My family and I went whale watching with Hoonah Matata on 7/29 and we had a wonderful experience…read more Captain Jaromy knew just where to go to find a bunch of humpback whales that we're all around us the entire afternoon. The vessel is fast, brand new, and provides a much more nimble and private experience than you get on the larger boat tours my extended family went on. We even got to see a bunch of bald eagles fishing as we watched the whales. If you want an intimate whale watching tour with a knowledgeable and friendly crew, Hoonah Matata is the way to go.

This was our third time to Icy Straight Point in Hoonah AK…read more 2013 - we did the Ziprider known as the world's largest. 2019 - we walked into the town of Hoonah. Visited a carver's totem workshop 2026 - we rode the free green gondola which was built during the pandemic. The red gondola takes you up to the top of the mountain where the Ziprider is. In Icy Straight you can spot pods of whales from shore. This last time we saw lots of whale activity. There's the original fishing cannery where you can explore and read about the industry.

It's weird. This port is the only privately owned cruise destination in Alaska, so you think it…read morewould be a huge tourist trap, designed for the efficient extraction of money from cruise ship tourists, but you can totally have a good time without spending any money if you so desired. It's really your choice. I've heard great things about the wildlife tours and the programs at Skypeak Mountaintop. Of course, the zipline looks super fun as well. I spent my time walking along the beach and looking at the ocean. I didn't see any whales, but was treated to a huge swam of jellyfish drifting along the currents. I also explored the cannery, which has great information about the canning industry and how whole fish got turned into delicious preserved fish. Overall, interesting juxtaposition of nature and human development. I'm glad I got to experience it!

This was a great tour. There were a variety of birds and other wildlife seen. We saw a lot of…read moreEagles. The guide was knowledgeable about the birds a other wildlife. I recommend this tour.

Booked this tour through my cruise line and I'm so glad I did. I had an amazing day with Amy. She…read moreis extremely knowledgeable about all the birds that are native to Alaska. We saw so many beautiful birds. Her passenger van was extremely clean and she had water & snacks for us. She even has a spotting scope to get a really great view of birds far away. Would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who loves nature & birds.

This Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is not a standalone building. It's actually situated…read moreon the 2nd Floor of the Glacier Bay Lodge. What confused me about this VC was that... When I was researching coming to Glacier Bay, I knew I was only going to be here on a quick 48 hour getaway. And...since I wasn't staying at The Lodge and only here for the All Day Boat Tour...I wanted to make sure I had enough time to come check out the Visitor Center. It's mentioned on Google and the NPS website that the VC is only open from 11am - 1pm, daily. But...the Gift Shop area inside The Lodge is open from 6am - 10pm daily. And...it's at the Gift Shop where you can purchase park souvenirs. In my head...I was just perplexed as to why the Glacier Bay VC would only be open for 2 hours a day...from 11am - 1pm? I don't get it...and I have visited a lot of National Parks. Well...now after spending my weekend in Glacier Bay, I can reveal what the 11am - 1pm hours were all about... This only means that a Park Ranger will be present at the VC from 11am - 1pm. So...if you're interested in speaking with a ranger or have any questions/concerns, that's the time to come. What I also noticed outside of 11am - 1pm was that... The shelves and on-site displays are locked up too. So, you're not able to read about some of the histories on Glacier Bay. But for me...that was okay. I just wanted to know that I could purchase some keepsakes from my time here and have my Parks Passport stamped. Otherwise...nothing else mattered. A side note... On the Glacier Bay Boat Cruise, there was a Park Ranger onboard for the 8 hour tour, and he had with him a Parks Passport stamp pad. Also, inside the Visitor Center while outside the hours of 11am - 1pm, the stamp pad was left out for the day, which was nice of the NPS to do. And...anytime you wanted to head up to the 2nd floor, there were tons of extra Park Pamphlets to take as well as Park Guide Booklets. Again, a nice gesture. Then...back downstairs on the 1st floor near the entrance was the Glacier Bay Gift Shop. Though, I found the options for purchasing little gifts and knickknacks such as magnets, keychains and postcards to be minimal. I only a bought a few items despite desperately searching for more...there really just wasn't much. And the Gift Shop was small...it was hard to maneuver around when there were a few people shopping at the same time. I do wonder...during 11am - 1pm, if maybe the Park Rangers have more souvenirs to offer guests when they are present? But, overall, the Gift Shop was just okay. Another note I'd like to mention... There was no park film to watch at the VC. But...if you walk down to the Tlingit Hut...(which is located just outside The Lodge to the right hand side), there's a more broad/wide range film to view in terms of histories and backgrounds about Glacier Bay. I stopped by the Tlingit Hut and watched the film which was informative. Overall, this Glacier Bay Visitor Center was fine for being situated on the 2nd Floor inside The GB Lodge. I just wish there was more clarity about the opening hours. You can scare a lot of National Park Enthusiasts out there for only being open 2 hours day from 11am - 1pm, lol. And...the Gift Shop should showcase more options for purchase as well.

The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is on the second floor of this building, where you can…read moreget your National Park passport stamp. Be warned, although you can walk around and look at the exhibits, there is not a ranger staffing the desk after 4 PM, and the National Park stamp is not left out. This is what happened to us. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the Xunaa Shuká Hít Huna tribal house, just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. If you're staying at the lodge for one night and taking the boat tour, you'll need to check out this visitor center after hours, otherwise, you won't have time to see it and make it back to the bus on time.

