Landmark· Tracy Arm· Alaska Southeast — Juneau, Endicott Arm & Icy Strait
Lower Tracy Arm
57° 54.7′ N · 133° 24.1′ W
Lower Tracy Arm is the first stretch of the fjord, between granite walls that one cruiser put at about 4,000 ft high, with floating ice from hand-sized pieces to chunks as big as a three-story building. It is a magnificent fjord, but the upper arm now carries a documented landslide hazard.
Practical
Coordinate is the USGS place-name (GNIS) position for Tracy Arm, via OSM. HAZARD: on August 10, 2025, at about 5:26 am, more than 63 million cubic metres of rock fell near South Sawyer Glacier and generated a tsunami with run-up of about 481 m (about 1,578 ft), second-highest ever measured; nobody was hurt, largely because no ships were near. A USGS spokesperson was reported as saying the area remains unstable, with continued rockfall expected that could cause a future local tsunami. At least six cruise lines dropped Tracy Arm from 2026 itineraries, and Holland America cited unstable ice and geological conditions. SailSpo found no Forest Service closure or advisory (unconfirmed either way), and could not confirm that USGS lists the site as active. SailSpo's Guides route up Endicott Arm instead. A 2024 crew turned back in Tracy Arm where ice was too thick for their boat.
Best for
Know the hazard before you go; Endicott Arm is the recommended alternative
Season
Ice season; landslide risk is year-round
Nearby
- Sawyer Glaciers (Head of Tracy Arm)6.1 NM away
- Tracy Arm Cove (Holkham Bay)6.1 NM away
- Williams Cove (Holkham Bay)7.9 NM away
- Holkham Bay (Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm Entrance)12.2 NM away
- Port Snettisham (Stephens Passage)15.1 NM away
- Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness15.8 NM away
- Fords Terror Narrows and Inner Basin16.6 NM away
- Endicott Arm (to Dawes Glacier)17.6 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).