Where to See Sea Otter in Glacier Bay National Park

Sighting map

Sea Otter sightings in Glacier Bay

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Where Sea Otter has been reported, from 312 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none. Locations are adjusted to protect the animals, so the pattern is approximate.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM1% of the busiest hour1 AM1% of the busiest hour2 AM1% of the busiest hour3 AM2% of the busiest hour4 AM6% of the busiest hour5 AM21% of the busiest hour6 AM47% of the busiest hour7 AM74% of the busiest hour8 AM89% of the busiest hour9 AM97% of the busiest hour10 AM93% of the busiest hour11 AM86% of the busiest hourNoon82% of the busiest hour1 PM80% of the busiest hour2 PM84% of the busiest hour3 PM93% of the busiest hour4 PMBusiest hour5 PM95% of the busiest hour6 PM84% of the busiest hour7 PM68% of the busiest hour8 PM42% of the busiest hour9 PM19% of the busiest hour10 PM6% of the busiest hour11 PM3% of the busiest hour

Sea Otter is most seen 8 AM–12 PM and 3–6 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Sea Otter sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	1%
1 AM	1%
2 AM	1%
3 AM	2%
4 AM	6%
5 AM	21%
6 AM	47%
7 AM	74%
8 AM	89%
9 AM	97%
10 AM	93%
11 AM	86%
Noon	82%
1 PM	80%
2 PM	84%
3 PM	93%
4 PM	100%
5 PM	95%
6 PM	84%
7 PM	68%
8 PM	42%
9 PM	19%
10 PM	6%
11 PM	3%

Audio tour

Hear about Sea Otter on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Glacier Bay, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Glacier Bay Tour Guide

Sea Otters: The Comeback that Changed the Bay

Listen

“One of the park's biggest success stories is the sea otter. Hunted out of the bay for their fur, they were completely gone until a few reappeared in the 1990s. Now, there are thousands.”

Plays as you drive in Parkwolf’s Glacier Bay Tour Guide.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Glacier Bay spots that mention Sea Otter

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Sea Otter. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

SightMargerie GlacierBlue, calving tidewater glacier you view by boat in Tarr Inlet

SightJohns Hopkins Glacier ViewpointBoat-only views of an advancing tidewater glacier and teeming wildlife

Visitor centerPark Visitor CenterSmall, smart hub with exhibits, views, and a whale-listening hydrophone

SightSouth Marble IslandBoat-only hotspot of sea lions and seabirds, plus a roaring soundscape

SightGlacier Bay Sea KayaksNPS kayak rentals and day trips for independent paddlers

CampgroundBartlett Cove CampgroundFree walk-in rainforest campground with a communal beach fire pit

SightHumpback Whale ExhibitOpen-air skeleton of “Snow,” a famed humpback

SightBeardslee IslandsQuiet kayak maze of islands, wildlife, and tide-driven routes

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Glacier Bay, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
37 audio storiesplay as you drive Glacier Bay, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Glacier Bay

All 16 sighting maps

98 sightingsHumpback WhaleMegaptera novaeangliaeMost seen 5–10 AM & 3–9 PMSighting map

48 sightingsOrcaOrcinus orcaMost seen 9 AM–8 PMSighting map

110 sightingsBrown BearUrsus arctosMost seen 7–9 AM & 5–9 PMSighting map

106 sightingsMountain GoatOreamnos americanusMost seen 6–8 AM & 5–8 PMSighting map

93 sightingsBald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusMost seen 7 AM–1 PM & 2–8 PMSighting map

85 sightingsTufted PuffinFratercula cirrhataMost seen 7–11 AM & 2–9 PMSighting map

27 sightingsBlack BearUrsus americanusMost seen 7 AM & 5–8 PMSighting map

120 sightingsSteller Sea LionEumetopias jubatusMost seen 8 AM–5 PMSighting map

Where to see Sea Otter in Glacier Bay