Fjords are striking inlets with high cliffs overhanging the sea: the Alaskan coast has more of them than you think. The Misty Fjords in Ketchikan, in the south-east of the state are truly noteworthy, but the most famous are undoubtedly those of the Kenai Peninsula, protected since 1978 thanks to the establishment of the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Despite the fact that 51% of the park is covered by glaciers and there are no roads that venture into it, visiting the fjords is relatively easy thanks to the many tour options that allow you to enter these coastal canyons by sea.
If a fjord has in itself a geological conformation that intrigues, when whales swim in its waters and a glacier drops blocks of ice as big as a house into the water, you cannot help but be amazed. In fact, we couldn’t help but include them in our top 10 must-see places in Alaska.
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How to get to Kenai Fjords National Park
The starting point for visiting the fjords is the town of Seward, located on the east coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Seward is one of the most easily accessible locations in Alaska– here are the ways to get there.
- Car. Seward is located 120 miles from Anchorage, where you’re likely to land if you’re flying to Alaska. If you choose to travel by car, a stop in Seward is not only feasible and trouble-free, but also definitely recommended. The Seward Highway, which connects this town with Anchorage, is considered one of the most scenic roads in the entire state. Normally you’d only need 2h 30m to drive it, but budget more time because you won’t be able to stop yourself from constantly taking some photos.
- Train. Although the Alaskan railroad consists of only one line, Seward is part of it, in fact, it is one of its two terminuses. If you start from Anchorage, you can reach Seward in a little over 4 hours by train, and what I said about the road is also true for the railroad: it is one of the most scenic lines in Alaska. Obviously, besides Anchorage, you can also travel here by train from all the other places on the train route between Fairbanks and Seward. On the official website of the railways you can find updated schedules and prices.
- Buses. Few cities in Alaska have good suburban bus connections. Seward is one of them. The bus from Anchorage to Seward takes 3h and costs less than the train. On the official website you can find updated schedules and prices.
- Airplane. Practically every Alaskan town has its own airport, since much of the state can only be reached by air or sea. The small airport of Seward offers connections with various other Alaskan airports.
- Ship. The port of Seward is one of the marine ports of call for the Alaska Marine Highway System, the ideal highway connecting all coastal locations in southern Alaska. It is therefore possible to reach the town by ferry, but it is not one of the most frequent ports of call. However, there is an excellent bus connection between Seward and the port of Whittier, which is one of the main ferry stops.
For those who do not want to organize their own journeys, here are some alternative solutions:
Best Time to Visit Kenai Fjords
I’ve already explained in the article on the best time to visit Alaska how this region is milder than the rest of the state, thanks to the influence of the sea, kept at an acceptable temperature by the warm current coming from the south. In the Seward area, temperatures are never too cold. January is the coldest month, with nighttime lows averaging between 21° and 23° and daytime highs to 32°. In summer, considering July and August, the nights have minimums on average close to 50°, while during the day the maximums are around 62°.
This area is less rainy than other parts of the Alaskan coast, with less than 74 inches of annual precipitation (Cordova, only 120 miles as the crow flies from Seward, has 157 inches of annual precipitation). However, rainfall is fairly regular throughout the year, with 11/12 days of rain in the summer months and 15/16 days in the winter months. In the winter, however, the precipitation is mostly snow.
Climatic conditions change in the mountainous areas of the park, where perennial ice significantly lowers temperatures throughout the year. Even in summer, venturing near the glaciers implies the need to cover up more. Also, at high altitudes, snow replaces rain almost year-round.
Things to do in Kenai Fjords National Park
The 607,880 acres of the national park are among the most amazing in Alaska, characterized by a largely inaccessible wilderness. Seen from the sea, this territory is characterized by the fjords that give it its name: long, narrow inlets that end with the outlet to the sea of large glaciers. But the real protagonist is the ice in the Harding Ice Field, which follows the coastline in a linear fashion, making it impenetrable and guarding more than half of the territory of the park under hundreds of feet of ice, in continuous movement along the course of its 38 glaciers.
Few other places in the world make it so easy to witness the daily evolution of the geological processes that shape the globe. Unfortunately, the climate changes of recent decades are leaving evident signs in this environment where ice is the predominant element.
