Kenai Fjords Park Aug. 15 -- 18, 2010 [Kenai Fjords Gallery] [Back to Photo Page] [Slide Show]

Kenai Fjords, established as a national park in 1980, covers over 600,000 acres including 400 miles of coastline and has some of Alaska's finest and most accessible coastal scenery, glacial landscapes, and diverse marine wildlife.  The park contains the Harding Icefield (70-mile long and 30-mile wide), one of the largest ice fields in the United States.  This vast expanse of ice feeds at 38 glaciers that flow down from the heights to form the park's deep valleys and fjords.

Getting there ...

This is our first visit to Alaska.  We flew to Anchorage and planned to visit Kenai Fjords and Denali National Parks in this trip.  The drive from Anchorage to Seward wound through the scenic Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm where Captain Cook was forced to turn again in 1778 after discovering that it was impossible to navigate a route between Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound.  It was a smooth and relaxed 2.5-hour drive, and it was already 9:30PM when we got to Seward.  Luckily, Alaska did not get dark until 10PM at this time of the year.

The Second Day ...

• Alaska SeaLife Center
  Our original plan was to go to Exit Glacier (and maybe hike the Harding Icefield Trail).  But after checking with the ranger at the visitor center, we were told that the road to Exit Glacier was flooded and closed due to the rain and glacier melt the day before.  We had to change our plan to visit a local attraction, Alaska SeaLife Center.  On the Resurrection Bay waterfront in Seward, the Alaska SeaLife center is not a big aquarium (compared with Monterey Aquarium), but it has good displays of local marine lives like harbor seals, Steller sea lion, and plenty of seabirds (puffins, common murres. etc.).

• Exit Glacier
  After spending about 2 hours in the SeaLife Center, we decided to go to Exit Glacier to check it out.  The road was closed at the last one mile before entering the park.  We could only glance at the glacier from a distance, and we headed back to Seward for lunch.

• Two-Lake Trail
  After lunch, we took an easy two-mile Two-Lake Trail in Seward.  Is was drizzling and wet on the trail, but it was a nice afternoon walk with our rain gear on.

The Third Day ...

• Kenai Fjords Cruise
  The highlight of the Kenai Fjords National Park was the boat tour in the Resurrection Bay.  We took the 8.5-hour National Park Tour with stop at Fox Island.  However the weather was still not good, and the boat ride was kind of rough to Linus and Iris. 

• Wildlife

 

 

• Aialik Glacier
  When we got close to the shore of Aialik Glacier, the captain shut off the engine and we were drifting among ice blocks.  It became so quiet that no one dared to speak loud.  Occasionally the glacier gave in and crashed into the sea, and the splash and sound made you feel the power of nature even we were just observers.

• Fox Island
   

The Fourth Day ...

• Exit Glacier
  Finally it was a clear day for our last stay in Seward/Kenai Fjords.  Our original plan was to take a helicopter ride and dog sled on the glacier. However, there was another problem with the clear weather: it was too windy today.  We were told to wait and see if the wind may die down during the day.  While we were waiting, we headed to Exit Glacier to finish what we planned to do on the first day here (but we could not do the Harding Icefield trail this time because of time constraint). 
  The road was still closed for the last one mile.  We had to hike this additional mile through the slightly flooded paved road.  The clear and blue sky made the glacier ice look even more blue.

• Seward
  We went back to Seward for lunch, and still had no good news from the helicopter tour.  It was so windy that my tripod fell down, along with my camera when I was setting up a family picture. Luckily, my camera was still intact with only a few scratches.

• Seavey's Iditarod Sled Dog
  To make up for the cancelled helicopter/dog sled tour, we went to a much cheaper option: Seavey's Iditarod Sled Dog. It had a 2-mile dog sled ride on wheel in summer.  Iris was so excited to see many dogs, especially when we visited and held a few puppies which were just a few days old.

• Anchorage
  It was time to drive back to Anchorage where we will stay for one night to prepare to go to our next destination, Denali National Park.
  We stopped by at the Beluga Point on the Seward Highway to enjoy the nice view of the Turnagain Arm.

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