Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier is North America's largest tidewater glacier, stretching 76 miles with a face that rises nearly 400 feet above the water in Disenchantment Bay. Your ship parks at a safe distance while chunks of ice break off the front with a sound like distant thunder. The blue colour comes from compressed ice that's centuries old, and it's more intense in person than any photograph suggests. Waves from the calving ice rock smaller boats in the bay. This is a scenic cruising stop, so you don't go ashore. Bring binoculars and dress for the cold, as temperatures near the glacier drop well below what you'll feel elsewhere on the ship. The best viewing is usually from the upper decks on the port side, though the captain will rotate the ship for both sides. Sea otters and harbour seals sometimes appear on the ice floes near the glacier's face.