Yaana.eit – Cow Parsnip – Glacier Bay Ethnobotany

Tall white-flowered stalks the Huna Tlingit prize as spring food - but the unpeeled sap can burn skin.

Natural Attraction

Natural Attraction
Ethnobotanical Site0 ftNo permit needed

Look for tall, broad-leaved stalks topped with white umbrella-shaped flower clusters pushing up through the spring greenery - this is yaana.eit, cow parsnip, one of the signature edible plants of southeast Alaska. For the Huna Tlingit, its emergence marks the end of a winter diet of dried fish and preserved berries: the tender peeled stalks, also called wild rhubarb or Indian celery, can be eaten raw or cooked. The chemistry demands respect, though - touching the unpeeled stalks can trigger painful skin reactions. Treat it as a look-and-learn stop on the Glacier Bay ethnobotany route, not a grab-and-taste one.

Getting there & parking

How To Get There
The stop sits at 58.45525, -135.8822 within Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. It is part of the park's cow parsnip ethnobotany interpretation (see the NPS page at https://www.nps.gov/places/cow-parsnip-ethnobotany-tour.htm).
Distance From Entrance
Glacier Bay has no entrance gates, so there is no fixed entrance-to-site distance.
GPS Coordinates
58.45525,-135.8822

When to go

Best Time To Visit
Spring, when the fresh green stalks of yaana.eit first emerge - the season the Huna Tlingit traditionally look forward to after winter. The park's main visitor season runs late-May through early-September.
Best Visit Times
The park's peak month is July; visiting in late May or June puts you in the fresh-greens season with thinner crowds.
Best Season
Late May through early September - the main Glacier Bay visitor season, which also brackets the spring emergence of yaana.eit.
Busiest Season
July is the peak of the visitor season, which runs late-May through early-September.
Seasonal Access
The park is technically open 24 hours a day with no entrance gates, but services can be extremely limited outside the main late-May through early-September visitor season.
Winter Access
The park itself stays open year-round with no entrance gates, but services can be extremely limited outside the main visitor season.

What you will experience

Attraction Type
Ethnobotanical Site
Main Features
Cow parsnip (yaana.eit) plants - a notorious edible species of southeast Alaska with tender, peelable stalks and a sap that reacts with skin.
What Youll See
Cow parsnip growing in the plant communities of Glacier Bay: leafy stalks the Huna Tlingit peel and eat raw or cooked in spring, historically welcomed after a winter of dried fish and preserved berries.
Unique Characteristics
A living intersection of botany and Huna Tlingit culture: yaana.eit is prized as a fresh spring green (wild rhubarb, Indian celery) yet chemically defended - the same stalk is food when peeled and a skin hazard when handled raw.
Photo Opportunities
Close-up shots of the stalks and foliage work well - just frame the shot without touching the plant, since contact with unpeeled stalks can cause skin reactions.
Common Wildlife
Glacier Bay supports bears and wolves - the park requires 100 yards of distance from them and 25 yards from other wildlife.
Scientific Interest
An ethnobotanical case study: the plant's skin-reactive defense chemistry coexists with its role as a traditional Huna Tlingit food, and its Tlingit name yaana.eit preserves indigenous botanical knowledge in the landscape.

Facilities, fees & access

Entry Fees
None - Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve charges no entrance fee.
Permits Required
No
Restrooms Available
No
Picnic Areas
No
Water Available
No
Interpretive Signs
No
Family Friendly Notes
Keep children's hands off the plant - contact with unpeeled stalks can cause painful skin reactions. Make it a spot-and-identify game instead of a touching one.

Safety

Safety Considerations
The hazard here is chemistry, not gravity: cow parsnip sap on unpeeled stalks causes painful skin reactions on contact. Look, do not touch. Standard Glacier Bay wildlife rules also apply - 100 yards from bears and wolves, 25 yards from other animals.

Nearby

Nearby Attractions
Other stops on the Glacier Bay ethnobotany theme include Ch'eix' - Thimbleberry, Kanat'á - Early Blueberry, Keishísh - Sitka Alder, Kóox - Chocolate Lily, and K'wálx - Fiddlehead Ferns, plus natural features like Bartlett Cove and the Beardslee Islands.

Planning advice

Insider Tips
  • The names tell the story: 'wild rhubarb' and 'Indian celery' both refer to the peeled stalks the Huna Tlingit eat raw or cooked.
  • Spring is the culturally significant season - the plant's emergence marked the return of fresh greens after winter.
  • Pair this stop with the park's other ethnobotany features, like the thimbleberry and early blueberry interpretive stops.
Tips Advice
  • Do not touch the plant with bare skin - contact with unpeeled stalks can cause painful skin reactions.
  • Observe and photograph rather than harvest; this is an interpretive ethnobotany stop.
  • Learn the Tlingit name, yaana.eit - it is also known as wild rhubarb or Indian celery.
  • Keep at least 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other wildlife while botanizing.

More details

Elevation Feet
0
Visitor Center Present
No
Guided Tours Available
No
Fishing Nearby
No
Swimming Allowed
No
Boating Allowed
No
Climbing Areas
No
Review Summary
Visitors tend to know cow parsnip mainly as a plant to avoid; this stop reframes it as a Huna Tlingit food tradition. The pairing of edibility and skin-reaction hazard is the detail people remember most.

Location

Frequently asked questions

Is this worth a stop if I'm here for glaciers, not plants?

If you have any interest in how people lived in this landscape, yes - it is a quick stop that connects Glacier Bay's plant communities to Huna Tlingit food traditions, and it costs nothing since the park has no entrance fee.

Can I touch or taste the cow parsnip?

No. Contact with the unpeeled stalks can cause painful skin reactions. The Huna Tlingit peel the stalks before eating them raw or cooked; as a visitor, treat this as a look-only interpretive stop.

Is it dangerous to walk near the plant?

Walking past it is fine - the hazard is contact with the unpeeled stalks, not proximity. Keep bare skin off the plant and keep children from grabbing it.

Will I actually see the plant, or just a sign?

Cow parsnip is a notorious and widespread edible plant of southeast Alaska, and this stop marks it within the park's plant communities. Spring through the main visitor season is when the green stalks are up.

Do I need a permit or reservation to visit this spot?

No permit is needed for this stop, and Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve charges no entrance fee - there are no entrance gates at the park.

Is spring really the best time, given how limited park services are early in the year?

Spring is when yaana.eit emerges and when it mattered most to the Huna Tlingit, but services outside late-May through early-September can be extremely limited. Late May or June is a practical compromise: fresh greens up, main season underway.

Icy Strait

Milky water crowded with whales and eagles. Alaska's prime marine wildlife corridor, best May-September.

Mount Fairweather

Tallest mountain in Glacier Bay at 15,300 ft, visible from 70+ miles away on clear days.

Mount Wright

Mount Wright (4,967 ft) marks Muir Inlet's gateway—a glacial-carved peak visible from cruise and kayak routes.

Sources

Editorial review: YourNPGuide Editorial Team. Information is compiled from official sources, verified traveler reviews, and editorial research; no firsthand visit is implied unless explicitly documented. Learn how YourNPGuide works.

Last updated July 2026. Report an issue.