Glacier Bay was first designated a national monument in 1925. Its purpose was to preserve the glacial environments and plant communities for public enjoyment, scientific study, and historic interest. In 1980 Glacier Bay was redesignated a national park and preserve. In 1986 it was named a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and in 1992 Glacier Bay was listed as a World Heritage Site. The park covers 3.2 million acres of wilderness. Although naturalist John Muir is credited with discovering the bay in 1879, the Tlingit Indians were the original inhabitants of Glacier Bay and still consider it their ancestral home.
Lamplugh Glacier is one of the many tidewater glaciers found in the park. Lamplugh Glacier flows from the Brady Icefield high in the Fairweather Range where the annual nowfall can exceed 150 feet! In addition to glaciers, we viewed brown bears, bald eagles, horned and tufted puffins, Steller's sea lions, harbor seals, black-legged kittiwakes, glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon guillemots, and common murres.