In addition to the impressive cliffs and majestic glaciers, Kenai Fjords National Park is also visited for its wildlife. It is considered a sanctuary for seabirds, which nest in abundance on these rugged shores. Hundreds of thousands of birds, representing many different species, can be seen throughout the year. The most curious are probably the puffins, also known as fraterculas. Their beaks, which are tinged with bright colors during the mating season, appear disproportionate to the small size of their bodies and give them a friendly air.
This is also home to seals and sea lions, who spend their days swimming to catch fresh fish and long hours resting on the rocks or floating on ice floes. Finally, let’s not forget the cetaceans. Orcas, humpback whales and sometimes other whales often come to these waters to feed and are easily spotted by boats.
How to Visit the Kenai Fjords National Park
The Kenai Fjords National Park is free, but despite this it is usually quite expensive to visit it. The reason is simple: almost the entire park cannot be reached and visited independently and it is therefore almost mandatory to rely on guided tours. The money invested in a tour of the fjords, however, will certainly prove to be well spent.
The ideal starting point for any visit is the Kenai Fjords National Park Seward Information Center, which is located on the Seward marina. Here you can watch some explanatory films to learn about the park and above all you can learn what tours are available and how to book them. There are tours that last a few hours or a few days, using boats, planes, helicopters, kayaks and also your own legs.
Professional hikers can choose to have a helicopter drop them off in the middle of the wilderness and pick them up a week later, but most tourists opt for a boat tour of a few hours: the most accessible solution to see the highlights of the park.
Hours and Rules
The park is open all year round and the best months to visit are June, July and August. During this period, all services are active, while in May and September only a few activities are available. During the winter, a large part of the park is completely inaccessible due to weather conditions: on the mainland snow and ice hinder movement, while the sea becomes too rough and dangerous to venture with boats into the fjords.
There are two visitor centers, open at different times:
- Kenai Fjords National Park Seward Information Center: located in the small port of Seward, it is open daily from Memorial Day (last Monday in May) to Labor Day (first Monday in September), 9am-7pm. It’s a great place to visit before heading out to visit the park.
- Exit Glacier Nature Center: This is the nature center for the Exit Glacier area, the only part of the park that is accessible by car. It includes glacier exhibits and a ranger base, which is available to answer visitors’ questions. It is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 9am-5pm.
During the winter season, from Labor Day to Memorial Day, you can refer directly to the park’s administrative offices (411 Washington Street, Seward), which are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In general, it’s a good idea to go to one of the information points before any excursion, if you aren’t relying on organized tours. Many areas of the park, especially the glaciers, can be very dangerous and conditions can vary from day to day. Rangers are always up to date and can recommend or advise against which areas to go to in order to stay safe. Also check the park’s official website to make sure you have the proper clothing depending on the hike you plan to take.
Kenai Fjords Boat Tour
The best way to see the Kenai Fjords, and in some cases the only way, is to board a boat and admire them from the sea. There are numerous types of tours and all of them depart from Seward. The shortest ones focus on Resurrection Bay, the bay overlooked by the marina, and last about 3 hours. However, there are also boat tours lasting 8 hours or more, which take in the most remote meanderings of this rugged coastline.
By booking a day tour, you’ll get to see the main attractions on the marine side of the park. The coastline of Resurrection Bay is a habitat for eagles, sea otters and other animals. The murky water that spills into the bay is a mixture of glacial silt and phytoplankton: the base of the food chain of these seas, which regularly attracts humpback whales to the bay. Other animals, particularly sea lions and many species of birds, are easily spotted when the boat skirts the Chiswell Islands, which fall under the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge. One of the most interesting places where the boat stops is the Holgate Glacier: here it is easy to see large blocks of ice falling into the sea.
Exit Glacier: trails and hikes
The Exit Glacier area is the only one accessible by land, also independently, by taking Exit Glacier Road, which branches off Seward Highway just outside of town. The road is closed in the winter months, but in the summer it allows you to drive your car to the parking lot in front of the Exit Glacier Nature Center. If you don’t have a car, there are a few shuttles running from Seward.
One example is the Exit Glacier Shuttle, which offers daily shuttle service throughout the summer. Although the road is closed, Exit Glacier can also be reached in the winter by a less common means than a car, but which are commonplace in Alaska: snowmobiles and dog sleds.
