Glacier Bay

When Captain George Vancouver charted this coastline in 1794, Glacier Bay was almost entirely filled with ice; the glacier that once occupied it has since retreated more than 65 miles, one of the fastest glacial retreats ever documented, opening up the bay that gives the park its name within just a few human lifetimes. Most visitors now experience the park from the water, aboard a cruise ship, tour boat, or their own vessel, since no road connects Glacier Bay to Alaska's highway system at all.

Margerie Glacier, at the head of Tarr Inlet, remains one of the most reliably active tidewater glaciers to watch, its face regularly shedding chunks of ice into the water in a process called calving, sometimes dramatically enough to produce waves. Bartlett Cove, near the small community of Gustavus, is the only part of the park most visitors ever set foot on, with a handful of short trails and the park's lodge and visitor center.

Come for a glacier that's still visibly retreating in real time. Stay to watch it calve, if you're lucky with timing. Read the story, book a boat or cruise well ahead, and when you leave, collect the stamp.