"Where Mountains, Ice, and Ocean Meet"…read more Exploring this National Park was a nice addition to my trip to Alaska. I came here to do volunteer work. In the evenings, we mostly fished in the Kenai River. After finishing up our work, my group planned two fun days at the end of the week. One day we chartered a boat in Homer to Halibut fish and the other we visited Seward and got to see the Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. Kenai Fjords National Park is massive. It is the fifth most-visited park in Alaska and is the closest national park to Anchorage. The park was established in 1980 and encompasses over 600,000 acres outside of the town of Seward. Snow and ice cover 50 percent of the park with the Harding Icefield stretching over 700 square miles. The park's headquarters and visitor center is located in Seward. The nice thing about Kenai Fjords National Park is that it provides both leisurely and adventurous activities for visitors. Activities include kayaking, boat tours, camping, fishing, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, dog sledding and mountaineering. Various companies offer tours that are guided by National Park Rangers. In addition to seeing the beautiful scenery up close, you can also see both land and marine wildlife. Seward is also a destination for cruise ships and provides passengers from the ships with tours of the park. Kenai Fjords National Park lies on the southeastern side of the Kenai Peninsula and can be reached from Seward. The most significant fjords include Aialik Bay, Harris Bay, McCarty Fjord and Nuka Bay. Most of the interior of the park is covered by the Harding Icefield. A cool thing for me was that I was doing work at an airport when I was here in Alaska. Because my work was volunteer, one of the pilots offered to take some of us up in a plane to see Alaska from above as an appreciation for the work that we were doing. We flew over the Harding Icefield and got to see how massive is it. It was such an awesome experience. Another way to see the Icefield up close is to hike on the Harding Icefield Trail. Kenai Fjords National Park is made up of three main areas - the Exit Glacier, Harding Icefield and the coastline. The Exit Glacier is the easiest section of the park to reach. I stopped by the visitor center in Seward first before seeing the glacier. It is a nice place to visit and to learn about the park. There are park rangers on hand to answer questions and a gift shop. We then headed over to the Exit Glacier. It is the only destination in Kenai Fjords National Park that is accessible by land. They have a small nature center that you can visit before heading out on the trail to the glacier. The Exit Glacier hike is the best way to see this this glacier up close. Sadly, it has shrunk considerably due to climate change. They have signs showing where the glacier once stood by year. Park scientists continue to monitor and record the glacier's accelerating recession. At some point, you won't be able to see the glacier anymore from the overlook trail. I really enjoyed my time visiting this park. Getting a chance to fly over the Harding Icefield was an amazing experience for me. Then checking out the Exit Glacier later in the week really made me appreciate how beautiful this park is. I hope someday I can return here and hike on Harding Icefield Trail to get up and close to it.

One of the best parts of our June Alaska cruise occurred on the last day in Seward. We viewed…read moreparts of Kenai Fjords National Park from the water on a Major Marine boat trip. We saw the Holgate and Aialik glaciers, tons of wildlife (Orcas, sea otters, Stellar sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, and more). The finale was seeing the amazing rock formations in Porcupine Bay. Afterwards, we stopped by the Kenai Fjords National Park visitor center to learn more about the park. Wish we had more time for further exploration!

What an amazing trail! There was plenty of difficult places to cross along the way but it was…read moreawesome! Super long trail all the way to the lake, but the views on the way are what make the journey worth it. BRING YOUR BEAR SPRAY! Just in case. Experience Level: High Total Hiking Time: 6 hours Elevation: 2,700 feet Distance: 14.3 miles

I think this is a really wonderful trail that is 16 miles long. I've hiked in from Primrose and…read morecamped at Lost Lake, which is about 7-8 miles in and is amazing in scenery changes. I also hike in from the other side to hit up Dale Clemens cabin which is 2.5 on the winter trail. One time I tried to find the cabin from the summer trail and we got lost, so I'd like to think I've hiked about 12 miles of this trail total. Looking back it would have been great to have continued on and ended in Seward when I overnighted at the lake, but I just didn't have all the facts at the time. There is a creek near both trails for water if needed, and the terrain goes from mossy woods to hiking through a mountain pass not unlike the gap of Rohan. If you come from the Primrose side there is an old mining cabin off to the side, about 4 miles up, and has a wheel in the water that I think was used for power. It's an interesting feature to the hike that is worth the stop. I would come again and hopefully complete the entire trail sometime.

What an incredible experience. We stayed for 2 nights in July and wished we had booked a longer…read morestay. Remote, peaceful, immersed in nature, this is hands down one of our favorite spots in all our travels. During the boat ride to the property we got lucky and saw a couple of orcas! Upon arriving we were in awe of the property, the views, and the amenities. We went fishing, cooked fresh salmon on the grill, hung out in the shared space and met other guests, and enjoyed the sound of rain on the yurt roof. I literally had the best night of sleep in my adult life in that yurt! So so cozy. There were river otters that came by each day, which was an added bonus. We will definitely return to take advantage of the surroundings more!

