Spotlight: Kenai Fjords National Park

Spotlight: Kenai Fjords National Park was established in 1980 to protect the Harding Icefield and the animals that live there. The Harding Icefield contains almost 40 glaciers. In the frigid waters of the bay, and the pristine forests of the peninsula and nearby islands, a delicate ecosystem thrives. Some of the animals that live here are: orcas, humpback whales, seals, sea lions, otters, puffins, ducks, geese, porpoises, herring, salmon, bears, moose, mountain goats, wolverines, marmots, beavers, rabbits and myriad fish and birds. The only road in the park goes from Seward to the Exit Glacier Nature Center, located at the northeastern edge of the park. The best way to explore the park is on one of the many boat tours departing out of Seward and Whittier daily. Some of these tours have a park ranger directing your attention to points of interest - such as animals and glaciers - and provide a wealth of knowledge about the park.

cliffs with waterfalls

islands poking up from the sea

Location: Kenai Fjords National Park is located on the Kenai Peninsula in near the town of Seward.

Cost: Free - no entrance fee or charge for camping at Exit Glacier campground. Public use cabins are available for $75/night. Commercial boat tours can range anywhere from $75/adult to $250/adult. 

Time: Although the park is open all year, the vast majority of visitors come between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Minimal services are available the rest of the year. During the summer, the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center (in Seward) is open from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm. The Exit Glacier Nature Center is open from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Plan on spending 1-2 hours at Exit Glacier. Boat or kayaking tours can be a few hours or all day.

Description: The Exit Glacier Nature Center has several different displays on glaciers, climate change and the animals that live within the park boundaries. From there, a wheelchair-accessible loop trail lead to the Glacier Overlook. There are other more rugged trails that lead to the edge of Exit Glacier as well as other points in the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier is shrinking, and signposts along the way show where the edge of the glacier was at various years since the late 1800's, helping visitors realize how quickly it is actually shrinking. As the ice field shrinks, a lush, temperate rainforest has grown in the fertile soil left behind.

Exit Glacier

Exit Glacier Nature Center

Signpost of where the glacier was in 2005 (to get perspective, look at the people on the far right)

     We took a boat tour of the fjords with Major Marine Tours. We took the 7 1/2 hour tour. Even though it was long, it exceeded our expectations. We saw several glaciers including close up views of Holgate Glacier and Aialik Glacier. At both glaciers we were able to witness ice calving from the glacier and dropping into the water. Although we were the mandated quarter mile away from the ice, we could clearly hear the ice crack, which was usually followed by chunks of ice dropping into the water. Although most of the chunks didn't look very big, the fact that we could clearly see them from a quarter mile away indicate that they were much bigger than we realized. One time in particular stands out - on that particular occasion, the cracking ice sounded like thunder, which was followed by a large sheet of ice crashing into the bay with a loud splash. 

Bear Glacier (the largest in the Harding Icefield)

Holgate Glacier

Aialik Glacier "calving"

     From there, we sailed among the island looking for sea life. We saw a handful of humpback whales, dozens of Steller Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and puffins, otters, eagles, kittiwakes and a porpoise.

whale

sea lions

puffin eating a fish

seals

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The road to the Exit Glacier Nature Center isn't plowed during winter months.

- Accommodations are available in nearby Seward. There is also a walk-in summer-use campground at Exit Glacier. Click here for more information on public use cabins.

- Ranger Programs are available between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.

Nearby: Kachemak Bay State Park, Chugach State Park, Alaska SeaLife Center, Tustumena Lake

Spotlight: Denali National Park

Spotlight: Denali National Park and Preserve is centered around Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America. Denali means "The High One" in the native Athabaskan language. If you are lucky enough to see it, you'll understand why - it towers over most of the neighboring mountains. Mount McKinley National Park was originally established in 1917, after plans were drawn up by the Boone and Crockett Club and submitted to Congress Alaskan delegate James Wickersham. Visitation to the park was extremely sparse until the completion of Highway 3, which allowed motor vehicles access to the park from either Anchorage or Fairbanks. The park currently covers more than 6 million acres (larger than the entire state of New Hampshire), but is only serviced by the 91-mile long Denali Park Road (only a small portion of which is paved) extending from the park entrance to Kantishna.

Location: Denali National Park is located about halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The easiest ways to get there are by taking Highway 3 or taking one of the trains that run between the two cities.

Train from Anchorage to Denali

Cost: A $10/person fee is collected year round. All day tours run about $180/person.

Time: Depending on the type of tour you wish to take, you can spend anywhere from 2 hours (self-guided tour) to 13+ hours (Kantishna bus tour) inside the park.

Description: Private vehicles are only permitted on the first fifteen miles of the Denali Park Road. If you wish to explore further, you may take a tour, use the transit bus service (for a fee), or obtain a backcountry permit.
     We took the Kantishna bus tour. This 13-hour tour took us along the entire stretch of road from the park entrance to the Kantishna Roadhouse. Along the way, our bus driver/tour guide gave us detailed information on the flora and fauna as well as historical background about the park. Anytime someone spotted wildlife, we stopped so that everyone could take pictures. It was an uncommonly good day to spot grizzly bears (we saw 13) but not moose (zero). We also saw six caribou, a handful of Dahl sheep (way up on a slope), several falcons, ptarmigans (Alaska's state bird), marmots and several ground squirrels.

Mother grizzly with her two cubs

caribou

Dahl sheep

falcon

ptarmigan

marmot

      We stopped at the Eielson Visitor Center where we had a great view of Denali (simply referred to as "the mountain"). We were lucky enough to be there on a day where we could actually see it. Evidently, only about 30% of tourists to Alaska even see part of the mountain. The entire mountain is only visible a few days a month on average.

Denali

The High One

Eielson Visitor Center

     The final stage of our journey took us past Wonder Lake to the Kantishna Roadhouse. There, we had a two hour break which included a nice lunch and an activity - either panning for gold or watching a sled dog presentation. We chose to see the sled dogs. Since there was no snow, they practice during the summer by pulling a four-wheeler around the ranch.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - No food service is offered beyond the park entrance area. Know how long you will be gone and be prepared with the appropriate food, drink, clothing and gear: hat, gloves, raingear, proper footgear, insect repellent, binoculars and camera.
- Summers in Denali are usually cool, wet and windy with occasional snow. In winter, the weather is more predictable - dark and snowy. From mid-September to mid-May, services are limited. The park road is only kept plowed to Park Headquarters (Mile 3.4). The backcountry can only be reached on snowshoes, skis or dogsled.
- If you plan on hiking, be aware that Denali is a true wilderness. Encounters with grizzly bears and/or moose can be extremely dangerous so be prepared by knowing how to respond.
- A free courtesy shuttle takes visitors from the Visitor Center to the Savage River (15 mile mark). For a fee, the transit bus service runs from mid-May to mid-September from the Wilderness Access Center to Toklat River (six hour round trip), Eielson Visitor Center (8 hours) and Wonder Lake (11 hours).
- Overnight backpacking trips require careful planning and a backcountry permit which is only available after an in-person orientation with a ranger at the Backcountry Information Center.
- Denali and Mount Foraker climbers must register 60 days prior to the start of their ascent and pay a special use fee. Contact the Talkeetna Ranger Station (907-733-2231).

"Somewhat" Nearby: Denali State Park, Susitna River, Chugach State Park, Nelchina Public Use Area