Bartlett Cove Campground
The Quick Take
Bartlett Cove is the only developed campground in Glacier Bay, and it comes with a price tag of exactly zero dollars -- one of the last free campgrounds in Alaska's marquee parks. The trade-off is real: you're walk-in only, hauling gear by wheelbarrow a quarter mile from the dock, and cooking is restricted to the intertidal zone between tide lines thanks to serious bear protocols. But what you get is a shoreline setting in temperate rainforest with views across the cove, a warming shelter stocked with firewood, and the strange luxury of a laundry facility nearby. The campground is modest in size, so it fills on summer afternoons when the ferry crowd arrives. This is the right base camp for anyone staging a kayak trip into the bay, catching the day boat to the glaciers, or simply wanting to experience Southeast Alaska without dropping hundreds a night on lodge rooms.
Booking
Reserve Your Campsite
All 33 sites are reservable.
What You Get
Sites & Setup
RV Information
No RVs. No electrical hookups.
Accessibility
1 ADA-accessible campsites. Accessible restrooms available. Nearby are a f Paved Roads - All vehicles OK
- 1
Arrive before the afternoon Alaska Marine Highway ferry docks to claim a site -- there's no reservation system despite what the data says, and the ranger station confirms it's first-come, first-served. Call the Visitor Information Station at (907) 697-2627 the morning of your arrival to check availability before making the trip out.
- 2
You must cook and eat only in the intertidal zone, which means timing your meals around the tides. Check the Juneau tide tables before your trip and plan dinner for a falling tide when you'll have the most beach to work with. Bring a camp stove that handles wind -- the cove funnels gusts off the water.
- 3
The warming shelter is your best friend on rainy days, and it rains a lot here. Pack synthetic insulation over down, bring a tarp for extra coverage at your site, and stash every scented item -- toothpaste, sunscreen, lip balm, all of it -- in the bear-proof food caches. Rangers enforce this strictly and will cite you.
Photos
NPS Photo
NPS Photo
NPS PhotoGetting There
Directions
The campground is located about 1/4 mile by trail from the main dock in Bartlett Cove. It has designated sites, a warming shelter, vault toilets, and bear-proof food caches. Wheelbarrows are available to help transport gear. Stop by the Visitor Information Station near the dock to obtain a free camping permit for the campground.
Get directions