The gateway to Glacier Bay National Park, Bartlett Cove is a large, well-protected anchorage fronting the park headquarters, public dock, and Glacier Bay Lodge near Gustavus, where nearly every cruising boat checks in, picks up its park permit, and gets oriented before heading up-bay.
Bartlett Cove lies about 4 miles north of Point Gustavus, formed by the mainland on the southeast and Lester Island on the northwest, just inside the mouth of Glacier Bay off Icy Strait. It is the administrative heart of Glacier Bay National Park: a 300-foot National Park Service T-head pier, a year-round headquarters and ranger station, and the seasonal Glacier Bay Lodge sit on the southeast shore.
This is the place where Glacier Bay cruising begins. Permits, the mandatory boater orientation, and VHF check-in with the park (call sign KWM20 Bartlett Cove) all happen here, and the lodge offers food, showers, laundry, and seasonal fresh water. Dock space is first-come, first-served and capped at three hours in summer, so most cruisers anchor out and run a skiff ashore to the dinghy float.
The cove itself is large and offers genuinely good holding in mud, a welcome rarity in Glacier Bay, where much of the water is too deep or too rocky to set an anchor. Forested shores, abundant whales and otters in the surrounding waters, and the hum of floatplanes and tour boats give it the feel of a busy but beautiful national-park threshold.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Approach from Icy Strait and the lower bay by following the east shore of Glacier Bay about 1 to 1.5 miles offshore for the 4 miles from Point Gustavus to the cove, then enter in midchannel. Per the U.S. Coast Pilot, no dangers exist that are not connected with the shore except at the head of the cove and off the east and west entrance points: the reef off the east entrance point is described as particularly dangerous, and foul ground extends a similar distance off the west point, marked at times by kelp.
Inside, take care not to approach too close to the shoaling head of the cove. A reported submerged cable/hydrophone runs in shallow water along the northern side and across the mouth of Bartlett Cove, so avoid anchoring there. Strong currents can run parallel to the face of the NPS pier with a west set on the ebb. All vessels must have advance NPS permission (June 1-Aug 31) to enter past the Point Carolus-Point Gustavus line.
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Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Bartlett Cove with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Member-uploaded images of this anchorage.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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