Hotels near Gustavus, Alaska

A little about Gustavus...

Gustavus, formerly known as Strawberry Point, lies on the outwash plain created by the glaciers that once filled Glacier Bay. Two hundred years ago, it was primarily a single large "beach". Early Gustavus history speaks of the native Tlingit and others using the area for fishing, berry picking, and other similar uses. The town itself is not even one hundred years old. The first settlers arrived in 1914, but left shortly thereafter. The first permanent homestead was created in 1917 when Abraham Lincoln Parker moved his family to Strawberry Point. Today, many Gustavus residents are descendants and relatives of the original Parker homesteaders.

The name was changed to Gustavus in 1925 when the U.S Post Office required a name change for its new local post office, although locals continued referring to it as Strawberry Point long afterwards. Opinions vary as to why the name change was required, but the name "Gustavus" had come from "Point Gustavus" at the mouth of Glacier Bay.

In 1793 George Vancouver named Point Adolphus (today a well-known humpback whale feeding area) after Adolphus Frederick, seventh son of King George III. In 1878, W.H. Dall, while working on a coastal survey, saw "Adolphus" on the map and assumed it was for Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. The point across Icy Straits from Point Adolphus at the mouth of Glacier Bay was not named on the map, so Dall called it "Gustavus".

There is still a large beach at Gustavus, with many strawberries. Today it is surrounded on three sides by Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, and on the fourth side by water. The area is a temperate rain forest; spruce and hemlock trees reach heights of 60 m (200 ft), and alders, balsam poplar, fern, mosses, fireweed, lupine, and other plants are also common. Gustavus's coastal location gives it a relatively mild winter. Summer temperatures range from 11°C to 17°C (52–63°F); winter temperatures from -3°C to 4°C (26–39°F)