Kenai Fjords: the icefield that feeds 38 glaciers

South of Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula ends in a jagged coast. Above it lies an immense plateau of ice, the Harding Icefield, from which nearly forty glaciers descend. Several reach the sea, at the head of fjords where humpback whales and orcas swim.

History and origins

The icefield is a remnant of the last ice age. It covers 1,800 km², and the ice is up to a kilometre thick. It was its glaciers that carved the fjords. Today almost all of them are retreating.

The Sugpiaq lived on this coast for centuries, from seal hunting and fishing. The park was created in 1980. Nine years later, the Exxon Valdez oil spill reached its beaches. It took decades for the wildlife to recover.

What to do there

• The cruise: this is the main visit. The boats leave Seward for six to eight hours, follow cliffs covered in birds and stop facing a glacier. You wait in silence for a block to break off.
• The wildlife: humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, sea otters, puffins. You see them on almost every trip.
• Exit Glacier: the only glacier in the park you can reach by road. An easy trail leads to a viewpoint. Along the way, dated signs show where the ice came to in 1917, in 1951, in 2005. You walk a long way before finding it.
• The Harding Icefield: a steep trail follows Exit Glacier all the way up. You come out facing a horizon of ice with only a few summits poking through.
• Kayaking: guided outings drop paddlers in a fjord, at the foot of a glacier.

Stories and good to know

• More than half the park is under ice.
• Several metres of rain fall here each year, and far more still as snow on the plateau. That’s what feeds the glaciers.
• Seward is the historic starting point of the Iditarod Trail, the great sled dog race.

Practical information for your trip

• Getting there: Seward is 2 hrs 30 by road from Anchorage, on one of the most beautiful roads in Alaska. A scenic train also makes the journey.
• Clothing: a waterproof, hat and gloves, even in July. On the deck of the boat, it’s cold.
• Where to stay: in Seward. The park has a small free campground at Exit Glacier.
• Combine it with: Denali, north of Anchorage.