It is difficult to imagine a better place to stay in Alaska. We loved these yurts. We were…read moregreeted time and time again by excellent staff from the boat taxi at check in all the way to check out. We had a memorable stay here at Orca Island. We were given the Oyster Catcher yurt which had a nice combo of a view of the inner cove and the outter bay. Our yurt was in excellent condition with great amenities. We did shopping in Seward before the trip as recommended by the hosts and had all we needed to prepare great meals at the yurt. We used the kayaks to stumble across salmon spawning near the cabins. The spawning was one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever watched. Thousands of salmon making their way upstream in all different stages of life. Incredible. The kayaks were in great condition and we appreciated being taught how to use the kayak skirts because we come from warm water area where skirts aren't used. I recommend bringing water shoes if you plan to kayak as ours came in really handy when getting off the kayaks at the nearby waterfall. If you plan to fish, I'd recommend bringing your own tackle. We weren't having much luck with what was rigged up but we also didn't fish for that long. Still would have been nice to have our own lures to use because their lures seemed too big for the fish in the cove. Tons of fish, not a single bite. I don't think the hosts are that big on fishing. Always good to do your own research if you wanna catch something. During our stay we saw a ton of jelly fish, bald eagles, thousands of salmon, otters, sea lions, puffins, and more birds I couldn't identify. Incredible experience. We loved the art gallery and communal coffee spot. Wish we bought some orca island gear while we were there but forgot to stop back in the shop before departing. Stay here!! Don't bat an eye at the price. It is worth it.

Five of us went on the beginning ice climbing trip and hike. There were a total of nine of us in…read morethe group with three guides, making it a 3:1 ratio. Before booking, I was wavering between the helicopter vs 6 mile roundtrip hike. The hike was recommended due to the scenery that time of the year (June). During our trip, I learned that if I had chosen the helicopter, it would have been a different glacier since Exit glacier is located in the National Park and helicopters are not allowed to land there. The morning starts off with outfitting you with a helmet, shoes, ice cleats, and harness: all the gear you're carrying yourself (best guess at least 10lbs). They do have spare gear ( if you're missing anything including water bottles. The six mile sometimes off trail uphill/downhill/sideways sometimes ice trekking was pretty grueling. Wear lots of thin layers (a big no to bulk!) that you can take on and off easily! We were forewarned to strip down to one layer at the start. I did not heed the recommendation and was sweating bullets before our first official stop with thermals and hiking pants on top. Once we got to the glacier, the views were jaw dropping gorgeous! The guides set up the anchors and belay points off the glacier and it was so intimidating, you literally could not see anything past the drop off. Then before we knew it, down we go...and then the hard part: UP. A few of us were disappointed (Not me! Once was enough!) we only got to ice climb one round (thought it would be two). I'm going to assume this was due to time constraints and take the blame for my lagging during the hike that put us behind. I personally wished that we were able to take more photos or have photos taken of us while we were doing the actual ice climbing since this is a bucket list that I will most likely not repeat! We were in the best hands with Gina, Aubrey and Aiden. Encouraging, friendly, and most importantly, always looking out for our safety. I think we all felt quite accomplished we did this excursion, and glad we did it. If there's a next time, I'd do the helicopter option :).

We used Exit Glacier Guides for a shuttle to/from Exit Glacier, as well as renting bear spray and…read moretrekking poles. The shuttle was affordable and punctual, and driver was friendly. They were even flexible when our plans changed and they moved our trip to a different day without issue. Equipment rental was a breeze. Highly recommend for a reliable trip to Exit Glacier.

Let me preface this by saying that this review is not in of itself indicative of what others may…read moreexperience since there are so many factors that come into play. The tour guides are perhaps the biggest factor that is in control by the company. The wildlife viewing and glacier kayaking experience is also dependent on how lucky nature views you. This of course is not this fault of the company, but may impact experience. With that long statement out of the way, let's talk about what happened during my excursion. To start, they go over the typical safety protocols to mitigate chances of issues that would occur. Then you embark on a roughly two hour ride to the kayaking destination. From there, you kayak about 4 miles to the glacier. It's just beautiful to enjoy the Alaskan waterfalls and viewpoints before arriving at the glacier. But once there, you're hit with the majestic beauty of the glacier. Due to safety reasons, we paddle until about 1 mile from the glacier, but it's big enough to be seen from a good ways away. If you're lucky you can see some ice calving. Then you enjoy some lunch from a spot near the glacier before embarking home. Along the way there and way back. The group was also fortunate to see some amazing wildlife! From porpoises to orcas, to whales, it was just a stroke of good luck! If you're in Seward, heck even Alaska, it is definitely worth taking this kayaking tour!

Zeke and hunter were the amazing guides who were very knowledgeable of the surrounding wildlife. It…read morewas rejuvenating to be out on the water with a great group of people. I highly recommend trying it out, even if you're new to kayaking. They were very prepared, and we felt safe, on top of fact that the kayaks were really hard to flip. I'm not saying you should flip (since it WILL end the tour), BUT if you do end up capsizing, your guide will have to do a shoey at the end of the season... just saying.

