Tucked away in a pristine little slice of hidden paradise is this utterly enthralling landmass known as Tracy Arm Fjord. If you’ve even been to Alaska via cruise ship, chances are that this is one of the first stops along the way that made you fall head over heels in love with the splendor of the raw, rugged last frontier. While the pictures make a solid attempt to do it justice, this 8th wonder of the world truly has to be seen to be believed.
Located in a beautifully remote area in southeast Alaska is this breathtaking place known as Tracy Arm Fjord. You'll find it inside the nation's largest temperate rainforest, the 17 million acre Tongass National Forest.
This pristine place was designated by the United States Congress in 1980 as the 'Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness'.
To get a mere glimpse of some of the 653,179 acres that make up Tracy Arm, you'll need to head 45 miles south of Alaska's state capital of Juneau or 70 miles north of Petersburg. Tracy Arm is just off of Holkham Bay and adjacent to Stephens Passage otherwise known as 'the inside passage'. This passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in southeast Alaska.
The two deep and narrow fjords that make up this area are Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Probably the most popular tourist attraction is the fascinatingly stunning 'twin' north and south Sawyer Glaciers, which are located at the end of Tracy Arm.
To access this super remote hidden gem, your best bet is to hop on a private boat, guided tour or the effortless comfort of a cruise ship out of the lower 48. If a guided tour is what you're after, Adventure Bound Alaska out of Juneau is excellent and so is Allen Marine.
As you approach Tracy Arm you'll be rewarded with countless waterfalls along the way. Plunging down from the side of the towering mountains, these waterfalls will make you want to bust out your cameras and start snapping away before you even reach the main attraction.
As you approach closer to Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm, you'll likely be rewarded with incredible wildlife views. Eagles and Harbor Seals are just a couple of the species that make frequent special appearances.
In addition, you'll have opportunities to see black and brown bears, deer, wolves, and a variety of birds, such as Arctic terns and pigeons. If you look up, you might even see some mountain goats in the distance.
Feeling like a tiny little speck next to this massive glacier in Tracy Arm is best described as a total and complete out-of-body experience. However, perhaps the most wow-worthy part of this excursion is hearing the glacier calving from just steps away. As smaller chunks of the glacier split off and plunge into the ocean below, the sound is like a huge boom that explodes and then echoes in the distance. At first it will terrify you and then it will completely electrify your soul and draw you in. You'll literally be able to spend hours on end just watching in amazement as the glacier does its thing.
As you get closer and closer to the massive Sawyer Glacier you might be nervous as you navigate through a large amount of iceberg chunks in the water. Don't be worried - your guides and boat captains know exactly what they're doing. Just enjoy the fascinating sights along the way and be sure to soak in all the majesty that the '8th wonder of the world' has to offer. This is one of those trips that you're guaranteed to talk about for the rest of your life. It is so enthralling and larger-than-life that you'll be overcome with happy goosebumps from start to finish.
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