Bay Lodge and National Park boat tour are FAR from town and the other restaurants and sights are peppered around the beach, forest and airport areas. Having said that, you don’t have to have a car, but you’ll have a better time getting to do and see more if you do.

Here are our recommendations for things to do around Gustavus and on land at Glacier Bay National Park:

• visit Gustavus Beach Park and walk the long shoreline
• whale watching with Cross Sound Express
• sea kayaking with Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks or Spirit Walker Expeditions
• walk the Nagoonberry Trail
• hike to Hydro Falls
• hike to Bartlett Lake from the Tower Trail
• do the Forest Trail loop at Glacier Bay NP
• hike the Bartlett River Trail