Russell Island

A shadowy Russell Island is viewed before a large, U-shaped valley in the mountains beyond.

From the water, Russell Island reads as a green, forested rise set against a large U-shaped valley in the mountains beyond — hard to square with what John Muir saw here in 1879, when the island was a bare rocky hummock emerging from the face of the retreating glacier. Its entire forest has grown up in the years since, a plant-succession clock running in real time. The island is still responding to the ice, too: pressed into the mantle under thousands of feet of Little Ice Age ice, the land here is now rising about 32 mm (1.26 inches) per year through isostatic rebound — the fastest in the world. Scan the broad, open alluvial fan on the eastern shore as you pass; wildlife regularly patrols it.

Access & viewing

GPS Coordinates: 58.9275, -136.8286111
Accessibility: Viewed from vessels on the water; no developed visitor facilities are listed for the island itself.

Conditions & safety

Permits Required: 0

Planning advice

Best Time To Visit: The main visitor season runs late May through early September, with July the peak month; park services are extremely limited outside that window.
Tips Advice: Scan the broad, open alluvial fan on the island's eastern shore — wildlife regularly patrols this stretch.
The narrow channel between the island and the mainland is the classic viewing lane; have binoculars ready before you enter it.
Keep at least 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other wildlife.
Read the vegetation as a timeline: this forest postdates 1879, when the island was bare rock at the glacier face.
Insider Tips: The island is named for Israel Cook Russell, who explored the Yakutat region in the early 1890s — the name dates to 1937.
When Muir saw this spot in 1879–1880 it was bare rock at the glacier face; the forest you see is roughly a century and a half of succession from zero.
The land under your boat is rising about 1.26 inches a year — the fastest isostatic uplift scientists have measured anywhere in the world.

More details

Park Area: Upper Glacier Bay
Family Friendly Notes: Viewing is from the water, so it works for any age — binoculars help kids pick out wildlife on the eastern shore's open fan.
Attraction Type: Island
Elevation Feet: 0
Accessibility Level: Boat-based viewing
How To Get There: Viewed from the water. Vessels travel the narrow channel between Russell Island and the mainland; there is no road access listed for this site.
Seasonal Access: Glacier Bay has no entrance gates and is technically open 24 hours a day, but the main visitor season is late May through early September and services outside it are extremely limited.
Entry Fees: None — Glacier Bay National Park charges no entrance fee.
Main Features: Recently deglaciated bedrock island, now covered in vegetation; a broad, open alluvial fan on the eastern shore; measurable isostatic rebound of about 32 mm (1.26 inches) per year.
What Youll See: A forested island set before a large U-shaped valley in the mountains beyond, and the open alluvial fan of the eastern shore, where wildlife regularly patrols.
Unique Characteristics: Under thousands of feet of ice during the Little Ice Age, the landscape here is now rising about 32 mm (1.26 inches) annually — the fastest isostatic uplift in the world.
Safety Considerations: Wildlife rules apply from the water: keep at least 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other wildlife. There are no visitor facilities listed for the island — plan around your vessel, not the shore.
Best Viewpoints: From the water in the narrow channel between the island and the mainland, with the eastern shore's alluvial fan in view.
Photo Opportunities: The island framed against the large U-shaped valley behind it; the contrast between the young forest and the surrounding glacial terrain.
Photography Spots: The channel between the island and the mainland, which frames Russell Island in front of the U-shaped valley beyond.
Visitor Center Present: 0
Restrooms Available: 0
Picnic Areas: 0
Interpretive Signs: 0
Water Available: 0
Guided Tours Available: 0
Common Wildlife: Wildlife regularly patrols the island's shores, especially the broad, open alluvial fan on the eastern side.
Geological Formation Type: Recently deglaciated bedrock island
Scientific Interest: The fastest measured isostatic rebound in the world — about 32 mm (1.26 inches) of uplift per year — plus a natural laboratory for plant succession: the island has hosted scientific research for over 100 years.
Best Visit Times: July is the peak of the visitor season; travel earlier or later in the late May–early September window for fewer vessels.
Best Season: Late May through early September
Busiest Season: July
Fishing Nearby: 0
Swimming Allowed: 0
Boating Allowed: 1
Climbing Areas: 0

Location

Frequently asked questions

It just looks like a forested island — why should I care?

Because in 1879 it wasn't one. When John Muir came through, this was bare rock emerging from the face of the retreating glacier. You're looking at roughly 150 years of plant succession from zero, on land that is still rising 1.26 inches a year.

Will I actually see wildlife here?

No guarantees, but wildlife regularly patrols the island's shores — the broad, open alluvial fan on the eastern side is the stretch to scan as you pass through the channel.

Is the island really rising, or is that a rounding error?

It's real and measured: upper Glacier Bay is rising about 32 mm (1.26 inches) per year — the fastest isostatic uplift in the world. The crust was pressed into the mantle under thousands of feet of Little Ice Age ice and is still springing back.

Does it cost anything to see Russell Island?

Glacier Bay National Park charges no entrance fee and has no entrance gates — the island is viewed from the water as you travel the bay.

How close can I get to animals on the shore?

Park rules: at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards from other wildlife. Judge the distance from your vessel before you close in for a look.

Was Russell the one who discovered it?

No — the island was named in 1937 for explorer Israel Cook Russell, who worked in the Yakutat region in the early 1890s. It was John Muir who saw it emerging from the ice in 1879 and 1880.