Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, AK
Seward, AK
A wild coast where a vast icefield sends nearly forty glaciers down to the sea, calving into deep fjords alive with whales, sea lions, and seabirds, just off the harbor at Seward.
Just beyond the harbor at Seward lies one of the most dramatic coastlines in Alaska. Kenai Fjords National Park is a place built by ice: at its center sits the Harding Icefield, a vast sheet of snow and ice spread across the mountains, and from it nearly forty glaciers spill downward, some grinding all the way to the sea. Where they reach the water, these tidewater glaciers calve great slabs of ice into deep, cold fjords carved by the same glaciers over the ages.
It is a park best seen from the water. Tour boats leave Seward to nose into the fjords beneath towering rock and ice, past sea spires and cliffs where puffins nest, while humpback and orca whales, sea lions, and sea otters move through the rich waters. For those who prefer solid ground, Exit Glacier near town can be reached by road and short trails, and the ambitious can climb to the very edge of the Harding Icefield itself.
What Guests Love
- Watching tidewater glaciers calve straight into the sea
- Whales, sea lions, sea otters, and puffins on a fjord cruise
- Walking right up to road-accessible Exit Glacier
- The vast, silent expanse of the Harding Icefield above
Worth Knowing
- The classic way to see the fjords is a boat tour from Seward's harbor; book ahead in summer and dress warmly
- Exit Glacier, near Seward, is the only part reachable by road and has easy trails to glacier viewpoints
- Weather on the water is cool, wet, and changeable even in summer, so bring layers and rain gear
- The park is a summer destination; most tours and services run roughly mid-May through September
Details
Seward, AK
Learn about Kenai Fjords National Park
A coast made of ice
The Harding Icefield is the source of everything here, a nearly 700-square-mile expanse of ice buried under heavy coastal snows, with only the peaks of buried mountains poking through. From its edges, glaciers flow down every valley, and the ones that reach the ocean become tidewater glaciers, their faces rising straight from the water. Standing off one of these glaciers as a house-sized block of ice cracks free and crashes into the fjord, sending a wave rolling out, is among the great sights in Alaska.
The fjords themselves were carved by earlier ice, deep troughs now flooded by the sea, walled by steep rock. Sea spires and rugged islands stud the entrances, and waterfalls streak the cliffs, a raw, glacier-sculpted coast that feels genuinely at the edge of the world.
Wildlife of the fjords
The cold, nutrient-rich waters of Kenai Fjords teem with life, and a boat tour is as much a wildlife trip as a scenery one. Humpback whales feed through the summer and orcas patrol the passages, while sea otters float in the kelp and Steller sea lions haul out on the rocks. Overhead and on the cliffs, seabirds gather in the thousands, including the tufted and horned puffins that nest on the sea stacks.
Bald eagles watch from the shore, mountain goats pick across the high slopes, and black bears roam the forests near Exit Glacier. That combination of ice, sea, and abundant wildlife in a single day is exactly what draws visitors out of Seward and into the fjords.
Exit Glacier and the icefield
For those who want to feel the ice up close on foot, Exit Glacier is the park's road-accessible gateway, a short drive from Seward. Easy trails lead through the outwash plain to viewpoints near the glacier's snout, with markers along the way showing how far the ice has retreated over the decades, a vivid, sobering timeline.
From there, the strenuous Harding Icefield Trail climbs thousands of feet to a lookout over the icefield itself, a stunning white expanse stretching to the horizon. Whether by boat into the calving fjords or on foot beside the ice, Kenai Fjords offers a rare, direct encounter with the frozen forces that shaped this coast.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Seward
Exit Glacier
About 12 miles from Seward
The park's only road-accessible glacier, with easy trails to viewpoints near the ice and the strenuous Harding Icefield Trail above.
Seward and Resurrection Bay
At the park's gateway
The harbor town where fjord tours depart, set on a dramatic bay ringed by mountains, with the Alaska SeaLife Center on the waterfront.
Alaska SeaLife Center
In Seward
A public aquarium and marine research and rehabilitation center on the Seward waterfront, showcasing the wildlife of these waters.