One of my favorite destinations to return to on the Wild Alaska Escape expedition is the small fishing town of Wrangell. The reason I love Wrangell is simple: there are many wonderful activities for our guests to enjoy. A group and I joined a jet boat tour along the Stikine River. It was very exciting to navigate up the river at fast speed, shifting and turning, avoiding rocks and logs. We had amazing landscapes in all directions including waterfalls, valleys, and Rock Castle — yet the most impressive view of all was Shakes Glacier. We were able to navigate near this receding tidewater glacier for amazing photos.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 04 Aug 2024
Wrangell, Alaska, 8/4/2024, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Alaska
Leonardo Carrizo, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Born in Argentina and raised in Ohio, Leonardo developed a passion for travel and exploration at an early age. While studying for his M.A at The Ohio State University in Spanish Literature and Culture, Leonardo traveled to Spain and Mexico to visuall...
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Alaska Escape: LeConte Bay, Wrangell and Misty Fjords
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5/29/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Endicott Arm
Dawes Glacier, located at the head of Endicott Arm in Southeast Alaska, is an active tidewater glacier in the remote Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area. Reaching the glacier requires a 30-mile journey through a narrow fjord lined with sheer rock walls rising over 3,000 feet. These cliffs are veined with waterfalls and often blanketed in mist. Throughout the fjord, remnants of the glacier float in the form of icebergs. The glacier feeds cold, silty meltwater into the fjord, giving the water a distinctive milky-green hue and supporting a rich marine food web. Harbor seals were hauled out on ice floes near the glacier. Gulls and Arctic terns were actively feeding, likely drawn by the small fish and plankton concentrated by the glacial outflow. The glacier calved several times, hurling large chunks of ice across the water’s surface, sending the birds fleeing. The sound of the ice hitting the water echoed off the steep rock walls that rise thousands of feet on either side.
5/27/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm
We could not have asked for a better way to end the expedition. Our last day was amazing! Visiting Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm was a highlight with its crystal-blue ice and resting harbor seals floating by on the ice. In the evening, we even got to see a couple of humpback whales off the bow of the ship. We ended the day by watching images of the beautiful moments created on our expedition during the famed guest photo slideshow.