Whittier Shore Excursion: Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise
MyLittleAdventure logo
English / EUR
Whittier Shore Excursion: Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise
/ United States / Alaska / Valdez-Cordova / Whittier / Tours & Activities /
See details in English

Whittier Shore Excursion: Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise

4h15
About this activity

Departing from Whittier, the Blackstone Bay Glacier cruise travels through Passage Canal and Decision Point on its way to Blackstone Bay, a fjord located in the peaceful waters of Prince William Sound. A fjord is a deep, U-shaped valley that has been formed by glacial erosion. Prince William Sound is located in a temperate rainforest and receives a vast amount of rainfall that feeds the many overflowing waterfalls that you will see in the area.

As you cruise into Blackstone Bay, you'll soon get the first glimpse of the gigantic ice field that feeds the Blackstone, Beloit, and Northland glaciers. Blackstone and Beloit are actively calving tidewater glaciers, which means that they flow from the mountains all the way down into the ocean, where they calve or break off into the water. Northland Glacier is an actively calving hanging glacier; it hangs off cliffs overlooking Blackstone Bay.

As you approach the glacier, you'll begin to see chunks of ice called icebergs floating in the water. You'll come to a stop, floating among the icebergs as the glaciers tower 700 feet above the 77-foot vessel. Here, the captain will turn off the engines so you can hear the ice crack and groan. Often you will see harbor seals and sea otters lounging on the floating ice. You'll spend about an hour watching these glaciers so you have as much time as possible to see them actively calving.

As you head back towards Whittier, watch for sea otters and the numerous amounts of bald eagles that nest along the coastline. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal in Alaska, weighing 80-100 pounds. They do not have blubber, so to stay warm they have thick fur, with up to 600,000 hair follicles per square inch. Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools, utilizing rocks to break open the shells of crab, clams, shrimp and other seafood, which they eat 20-25 pounds of each day!

Next, you'll visit Hidden Falls, where the boat stops within feet of the mist of the falls, providing a wonderful photo opportunity. Before ending the cruise you'll visit the second-largest black-legged kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound, where thousands of black-legged kittiwakes have built their nests on the steep sea-side cliffs. These migratory birds, part of the gull family, travel as far south as Baja California and Costa Rica every year. During the summer they mate, lay eggs, and raise their young in rookeries built into rocky cliffs.

After leaving the rookery you'll return to the Whittier harbor.

Read more Show less
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
60%
Aquatic
35%
Similar activities in Whittier Click to discover other experiences
Anonymous
Anonymous

Whittier

  • Information & Tips
  • Tours & Activities

Settings

We use cookies to provide you the best experience. By continuing to browse this site, you accept the use of cookies. For more information, please read our privacy policy.