Two hundred years ago, hundreds of feet of ice covered the landscape on the southern end of Glacier Bay National Park. George Vancouver reported Icy Strait choked with ice in 1794 and Glacier Bay was only an indention in that ice. When John Muir reached the ice in 1879, it had retreated 48 miles into the Bay. Today, the Grand Pacific Glacier is 65 miles from the Bay s mouth, and only a short distance from the Canadian border. Glacial retreat continues on the bay s east and southwest sides, but several glaciers are advancing on its west side.
Isostatic rebound causes up to an inch and a half increase in the altitude each year.
The flora and fauna of the area have evolved profoundly following the glaciers last retreat. Plant recovery, a mostly algal, feltlike nap stabilizes silt and retains water. Moss and ferns, horsetail, fireweed, dryas, alder, willow lead the way for pine, spruce and hemlock. These old-growth forests now provide necessary habitat for bald eagles to nest, bear and moose to roam. A quick eye may catch glimpses of fox, land otter, porcupine or wolf.