We weren’t sure about the literal translation of fjord (pronounced fee-YORD), but it basically means a long, narrow inlet of sea, surrounded by glacier formed cliffs. If that sounds pretty, it is and Kenai Fjords National Park is an easy way to experience Alaska.
We visited Kenai Fjords in July 2019
Getting
There
Alaska has 8 National Parks, and Kenai Fjords is one of the easiest ones to get to, especially if you’re thinking of driving a car. Rainy and her good friend Susie had signed up for an amazing Geographic Harbor Photo Trip out of Kodiak, Alaska in early August and since I’m always looking to leverage airfare, I set us up to visit Kenai Fjords and Denali the preceding week. So we flew in Anchorage and drove 2.5 hour south to Seward, which is adjacent to Kenai Fjords. Yes, that’s the Seward of “Seward’s Folly” the original moniker for former Secretary of State, William Seward’s 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia for $0.02/acre. You know who got the last laugh on that one. On the Seward Highway south, you’ll pass along the Turnagain Arm which gets one of the largest bore tides in the world. That’s basically a wave (I think 10’) in this case at a certain combination of low/high tides that travels up the inlet at 15-20 mph. It sounds cool, but we didn’t see one. We did however find some BBQ with an interesting name – The Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ. Doesn’t sound appetizing, but they figured the funny name might attract visitors. It worked on us as we stopped for a tasty meal. Armpits and tidal waves aside, this area is about as beautiful as any we’ve seen. Someday, we’ll return and spend several weeks on the Kenai Peninsula.
Exit Glacier and
The Harding
Ice Field
While many see Kenai Fjord NP from a boat, you can visit Exit Glacier just outside Seward and hike in the area. On our first afternoon there, we stopped by the visitor center and the nature center, then hiked out to the overlook at the terminus (toe) of Exit Glacier. This is more of a walk than a hike, but we did have to take a bit of a detour due to a mama bear and cub being in the area (we didn’t actually see them). The canyon, er fjord, where the glacier existed no too long ago, was marked to highlight the rapid retreat of the ice. It’s been in retreat for the last 200 years, about 3 ft/year until recently when its melting has accelerated dramatically. It is an icon of global warming. 2019 saw a retreat of 293 feet. If you see the size of this thing, you’ll realize how amazing (and sad) that is. We finally made it to the toe of the glacier and the flowing stream of melt coming off of it. Odds are that you won’t be able to see the glacier from the observation point in the very near future. But if you’re up for more adventure, you can hike up to the top of the Exit Glacier which makes its way off the massive Harding Ice Field. It’s a climb of about 3400’ over 4 miles (8.2 mile R/T), so consider the hike strenuous.
Wildlife and Tidewater
Glacier Tour
There are several boating options for getting out to experience Kenai Fjords from the water. We chose a 6 hour version with Major Marine and they took care of everything during a great day. Our weather was mostly nice and not everyone gets so lucky. We saw tidewater glaciers, lots of orcas, a few fin whales, numerous seals, some otters, and tons of puffins. We also got fed (just basic deli sandwiches) and along the way, they pulled out a chunk of ice from the water and made margaritas with that. Fun! On the way back to Seward, it was raining lightly and we got a rainbow too. It was a good tour and one you shouldn’t miss as part of your Kenai Fjords experience.
Seward
This cute fishing/tourist town has plenty of food/lodging options. We found a small Bed & Breakfast (Bear’s Den) that suited us fine – affordable, comfortable room, homecooked breakfast every morning, and centrally located so we could easily get where we needed to go. During the summer, days are super long and we found ourselves going on a (sunny) hike after 10:30pm along a pretty stretch full of fireweed, a prolific bright pink flower that is beautiful this time of year. On our little hike, we stumbled upon a what looked like a town park, but was actually the starting point of the famous Iditarod dog race across Alaska. Bonus!
This was our second visit to Alaska. And it won’t be our last. If you are able to visit Kenai Fjords, you too may get hooked on Alaska.
