Tracy Arm Fjord

30-mile glacially carved fjord with twin glaciers and walls of polished granite

Tracy Arm Fjord is one of the most dramatic day trips from Juneau — a 30-mile-long glacially carved canyon about 45 miles south of the city, with walls of polished granite rising 2,000 to 3,000 feet from the water's edge. At the head of the fjord, the twin Sawyer Glaciers calve icebergs directly into the sea. The water between them is often thick with brash ice, bergs, and the occasional piece of glacial blue the size of a house.

Several operators run full-day tours by high-speed catamaran from the Juneau waterfront; the journey takes about two hours each way, leaving time to cruise slowly through the fjord's inner reaches. Wildlife is a reliable bonus: harbour seals haul out on ice floes, Steller sea lions are common, and humpback whales are frequently seen in the approach. Dress warmly regardless of the weather in Juneau — the fjord generates its own microclimate and is often cold and misty.

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Tracy Arm and the adjacent Endicott Arm were carved by glaciers advancing and retreating over thousands of years. The walls are so steep that direct sunlight reaches the water for only a few hours a day, keeping the fjord unusually cold even in summer. The twin Sawyer Glaciers at the head of the fjord — North Sawyer and South Sawyer — are both still active tidewater glaciers, calving icebergs directly into the water.

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