Magnificent Glacier Bay: one of Alaska's best-kept secrets.

• Author: Cutler, Debbie
• Position: TOURISM - Guest editorial

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Magnificent. Awesome, Grandiose. That is Glacier Bay." At least according to Dorynda Johnston of Saratoga, Calif., who spent two nights and two days at the remote fly-in or boat-in site, located 60 miles west of Juneau and about 10 miles from small-town Mayberry-like Gustavus, which is the gateway to Glacier Bay and rests in the middle of a Sitka spruce rainforest.

"I've been using the word awesome a lot," she went on to explain. "I think I've overused it, but it fits."

Early in the morning, guests arrive at 7:15 a.m. on a brilliant sunny day to Glacier Bay Lodge & Tours headquarters--a large lodge that houses the U.S. National Park Service, a gift shop, a restaurant to rave over and more--to wait to board a lodge boat and see Glacier Bay at its best. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve boasts 3.3 million acres, but is connected to two other national parks (including one Canadian park), making the total protected area about 25 million acres. Staff, with huge smiles on their faces, greet with good mornings.

"Every day is a great day at Glacier Bay," one gentleman responded.

This little-known jewel has some of the most spectacular scenery in Alaska. Snowcapped mountain ranges rising to more than 15,000 feet, coasted beaches with protected coves, deep fjords, tidewater glaciers, coastal and estuarine waters and freshwater lakes. Not to mention glaciers. Did I say glaciers? Glaciers that drop ice into the ocean with a thundering roar while seabirds circle around the deep green water to feed on the fish and plankton that boils to the surface from the giant calving of ice. White and blue chunks of ice float in the water and circle the boat in an amazing way while seagulls coo in the distance.

"It doesn't get much better than this," said Ruth Bauer of Saratoga, Calif. "It's very impressive."

"I was thinking when I came downstairs (from the upper viewing deck) that I should send an e-mail to my business partner and it was that Alaska is truly as they say it is," added steward Jim Underwood of Denver, Colo., who is a chiropractor during spring, fall and winter and an adventurist in the summer. "It truly has more magic than what you watch on TV. You don't realize how magical it really is."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

And did I say animals? An amazing array of birds: pigeon guillemot, pelogic cormorant, tufted puffin, horned puffin, common murre, Kittlitz's murrelet, eagles, seagulls and more.

How about brown bears doing a mating...