Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park was established in 1980 and encompasses approximately 580,000 acres along the coastline of the Kenai Peninsula which extends south west from Anchorage into the Gulf of Alaska. The park is considered one of the top wildlife and glacier viewing destinations in the State.

The Harding Icefield is a major part of Kenai Fjords National Park and is the largest icefield on the North American continent. It covers over 300 square miles of the park. Snow and ice accumulation has made the icefield thousands of feet thick in places. There are at least 40 major outlet glaciers throughout the park. Holgate Glacier, a tidewater glacier, is easily viewed by daily boat excursions whilst Exit Glacier is the park's only glacier accessible by road. It is a short distance from Seward, only nine miles off the Seward Highway and it is possible to get up close to the ice and stand atop the moraine that wraps the leading edge of the glacier.

The park boasts an abundance of marine and land wildlife. Humpback whales, orcas, Dall's Porpoise, Steller sea lions, sea otters, seals, mountain goats, black bears, and moose, along with more then 80 different species of birds populate the Park. The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only cold-water research facility of its kind in the country. This 50 million-dollar facility opened in 1998, and leads efforts in exploring new ways to protect the resources of the sea. The self-guided tour gives you the opportunity to meet local marine wildlife and have a chance to learn about their ocean environment.