The paths that lead near the glacier, reaching different points, start a few steps from the nature center. There are three main trails:
- Glacier View: an easy, wheelchair-accessible trail through the woods on a 2625-feet loop to the Glacier View overlook, on the shore of the lake at the base of the glacier.
- Exit Glacier Overlook Loop Trail: more uneven than the previous one, but easily passable, this trail leads right to the glacier: you can literally touch the ice giant.
- Harding Icefield Trail: this 7.5 mile loop trail is certainly the most scenic, but it’s not for everyone. The elevation gain of 3000 feet makes itself felt on a definitely difficult trail. You have to count on 6-8 hours. Before setting out, it is good to ask the rangers about the conditions: it is possible to find snow even in summer. From the forest of poplars and alders you pass through large meadows and reach the summit overlooking the glacier.
In the summer, rangers organize daily guided tours. Four times a day (usually at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm) a one and a half hour tour starts, following the trail, providing information on geology, flora and fauna. There is also a 20-30 minute explanation in the nature center pavilion each day at 12:30 p.m., which is open to all and free of charge. In June, July, and August, the Marmot Meadows Ranger-led Hike departs from the nature center every morning at 9 a.m.: a 3-4h trek that covers part of the Harding Icefield Trail.
Kenai Fjords National Park Tours
Kayaking, mountaineering and other activities
Although most tourists choose boats to visit the fjord park, there are viable alternatives to savor different sides of this great ecosystem where sea and mountains merge into glaciers.
- Kayaking: definitely one of the ideal ways to observe the coast. In Seward you can rent a kayak and paddle along the shore, looking for seals, birds and maybe some whales. A favorite spot for canoeists is Bear Glacier Lagoon. Bear Glacier is the longest in the park and the lagoon at its base is always full of icebergs, making it exciting. There are also kayak tours, during which a guide will take you paddling to discover the fjords. Even if you are an experienced kayaker, bear in mind the fact that these areas are inaccessible and can be dangerous for those who do not know them: relying on a guide will allow you to enjoy the tour, as well as to learn many things about the surrounding environment. If you are planning a multi-day kayaking trip, check with the Seward information office to find out where it is safe to camp along the coast.
- Mountaineering: excluding the Exit Glacier trails, this park doesn’t offer many hiking opportunities. However, it is ideal for those who want to do more challenging mountaineering. The most popular trails are those on the Tustemena Glacier and on the Chernof Glacier. To venture on the glaciers, it is good to be prepared and even if you are an experienced mountaineer, ask the rangers for information to ascertain the safety conditions of the area.
- Scenic Flights: Small airplane tours depart from Seward Airport and fly over the park, offering unique views of fjords and glaciers. Flying at low altitude, you can see bears, mountain goats and other animals in their natural environment, as well as enjoy a breathtaking view of the entire area.
- Winter activities: as mentioned, most of the park’s attractions can only be visited in the summer months due to the impervious terrain and harsh climate. However, this does not mean that there is nothing to do in winter. Exit Glacier can be reached by snowmobile, and you can also find dog sled rides in Seward. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are other popular means of transportation. Finally, remember that winter is the best time to spot moose, which stand out well in snowy landscapes.
Here are some organized activities you can consider to fully enjoy the wonders of the national park.
- Helicopter tour with glacier landing
- One hour helicopter tour
- Helicopter tour and dog sledding excursion
Where to stay near the Kenai Fjords National Park
There are no accommodations within the national park. I suggest you stay in Seward, from where you can set out on longer or shorter hikes depending on your preference. Here are some suggestions.
- Hotel Seward. Centrally located and family-owned, this is one of the town’s premier hotels, just steps from the Alaska SeaLife Center: Seward’s main attraction. The Victorian style takes you back in time, but with all the comforts of today.
- Hotel Edgewater. To stay downtown with the serenity of relying on a large chain, this hotel is one of the newest in town. Although recently built, it hasn’t given up a common feature of Alaskan hotels: freezer space for guests’ fish.
- The Tides Inn. This is a good 2-star hotel, ideal for those who don’t want to spend too much but still want to be comfortable. It’s perfect for large families or groups as it offers both rooms and apartments.
