Kenai Fjords National Park, located on the edge of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, offers a breathtaking landscape where ice, ocean, and mountains meet. This park is renowned for its rugged beauty and dramatic fjords, which are deep glacial valleys filled with seawater.
At the heart of the park lies the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields entirely within the United States, covering over 700 square miles and feeding nearly 40 glaciers. Exploring this park, you encounter a dynamic environment where glaciers are actively shaping the land and contributing to the rich marine ecosystem. The park provides crucial habitat for a diverse array of wildlife.
In the icy waters, visitors might spot humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, and seals, while the coastal areas and forests are home to brown and black bears, moose, mountain goats, and numerous bird species, including bald eagles and puffins. This park is not only a haven for wildlife, but also a testament to the power of ice and time.
Kenai Fjords is a popular destination for those wanting to experience the natural beauty of glaciers up close, whether by boat tours that navigate the fjords, kayaking amidst icebergs, or hiking trails that offer spectacular views of the icefield and surrounding wilderness. Witnessing the calving of glaciers, where huge chunks of ice break off and crash into the water, is a powerful reminder of the ongoing forces of nature at work.
Kenai Fjords National Park serves as a critical reminder of the wild, dynamic environments that continue to shape, and be shaped by, the natural forces of our planet.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska
Alaska
Kenai Fjords National Park is built around the Harding Icefield, one of the nation's four big ice caps, and nearly 40 glaciers flow out from it. Near Seward, tidewater glaciers meet carved fjords, and the waters support marine wildlife: whales, orcas, sea otters, and puffins. Much of the park is ice and water, so many visitors see it from a boat or the air. Wildlife and glacier cruises leave from Seward and head into the fjords. Sea kayakers paddle past glaciers, while hikers can walk the Harding Icefield Trail or the short trails at the base of Exit Glacier. Glacier hiking, ice climbing, and flightseeing offer other ways to see the ice.
Visitor Centers
Exit Glacier Nature Center
9:00AM - 5:30PM
Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center
9:00AM - 7:00PM
Campgrounds
Camping guide →
Exit Glacier Campground
About the Park
Park Guides
All 12 guides →Seward: Gateway Town and Harbor Visitor Center
Seward lies at the top of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, and it counts among Alaska's older towns.
Rain Gear and the Maritime Summer Season
Forecasts at Kenai Fjords are hard to rely on, and conditions can turn quickly. Warm water carried by the Japanese current through the Gulf of Alaska gives this coast a fairly mild maritime climate.
Harding Icefield: Source of Nearly 40 Glaciers
The Harding Icefield is the dominant feature of Kenai Fjords and one of the major reasons the park was created.
Fjord Cruises to Tidewater Glaciers from Seward
The Northwestern Fjord Cruise runs seven to eight hours from Seward and goes deeper into Kenai Fjords National Park than any other fjord tour.
Climbing the Harding Icefield Trail
The Harding Icefield Trail is an 8.2-mile round trip that most hikers finish in six to eight hours.
