Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park, United States

A low-angle view from a boat deck looking at a massive tidewater glacier flowing into the calm blue waters of Aialik Bay at golden hour.

Go for ice that reaches the sea: tidewater glaciers, a vast icefield and fjords you can only properly explore by boat.

The place

Kenai Fjords National Park sits on the southeastern edge of the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, south of Anchorage by road. Its centre of gravity is the Harding Icefield, a broad sheet of ice on the mountains that feeds glaciers down toward the sea. Those glaciers carved deep valleys, and when sea levels rose while the land sank, the valleys flooded. What remains is a coastline of long, steep-sided inlets, which gives the park its name.

The park is really three landscapes stacked on top of each other: the high ice, the glacier tongues that push down through a narrow band of forest, and the open water of the fjords. Most of the fjords can only be reached by boat or small aircraft. The only public road ends at Exit Glacier, which is the easiest ice to reach on foot, with a short walk from the car park to the glacier's edge. Everything beyond that is a matter of tour boats, floatplanes and longer trails.

Wildlife is a large part of the appeal. Brown and black bears, moose, sea otters, harbour seals, humpback whales and killer whales all live here, and the sea is where most visitors see them. Seward, on Resurrection Bay just east of the park, is the gateway town and home to the park headquarters.

Its story

Kenai Fjords was first protected as a national monument, using presidential powers under the Antiquities Act, while Congress worked out how Alaska's public lands would be divided. The park was established as a national park in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. It is smaller than Yosemite and is the closest national park to Anchorage, which explains why so many people from the city make the trip.

The land was not empty when it was protected. Archaeological surveys have shown that people used these shores for a long time, and the coast was the richest place for food, so village sites were concentrated there. Some of those sites now lie underwater, because the land has sunk and the sea has risen since they were used. Researchers also found evidence that a major earthquake, centuries ago, dropped the shoreline by a few metres, which may have drowned older settlements.

The park also has a mining history. Several gold mines were worked here, mostly around Nuka Bay, and some were still active around the time the park was created. Of all the national parks in Alaska, Kenai Fjords is the sole one that initially prohibited Native American people from harvesting resources for subsistence. Village corporations that hold land inside the park have since gained subsistence rights on those properties.

What to see

Culture

Kenai Fjords sits on lands and waters that Alaska Native peoples have used for generations, and that use continues today. Village corporations hold land inside the park, and subsistence fishing and hunting remain part of local life, so visitors are guests in a working landscape rather than a purely scenic one. Much of the local economy depends on tourism, but many residents still rely on the sea for food and on the boats for transport.

Wildlife is treated with real seriousness here. Bears, sea otters and whales are wild animals, and the rules that tour operators and rangers set about distance and noise exist for good reasons. Feeding wildlife is prohibited, and a fed bear is a dangerous bear. Keep your voice down near the water, stay seated when the crew asks, and never approach a bear, otter or seal closer than your guide advises.

What to wear

Traditional dress in this part of Alaska was shaped by the sea. Coastal Alaska Native peoples made clothing from skins, fur and waterproof materials, including parkas of sea-mammal gut sewn for wet work in kayaks and boats. Many of these skills and materials have been replaced by modern textiles, although some communities still make traditional garments for ceremonies and special occasions.

What people wear now is practical. Locals and fishing crews dress in layers: thermal base layers, fleece, and a waterproof shell, with rubber or sturdy waterproof boots for the harbour and boat decks. Caps and gloves are common even in summer, and people rarely dress up in the town.

A visitor should dress for cold, wet and wind, even on a sunny day. Pack a waterproof jacket with a hood, a warm mid-layer, gloves and a hat. Choose footwear with good grip for wet rock, glacier-edge paths and boat decks. Dress modestly for the Alaska Native cultural centres and village areas, and leave cotton jeans for the car.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Road and rail access from Anchorage works for most of the year, though boat schedules shift with the seasons. July and August are busiest and the warmest months, with highs of about 17 to 19 °C, though the wettest weather comes from September through December. Spring and early autumn are quieter, but tours run less often, so check schedules before you go.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Drive or take the train from Anchorage to Seward, the park's gateway town. Seward's airport has only a short runway with no regular scheduled flights, so most visitors arrive by road, rail or cruise ship.

Budget. high

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources