The 2nd leg of the trip (with my dad) was in Gustavus/Glacier Bay National Park. We stayed for 3 days/2 nights. The 1st leg was in Juneau (see Juneau forum) and the next leg was in Anchorage (see Anchorage forum).

Transportation: Chuck at Fjord Flying Service flew us from Juneau to Gustavus in a 6-person plane. Recommend this pilot (let us select flight time, smooth trip, beautiful view). Alaska Airlines also goes to Gustavus if the timing works for you (only one flight per day). Plus, we thought it would be fun to try a small plane. The owner of Puffin Cabins picked us up at the airport and gave us a small tour on the way to the cabins. We rented a car for 1 day and should have kept it for longer. Gustavus is bike-able (flat, small), but who wants to bike to dinner in the rain after a long day? Bud’s Car Rentals (only game in town) provided a very old car (200K miles). We had a little trouble with the key, otherwise it was fine. On the days that we didn’t have a car, the excursion companies picked us up or we arranged for taxis.

Lodging: Puffin Cabins

* Sandy, the owner, is also a travel agent. She arranged a lot of our Gustavus stay (taxis, GBNP boat tour tickets, flight with Chuck).

* Cabin was on the small side, which was fine for a short stay. It would have been nice to have the kitchen stocked with a few items.

* There is a main building (lodge) where breakfast is served and a common room for guests (TV/reading).

* A dog (very large!) and cat have run of the place. Fair warning if you have allergies. I was lucky to be there in time to play with a litter of kittens!

* Complementary breakfast is OK. Sandy assigns a breakfast time based on your day’s plans – keeps you on schedule.

* Let us store our luggage after checkout, so we didn’t have to deal with storage at the GBNP Lodge during the boat tour.

Dining: all are vegetarian friendly.

* Overall advice – make dinner reservations. The few restaurants are part of B&Bs/Inns, so their tables are first given to their guests. Reservations are allowed if there is extra space.

* Bear’s Nest B&B and Café: Across the street from Puffin Cabins (convenient when we were car-less), we enjoyed meeting and chatting with the chef/owner. Although disappointed that the vegetarian items on the menu weren’t available, we benefited from the chef creating special meals for us. She’s very inventive and respects different diets.

* GBNP Lodge: Didn’t eat there (needed car), but checked-out menu. There were several vegetarian options.

Weather: Cool and overcast

Itinerary:

Sunday: Free day to wander and not be on a schedule (had rental car)

* Visited Glacier Bay Lodge. Visitor’s Center was small, so we didn’t stay long.

* Based on a flyer, went on the Bartlett River hike. Supposed to be an easy 3-4 mile walk with tons of wildlife. Instead, the trail had deep mud with lots of tree roots and there was barely any wildlife (a few birds in the distance). The flyer didn’t show the whole trail - we went as far as the tributary. It was pretty and peaceful, so we relaxed there for a while. Glad I wore my hiking boots – as compared to the hikers wearing sneakers in all that mud. I can’t recommend this hike – we did not enjoy it.

Monday: “Whales, Kittens, and Strawberries” – best day of the whole AK trip! Whale kayak trip in Pt. Adolphus with Spirit Walker (splurge, totally worth it!); played with kittens at Puffin lodge, and had local strawberries for dessert after dinner. Great day!

* Spirit Walker picked us up at our lodging (nice!)

* Our trepidation, from disastrous kayak trip in Juneau, went away quickly. There were only 6 of us on the trip (including the guide) and the training/gear was exactly what we needed.

* A water taxi took us and the kayaks to Pt. Adolphus, so that we could spend the day paddling with the whales.

* We saw/heard many humpback whales (in every direction), harbor seals, sea lions, bald eagles, and an otter.

* The most exciting moment is when a pod of whales changed direction and headed our way. They got very close! Our guide kept us out of their path, which was good because we were too busy taking pics to help.

* We stopped for lunch on the beach and then paddled more. We didn’t want to leave (note to self: sign-up for the 2-day trip next time!) until the weather shifted (windy/drizzly) and we had to paddle hard to get back to shore.

* The kayak trip was an all day excursion. After they brought us back to our lodging, we relaxed, got an early dinner, and went for a walk (unsuccessful quest to see a moose in the wild).

Tuesday: Glacier Bay National Park boat tour and Alaska Airlines flight to Anchorage. Recommend the boat tour if you have patience (long day!) and want to see wildlife and glaciers.

* Taxi picked up boat tickets for us

* Based on advice, we grabbed seats upstairs on the boat. Right choice – best viewing was from the upstairs decks.

* Saw puffins, seals, sea lions, brown bear family on an island, one whale, and an otter with a baby.

* Staff rented (for a fee) binoculars to people who didn’t bring their own

* Lunch was good with several options, including vegetarian. Afternoon warm snack was clam chowder or vegetarian chili.

* Marjorie Glacier was beautiful. We stayed until it calved a little.

* Most people slept on return trip

* Water was very calm, no one was motion sick

* Very cold – wear warm layers, a hat, and gloves

Don't miss!

* Pt. Adolphus (if can’t go kayaking with Spirit Walker, go on small boat tour with Taz)

* GBNP boat tour (depending on your interests)

* Dinner reservations

* Car rental if staying a few days

Skip!

* Bartlett River Trail hike

* Worrying about mosquitoes - didn't run into any