Hubbard Glacier Oddball Questions

We're going to spend a day in the Hubbard Glacier area. I'm not exactly sure exactly where that glacier is, so I was wondering if someone could tell me. It looks to be around Yakutat, Alaska, but when I pull up Google Earth, I can't find a specific place called Hubbard Glacier. I also don't see much white area around Yakutat, unless we're talking about the area northwest of there. Can anyone give me a better idea of where we're going? Also, will there be any commentary, and about when and for how long is the most scenic part of our visit to Hubbard? If it makes a difference, we'll be on Oceania Regatta, and we'll be coming from Sitka. I may ask in the Oceania section, but if anyone on here can help me, I'd really appreciate it! Everyone else appears to be going to Juneau and Ketchikan - whew! The Princess ships are everywhere in Alaska right now, often in pairs at each port. However, they've been going to Glacier Bay, not Hubbard.

We're going to spend a day in the Hubbard Glacier area. I'm not exactly sure exactly where that glacier is, so I was wondering if someone could tell me. It looks to be around Yakutat, Alaska, but when I pull up Google Earth, I can't find a specific place called Hubbard Glacier. I also don't see much white area around Yakutat, unless we're talking about the area northwest of there. Can anyone give me a better idea of where we're going? Also, will there be any commentary, and about when and for how long is the most scenic part of our visit to Hubbard? If it makes a difference, we'll be on Oceania Regatta, and we'll be coming from Sitka. I may ask in the Oceania section, but if anyone on here can help me, I'd really appreciate it! Everyone else appears to be going to Juneau and Ketchikan - whew! The Princess ships are everywhere in Alaska right now, often in pairs at each port. However, they've been going to Glacier Bay, not Hubbard.

Hubbard is the best, if you can get close that is. On maps, don't look for the town of Yakutat, look for Yakutat Bay. Yakutat Bay is huge, almost 20 miles across at the mouth. Then head due north, maybe 30 miles, Yakutat Bay turns into Disenchantment Bay. Disenchantment Bay then turns into a River of Ice, about 6 miles plus across the face. You have then arrived at Hubbard Glacier. Go up Hubbard Glacier in the St.Elias Mountains about 30 miles or so and you have arrived in Canada, Yukon Territory. C:\Users\ksmith\Pictures\2010 Alaska Cruise and Hawaii with kids\133.JPG

Did you try looking up Hubbard Glacier in Wikipedia?

DON

Copy this into Google Earth: 60°00'49.0"N 139°31'26.0"W

That should put you at the face of Hubbard Glacier

There will be announcements on the ship. Btw, I am on princess ship next month that is going to glacier bay and Hubbard.

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I agree with kennicott - Hubbard glacier is the best! Having been to Glacier Bay & Tracy Arm, I like Hubbard by far. We were sailing on a Celebrity ship the two times we’ve seen it.

- Rose

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Hubbard is the best, if you can get close that is. On maps, don't look for the town of Yakutat, look for Yakutat Bay. Yakutat Bay is huge, almost 20 miles across at the mouth. Then head due north, maybe 30 miles, Yakutat Bay turns into Disenchantment Bay. Disenchantment Bay then turns into a River of Ice, about 6 miles plus across the face. You have then arrived at Hubbard Glacier. Go up Hubbard Glacier in the St.Elias Mountains about 30 miles or so and you have arrived in Canada, Yukon Territory. C:\Users\ksmith\Pictures\2010 Alaska Cruise and Hawaii with kids\133.JPG

Kennicott is absolutely right, but if you're more of a visual person (I most definitely am!), here you go:

And to answer the second part of your questions, I've only ever been to Hubbard Glacier aboard Holland America, so your experience with Oceania may be different.

The whole approach to Hubbard is absolutely lovely. The entrance to Yakutat Bay, the waterfalls, if it's clear you can see Mount St. Elias (the 2nd tallest peak in the US) in the background, Haenke and Turner Glaciers just before you get to Hubbard, the chunks of ice, the birds, and depending on time of year, the marine mammals, all of it! Yes, I'm a bit of a fan :)

Hubbard is enormous – 175 miles long and 1,200 feet deep. The glacier’s face that we’ll sail along is more than 6 miles wide and over 400 feet tall. On HAL ships, tide, weather and ice permitting, the captain rotates the ship 180 degrees, so that each side gets to "sit" in front of the glacier for 30-60 minutes, and often longer. My sister and I spend pretty much all day outside, dashing in for food and warming up as needed. By the time the ship leaves Hubbard, most people have gone inside, so head over to the aft of the ship for a great look at the glacier without worrying about people heads and/or selfie sticks. (Don't even get me started ....)

Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful information. I now know a lot more about what to expect, and it sounds great. I'm still looking on Marine Traffic to get an idea (hopefully) of what the journey entails, and where a cruise ship goes. So far the ships have all been going to Glacier Bay, but who knows, maybe I'll see one up there before I leave. Even if I don't see any, I'm sure I'll have a wonderful day looking for and at Hubbard. I'll try to avoid the heads, selfie sticks (yes, don't get ME started) and tablet photographers.

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Looking south while transiting Yakutat Bay

Glacier at a distance, with small cruise ship closer

Up close

Gardyloo, your photos are beautiful!!! We will be on the Zaandam in July and now I'm even more excited about going to Hubbard glacier! Thank you.

Wow! Fabulous pictures. Do you mind telling about what MM lens you used to get those closeups? I'm trying to get an idea of what I can get!

This was taken in June 2016.

Wow! Fabulous pictures. Do you mind telling about what MM lens you used to get those closeups? I'm trying to get an idea of what I can get!

I was using a 28mm - 220mm zoom on a Nikon DSLR at the time. I didn't need the full zoom; we were pretty close. Also remember that as long as your camera has an 8mp sensor or more, you can just crop images using any image editor and "zoom" in with minimal loss of detail.

I've since retired that camera because it weighs a ton and have swapped it for a Panasonic Lumix bridge camera that offers greater zoom, way more megapixels, has a sharper (Leica) lens, and which weighs (and costs) half as much.

wow, thank you for the photos! i leave on wednesday from whittier on princess and we go to hubbard glacier the first day and glacier bay the second day. i've cruised alaska before but its my first time going to hubbard and i thought it would be ho hum. now i'm really looking forward to it!