Site Overlay

Itinerary Helper

Here are some quick guides I would have appreciated before heading to these places.

Glacier Bay National Park

Camping at Bartlett Cove
1) Book the daily Alaska Airline flight between Juneau and Gustavus. There is only one flight per day, it is around 15 minutes. Everyone is entitled to three free checked bags on Alaska Airlines.
2) Email Glacier Bay Lodge and pay $15 per person each way for a guaranteed bus ride. It does not hurt to call to remind them of the day of arrival at Gustavus.
3) Email Glacier Bay National Park rangers with the camping dates. Ranger stations might be closed on arrival, but they would leave passes in the late check-in box.
4) There will be a bus waiting at Gustavus to take all passengers towards Bartlett Cove/Glacier Bay Lodge.
5) After being dropped off at Glacier Bay Lodge, walked around the lodge on the left side towards the jetty. There is a separate backcountry ranger station at the jetty. Get your campsites after a brief orientation.
6) There is running water, Wi-Fi, and two electric bathrooms here.
7) When you are ready, take a trolley and push all camping gear 0.25 miles along the trail towards the campsite.
8) Make sure everything that smells goes into the huge bear storerooms. There are a few pit toilets here and a warming hut with chopped wood. There is also a campfire ring on the beach.
9) There is an unmarked meadow with tons of wildflowers at the end of the campsite.
10) Remember to check in/leave your names on the bus list at the Glacier Bay Lodge on the day of departure. I do not believe the bus will be fully loaded but it was packed for us. The 1530 bus will get you to Gustavus airport on time.

Daily Tour Boat (Day Boat)
1) Purchase the ticket for the Glacier Bay Tour in advance. I believe this tour route is like all the other gigantic cruise ships, but the day boat has a much smaller capacity (~150 people?), much more intimate, and the captain could move quickly to observe certain wildlife.
a) some people tried to catch the first seaplane from Juneau to get here by 0645, but it was a gamble because the day boat would leave without you.
b) It is possible to catch the 1530 shuttle from Bartlett Cove to Gustavus airport if you are flying out on the Alaska flight back to Juneau after the Day Boat. The schedule has been designed to set you up for success.
2) Meet at the Bartlett Cove at 0645. Bring a bottle to refill water, sunscreen, a hat, and maybe a layer. It does get a little chilly from the wind from the glacier if standing on the deck. The water was extremely calm but brought motion sickness medicine.
3) Onboard provided unlimited donuts and coffee in the morning, clam chowder soup before lunch, sandwiches, cookies, and potato chips during lunch. Additional beverages and snacks, as well as souvenirs, are sold onboard. We did not buy anything.
4) There were two rangers onboard, one narrated the entire trip and had fun programs throughout the day. The captain and others would try to spot wildlife, which included sea otters, seals, sea lions, grizzly bears, whales, and sea birds.
5) The ship has three floors. The first floor has both tables and chairs, with the cafeteria, but it is the warmest; the second floor has seats only but obstructed forward view because it is where the captain resides, but the back/stern deck is out in the open; the top floor has 360-degree views but only open when the boat is slowed down significantly.
6) There is only one stop throughout the day, which is to load/unload Sea Kayakers to the east arm, where boats are not allowed. The news is that it is around 7 days long, with lots of mosquitos and bears. It seems like it can be done unguided, but I would pay for a guide.
7) As mentioned earlier, we got back just before 1530 at Bartlett Cove, which is the location of Glacier Bay Lodge, bus pickup, and campsite.

Guided half-day guided Kayak.
1) Book online by sending an email for a request. They will take payment over the phone.
2) Depending on the season, you can get away with just a T-shirt and shorts. They will supply an entire arsenal of additional clothing and Glacier Bay does not get cold enough to require additional layers. We did not get wet and they do not want you to be in the water either.
3) They will supply a dry bag that you can hang onto the front of the kayak for access, so probably plan to bring sunscreen, a bottle, and a phone/camera. Should also have cash ready for tips.
4) We were greeted in the morning in the lodge. 5 people paid for the half-day guided kayak tour, but three of them were on assignment. I do not think they would cancel the trip if it was only two people, but it did not seem popular.
5) It is possible to cut short on the kayak trip (if you are rushing for another activity/bus), but I think that the full amount of time is required to enjoy the trip.
6) We enjoyed the half-day tour and would not want to do a full day as we doubt there is any more to see. There are no glaciers anywhere close to Bartlett Cove; the only way to see glaciers is to take the day boat.
7) We think lunch is only supplied for a full-day tour; we didn’t get lunch, which made sense.

Banff National Park

Gondola
1) Book tickets in advance. You will need to estimate the time to go up and down.
a) Plan for 2 hours of dinner at Sky Bistro;
b) 45 minutes if you want to hike to the end of the short trail to the Red Chairs;
c) There are also more hiking opportunities around the area;
d) There is a trail up and down from the upper Gondola to the lower Gondola station;
e) There is also a trail towards Sulphur Mountain.
2) Park near the Cascades of Time garden (the neighborhood has free parking) and take the bus towards the Gondola. The bus takes about 15 minutes, but they run between 20-30 minutes frequency and can be fully booked. Buses are free if you show your pre-booked tickets.
3) You can get off at the Banff Upper Hot Springs stop and walk down to the Gondola station to save a few minutes if the traffic is horrible.
4) Everyone was allowed to line up 10 minutes before the allocated time. Seems to be able to adjust the time at the counter if you are running late.
5) The line snakes and will take some time, we waited around 20 minutes to board.
6) They try to pack 4 people into the Gondola, but you might be able to get away with 3.
7) The ride takes 8 minutes, enjoy the view!
8) We came down close to closing time, and they did not check for our ticket time.
9) The bus in Banff runs until late at night.

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
1) Book your ticket IN ADVANCE to either lake. I prefer to go to Moraine Lake first (smaller and less facilities)
2) Check in at the ski resort to trade in the QR code for tickets for the Park Canada buses. There is a one-hour window to board the bus and do not be late for this.
3) Buses run between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. It takes about 30 minutes between Ski Resort/Lake Louise to Moraine Lake; it is around 10 minutes between Ski Resort and Lake Louise.
4) Unlimited time between any stops, just remember to catch the last bus back.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.