Located on the Kenai Peninsula, Kenai Fjords is one of the most amazing natural areas in Southcentral Alaska; and it is the perfect place to fish, explore marine life, and watch glacier ice tumble into the water. This national park was founded in 1980 to protect some of Alaska’s wilderness. 

Glacier, mountains, and waves have shaped Kenai Fjords into what it is today; snow and ice cover around 60% of this national park, and lining the park’s edge is the -vast 936 square mile- Harding Icefield. With so many natural and unique wonders, Kenai Fjords National Park offers some of the most awe-inspiring and amazing picturesque sceneries in Alaska, so it’s no surprise that this park draws in so many visitors.

Kenai Fjords National park is home to various plants and animals, such as brown and black bears, mountain goats, lynxes, wolverines, moose, porcupines, and marmots. It is also home to vast marine wildlife like sea otters, orcas, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, gray, minke, humpback, and fin whales. This park is also a temporary home to migratory and resident birds like cormorants, pigeon guillemots, kittiwakes, eagles, and puffins.

Things to do

This National Park is one of the most popular in Alaska. This is because it provides adventurous and leisurely activities for visitors, like kayaking, camping, boat tours, public use cabins, beach combing, fishing, biking, hiking, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, and ranger programs, among others. Here’s a list of things you can do while visiting the Kenai Fjords.

  • HIKE THE HARDING ICEFIELD TRAIL: If you want to see the Harding Icefield without hopping into an aircraft, this is the best way to do it. This hike begins near the Exit Glacier Nature Center; then the trail heads up, offering beautiful views of the Glacier, the surrounding mountains, and the valley along the way. And it ends at the Harding Icefield. Here you’ll have a better view of one of the largest icefields in America.
  • GLACIER VIEW LOOP TRAIL: This easy short trail is about one mile long and it starts at the Exit Glacier Nature Center. You are in a forest for most of the hike, but eventually, it leads up to viewpoints of the Exit Glacier outwash plain.
  • GLACIER OVERLOOK TRAIL: This trail is a bit more complex than the loop trail as you hike up the hills near the terminal moraine. This trail allows you to have a better view of the Exit Glacier. Combining this trail with the Glacier View Trail is a 2.2-mile round-trip trail with about 300 feet of elevation.
  • TAKE A WILDLIFE CRUISE: Cruising on Kenai Fjords is a unique experience. Getting up close to the landscapes is an extraordinary and unforgettable experience. Kenai Fjords is one of the best parks for wildlife viewing.