About twenty miles from our home port of Petersburg sits LeConte Glacier, one of the most spectacular places in Southeast Alaska, and the Wrangell Narrows help keep it that way. Big cruise ships can’t make it into Petersburg’s sheltered waters, so LeConte Bay stays quiet, wild and wonderfully uncrowded. Out there, you hear the glacier crack and thunder as it calves, and Jim can usually tuck the Dauntless close enough to one of the fjord’s waterfalls for you to feel the mist on your face.
From Ice Factory to Natural Wonder
Here’s a bit of history I love: LeConte Glacier was Petersburg’s original refrigerator. A steady supply of glacier ice was one of the reasons Peter Buschmann chose this spot for his cannery when he founded the town in 1897. In the early days, before modern refrigeration, the fishing fleet gathered icebergs that had already calved off the glacier and floated down the bay, then used that ice to pack their catch. Dangerous, back-breaking work, and it kept the whole industry going.
We still carry on that tradition, on a much smaller scale. When we’re in LeConte Bay, Jim pulls a chunk of glacier ice aboard, and it goes into the cocktails that evening. A lot less essential than keeping the catch fresh, but every bit as appreciated.
Nature’s Most Dramatic Show
LeConte is a tidewater glacier, which means it flows straight into the sea. At around 21 miles long, it’s the southernmost tidewater glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The bay in front of it is always changing. Ice cracks and groans before it calves, icebergs drift and roll, and every so often a “shooter” berg breaks off underwater and bursts up to the surface.
That deep blue color comes from centuries of compression squeezing the air out of the ice. It almost seems to glow, and no photograph I’ve ever taken has done it justice.
Wildlife and Waterfalls
Harbor seals haul out on the ice floes like they own the place. Bald eagles perch on the bergs, surveying their frozen kingdom. Black bears forage along the shoreline, and if you have sharp eyes, you might spot mountain goats picking their way along the steep fjord walls. On the run between Petersburg and LeConte, keep watch for sea lions and the occasional whale.
Then there are the waterfalls. Jim has a phrase for slipping the boat back into a bay right up to a waterfall: he calls it “Koozie Bugging.” Cut the engine, drift among the ice, listen to the water pour down the cliffs. Those are the quiet moments guests tell us about long after they get home.
Your LeConte Adventure
LeConte Bay is one of many places we can include in your custom 8-day Dauntless charter. Weather, tides and ice decide each day out here, so we never promise a specific stop on a specific day, but we can spend as much time in the bay as conditions allow. And yes, we’ll bring back some glacier ice for your evening cocktail.
If LeConte is on your wish list, mention it when you reach out about your charter, and we’ll plan around it. Peak season runs May through September.
Questions about LeConte or what a week aboard looks like? Send me a note. I’m always happy to talk about our backyard.
Quick answers
How far is LeConte Glacier from Petersburg?
About twenty miles from our home port. Big cruise ships can’t make it into Petersburg’s sheltered waters, so LeConte Bay stays quiet and uncrowded.
What wildlife might we see at LeConte?
Harbor seals haul out on the ice floes and bald eagles perch on the bergs. Black bears forage along the shoreline, and with sharp eyes you might spot mountain goats on the fjord walls.
Can we visit LeConte on a Dauntless charter?
LeConte Bay is one of many places we can include in a custom 8-day charter. Weather, tides and ice decide each day, so we never promise a specific stop on a specific day. Peak season runs May through September.
Chef Alisa Jestel is the chef and co-owner of M/Y Dauntless, with over 20 years of culinary experience. She and Captain Jim, a lifelong Alaskan, run Alaska Bound Charters from Petersburg, Alaska.