Yes! I love Glacier Bay Lodge! No, I didn't have the opportunity to actually *stay* at Glacier Bay…read moreLodge but I did have the opportunity to dine at the lodge several times during my stay in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Before I go any further, Brian from Utah is the very best waiter and my Dad and I purposefully requested him to be our waiter every time we dined here. I can speak to the Alaskan Ambers, the chicken fingers, the seafood chowder, and the best plates - the smoked salmon platter and the steak dinner. Everything was really tasty and I have no complaints. The service was great and even if there was a wait, or you want to dine near the fireplace, you can get your food in a to go box. Win win. Other notables regarding the lodge - the Visitor Center is on the second floor in addition to several exhibits, a National Park Service bookstore, and a theater that shows scheduled films about the park. I always enjoyed stopped at the lodge on our way to/from the campground. While I'd love to stay at the lodge, it was great having the opportunity to use several of the amenities while staying for *free* in the developed/established NPS campground just a quarter mile down the road.

This is a 3.5 for me. Stayed one night on 7/31/2021. For a lodge in the middle of nowhere, it's…read morefine. This is also the Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center on the second floor, where you can get your National Park passport stamp. The hotel picks you up from Gustavus airport in an old school bus, and drops you off at the lodge. From the bus, hotel staff come on the bus to tell everyone the facts about the hotel and where to get your luggage. Afterwards they separate you by last name and you get your keys. Much faster than checking in individually at the front desk. You pick up your luggage and go to your room. It smells like the summer camp that I went to. They do have ramps and an elevator for people who are in a wheelchair. Our room (31) was fine. There's no TV and no internet reception in the rooms, so you better like who you're staying with, because the lodge closes at 9 PM. We had to go to the front desk because we didn't have any soap or shampoo, but they're really understaffed after the past year. Room comes with a bed, a table, two chairs and nightstands. There is no mini fridge or microwave so don't bother bringing stuff that would need those two appliances to be edible. There is one restaurant on site that requires reservations, and all diners must be hotel guests. It's a little old, and the walls are a bit thin, but the room was comfortable and I fell asleep immediately. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the traditional house just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. I would strongly discourage bringing anyone under 21 here. There were so many teens and tweens on ipads in the communal sitting area in the lodge. You could tell they were bored and not interested in the beautiful nature, so save your money and let them come when they're adults who can appreciate the scenery.

Gustavus is small, friendly community of locals, seasonal workers and visitors and we were…read morefortunate to meet proprietor Jana early in our trip to Gustavus - this review is for dinner at the lodge Jana could not have been any sweeter and more accommodating to us. Even though we were staying at a different lodge - she invited us to the Country Inn for dinner and it turned out to be the best meals of our 10 nights in Alaska. Pro-tip - call by 2pm each day to reserve your table and meal We feasted on soups, smoky-grilled pork tenderloin w/ garlic sauce, roasted vegetables and rhubarb pie. Incredible. Thanks Janna for your friendliness and hospitality - great visit!

I feel bad breaking a perfect 5.0. Just to be clear, the hotel and service are absolutely…read moreimpeccable, with everything organized perfectly and running smoothly. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat if I could afford to. That said, for me Yelp is basically restaurant reviews, and the dining was not quite as great as I'd hoped. It had its strengths: salmon cooked perfectly, best bacon I've had in years at breakfast, and impeccable desserts that'd be a 5* review here on their own. But some aspects were lacking--I found the soups to be perhaps oversalted, and the vegetables to be overcooked and mushy, in particular. Don't get me wrong, it's good food especially by national park standards, but it wasn't quite up to the hopes I'd had of an heir to the legendary Gustavus Inn (which, to be fair, I've never been to).

Greg is great! It is clear that he knows the area and cares about the bears. We were lucky enough…read moreto see a mom and her 3 cubs and another adult fishing for Salmon in the evening on 8/27/25. We loved being able to be a part of a smaller tour group too!

We weren't expecting an amazing vehicle out of this rental like the big corporations or anything…read morebut I feel a review is necessary so people know what they're getting into. We aren't sorry we rented from them and glad we had the option, but thought others might like to know what they may get. They were very flexible about dropping off the car for us at our lodge, and Katelyn was super friendly and helpful, but I had to use the hotel landline to call because they didn't tell us the license plate or make of the car for drop off when my boyfriend signed the paperwork at the airport, so we weren't sure that the car was ours in the parking lot of our hotel. We were under the impression that we were meeting someone directly so we waited for that and had to call when we didn't see anyone. Overall, I'd say it was worth having a car in Gustavus for a short time, but most hotels (there are only a few around) will shuttle you around town, and friendly locals will even offer you a ride if you chat with them! We have rented from small similar companies in very remote areas like Gustavus and gotten older, not so clean cars before. Our rental was a Ford Taurus SE with license plate LAC583. However, this car should not have been rented out at all. It was absolutely filthy inside and out. I opened the cup holder and almost gagged (see photo) it was so gross. The car had not even been hosed off, nor vacuumed or wiped down on the inside in I don't even know how long. The trunk was the cleanest part, and even that was not impeccable. However, the cleanliness was not the worst thing, it's the wilderness we can forgive some of that. This car had issues that needed repair and attention. The RPM was constantly jumping and bouncing around and the entire car veered to the right and was off balance, which you could visibly see from the back that it leaned to the side. When you're in a place with no cell service, this makes one a little nervous driving around (even in a town so small it's probably safe to hitchhike-lol). The last inspection was from three years prior, which we thought was not legal, but we DID see other cars in town that were just as far from inspection date or farther so maybe it is just how it is here. When we returned the car, no one was at the desk and we had to make our flight, so we didn't get to explain this in person. The price was about $100 for the 24 hours we rented it, which we found to be quite a lot for the condition of the car, though we know the demand for cars is high in Gustavus and there are not many. We would have felt better around $60 for what it was, accounting for the demand/area. There is also no insurance and no clear agreement or instructions. Just know if you rent from them, you should expect the minimal and just a very basic way to get around in a rough and tumble car.