Definitely don't recommend. My husband died unexpectedly. I provided them with the death…read morecertificate and they refused to refund me.

We had an amazing time kayaking Resurrection Bay and staying in a yurt for the first time. It…read morecomes well equipped with everything you could ever need. We were able to cook, sleep comfortably, and have a hot shower. The owners were so welcoming and I was truly impressed. We didn't see any seals this time but we will definitely be back.

We recently were able to spend the night at Kayakers Cove and enjoyed the peace and serenity that…read morewas offered at the location. The owners are as helpful as they can come and have you leaving with a smile on your face. The hiking and kayaking offer the perfect amount of adventure with the sauna to help you relax away the day. I highly recommend Kayakers Cove and plan on returning as soon as possible! Thanks again M & R!

This is a nice place to get away. You pack everything in that you need (food, water, wood for…read morefires) and take a short water taxi ride across Resurrection Bay. We stayed two nights, one in a small cabin and one in the hostel portion. There are kayaks for rent and the caretakers are very helpful getting you set up with everything you need. In addition to two cabins and the bunk house there is an outhouse with a great view and a sauna which can help you destress even more. There is a common kitchen area to prepare meals and they have everything you need to cook. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a little adventure but not wanting to pitch a tent.

First time kayaker. Zach was a great guide, patient, cheerful, and safet conscious. He gauged the…read moretour based on our experience. The bay was flat and easy to navigate. Everyone can do this, It's a beautiful morning on the water. We saw otters and a seal.

What an awesome glacier experience! We started the day off early, at 7 AM. We took a 2 hour 30…read moreminute water taxi to a beach near Aialik glacier. The ride had beautiful scenery, while we saw puffins, sea otters, and different kinds of seals. We even saw a whale from afar. Our guide, Abby was super kind, and we learned all about the local fauna. Definitely recommend this tour.

Used Adventure Sixty North to rent hiking poles and bear spray for our hike to the Harding…read moreIcefield. Super easy to rent and return, and they're reasonably priced. Located right on the road to the icefield, so it's wasn't even out of our way to stop by - and nice when we were exhausted to not have to make an extra detour. Overall, great rental experience. Definitely recommend.

We used them multiple times during our stay. They went out of our way to help us by going above and…read morebeyond. For Nisha, Paz to Shantanum, all very accommodating and knowledgeable. Even telling us stories on rides.

A Kenai Fjords wildlife tour was one the planned highlights of our 2 weeks Alaska adventure. Did…read moresome online research and asked some locals for advice on which tour to take. Several recommended Alaska Saltwater Lodge for its small boat tours. So I called to book. They don't always answer their phones so you have to leave a message or call back. I found the best time to call was after 5pm Alaska time. You meet the tour in front of a bakery across from the visitor center. There's a $10 all day parking lot there. Met the deckhand Joe who was really nice with a great sense of humor. Walked the 11 of us out to the boat where we met the captain Lindsey. A little safety instructions and off we went. Right in the harbor were a couple of bald eagles. Father out Lindsey spotted some humpback whales bubble feeding. It was a pod of about 20. We got up close - probably about 25 yards and what an amazing experience. Also saw seals, otters, puffins, sea lions and of course the glacier. The day was beautiful, mostly sunny, but what made the experience was Joe and Lindsey. We're out there 9 hours so had a chance to chat with both of them about living in Alaska, how she liked captaining the boat, etc. Really made the experience much more personal. When we got off we all agreed it was more like a day of boating with friends instead of a tour. Can't recommend Saltwater Lodge tours highly enough for their small group sizes, personalized service and great crew.

Staying at the Dairy Hill Lodging & taking an all-day tour during my time in Seward were wonderful…read morehighlights of my 2-week road trip to Alaska in late May/early June 2015. What a great little town & superb hosts! James & Kathleen made me feel right at home in their cozy, quiet, & comfortable B&B. The bed was comfy, the room was just the right size, & the curtains cancelled most of the constant sunlight shining in Alaska during the time of year in which I visited (this is very important, trust me). I found the prices to be very reasonable for the quality of my quarters, as well as my proximity to eateries & the dock. It was a quick walk from my B&B to the dock in order to meet up with everyone taking the Full-Day, Small-Group Whale-Watching, Wildlife, & Glacier Tour (the same people who have the Dairy Hill Lodging also head this tour). Once aboard, the cloud cover parted & we immediately starting seeing bald eagles & otters. We eventually also saw seals, two types of puffins, sea lions, & a large variety of beautiful birds. The calving glaciers sounded like thunder (you realize how small you are when they're close). Humpbacks & Orcas breached & played close to our boat several times, which was breathtaking. I was giddy when we discovered that two Dall's porpoises decided to have a little fun with us & glided alongside our boat, jumping & having a ball. It truly was an all-day adventure full of memorable moments & well worth the money/time. I cannot recommend the tour highly enough & thoroughly loved their Dairy Hill Lodging accommodations. I really hope I can return to Seward, & if I do, these guys will definitely be a part of my itinerary!