Yaana.eit Cow Parsnip - Tlingit Ethnobotany

Several young cow parsnip plants at ground level, with an info sign next to it.

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.

Access & viewing

GPS Coordinates: 58.45525,-135.8822

Conditions & safety

Permits Required: 0

Planning advice

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.
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.
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.
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.

More details

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.
Attraction Type: Ethnobotanical Site
Elevation Feet: 0
Distance From Entrance: Glacier Bay has no entrance gates, so there is no fixed entrance-to-site distance.
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).
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.
Entry Fees: None - Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve charges no entrance fee.
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.
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.
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.
Visitor Center Present: 0
Restrooms Available: 0
Picnic Areas: 0
Interpretive Signs: 0
Water Available: 0
Guided Tours Available: 0
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.
Winter Access: The park itself stays open year-round with no entrance gates, but services can be extremely limited outside the main visitor season.
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.
Fishing Nearby: 0
Swimming Allowed: 0
Boating Allowed: 0
Climbing Areas: 0
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.