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