Encompassing more than one million hectares, Glacier Bay is 144 kilometres northwest of Juneau in a land comprising three distinct micro-climates and seven different ecosystems that support a wide variety of plant and animal life. From endangered humpback whales and Arctic peregrine falcons to mountain goats, seals, eagles and black and grizzly bears, the bay is home to a rich diversity of Alaska’s wildlife. Earthquakes and climatic fluctuations have caused the 16 tidewater glaciers to retreat in recent years and the park is perhaps most famous for prolific glacier calving. Visitors often hear a tremendous thundering as great walls of ice come crashing down into the bay, a magical and humbling sight.