Glacier Bay Wilderness

Glacier Bay Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Map showing the location of Glacier Bay Wilderness
Location Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA
Nearest city Yakutat, Alaska
Coordinates 59°04′0″N 136°59′0″W / 59.06667°N 136.98333°W / 59.06667; -136.98333Coordinates: 59°04′0″N 136°59′0″W / 59.06667°N 136.98333°W / 59.06667; -136.98333
Area 2,664,876 acres (10,784 km2)
Established 1980 (1980)
Governing body National Park Service

Glacier Bay Wilderness is a wilderness area in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. It consists of the park section of 3.28-million-acre (13,300 km2) Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Surrounded by a spectacular, glaciated horseshoe rim of mountains, the bay is sheltered by the Fairweather Range to the west and the Saint Elias Mountains on the north. The highest peaks, topped by Mount Fairweather at 15,300 feet (4,700 m), stand almost three miles (5 km) above the sea and attract intrepid mountaineers. No trails exist, but backpacking is growing increasingly popular, often along numerous icy streams sometimes welcoming and sometimes choked with brush. Brown and black bears are numerous on shore. Firearms are not permitted in the park section.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.