Governing body National Park Service Management National Park Service | Established 1980 | |
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Location Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA Area 2,664,876 acres (10,784.37 km) Nearest city The City and Borough of Yakutat | ||
Glacier Bay Wilderness is a wilderness area in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. It consists of the park section of 3.28-million-acre (13,300 km2) Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Surrounded by a spectacular, glaciated horseshoe rim of mountains, the bay is sheltered by the Fairweather Range to the west and the Saint Elias Mountains on the north. The highest peaks, topped by Mount Fairweather at 15,300 feet (4,700 m), stand almost three miles (5 km) above the sea and attract intrepid mountaineers. No trails exist, but backpacking is growing increasingly popular, often along numerous icy streams sometimes welcoming and sometimes choked with brush. Brown and black bears are numerous on shore. Firearms are not permitted in the park section.