Kenai Fjords
Glacier-carved fjords spilling from the Harding Icefield, next to the town of Seward
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- Free entry
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 669,984 acres
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Kenai Fjords protects the Harding Icefield, one of the largest icefields in the United States, and the nearly 40 glaciers that flow from it. Many of them reach the sea, carving deep fjords along the Gulf of Alaska coast. The park was created in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Its land is still changing quickly as the glaciers thin and retreat.
Visitors see the park two ways: on the road to Exit Glacier near Seward, and on boat tours into the fjords. The Exit Glacier area has short walks to the ice and a tough hike up to the icefield itself. Out on the water, tour boats stop near calving glaciers and rich wildlife areas. Exit Glacier has pulled back more than a mile since the 1800s, and signs along the road mark its retreat.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- June through August, when the road is open, boat tours run daily, wildlife is active and days are very long.
- How long to stay
- Two days covers Exit Glacier, the icefield hike and a full-day boat tour.
- Getting there
- Fly into Anchorage (ANC) and drive about 2.5 hours (126 miles) south on the Seward Highway to Seward, or ride the Alaska Railroad in summer; Exit Glacier is about 12 miles from downtown Seward.
- Wildlife
- Look for humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, Steller sea lions, puffins, black bears, mountain goats and bald eagles.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Kenai Fjords
- Waterproof rain shellRain and spray are common on boat tours and along the coast.
- Warm layers and glovesWind off the glaciers makes boat decks cold even in summer.
- Bear sprayBlack bears are seen almost daily on the Harding Icefield Trail.
- Hiking bootsThe icefield trail is steep, rocky and can hold snow into July.
- Seasickness remedyFull-day tours cross open water in the Gulf of Alaska.
A first day, start to finish
- Kenai Fjords Visitor Center at the Seward harbor
- Exit Glacier Nature Center
- Glacier Overlook Trail
- Harding Icefield Trail to Marmot Meadows
- Dinner on the Seward waterfront
Don't miss
- Exit GlacierThe only part of the park you can drive to, at the end of 8.4-mile Herman Leirer Road, with a 1-mile accessible loop and a 0.6-mile spur to a glacier overlook.
- Harding Icefield TrailA 7.8-mile round trip that climbs about 1,000 feet per mile to a view across the 700-square-mile Harding Icefield.
- Full-day fjord boat tourTours from Seward run past Resurrection Bay into Aialik or Northwestern Fjord to watch tidewater glaciers calve.
- Aialik GlacierA large tidewater glacier at the head of Aialik Bay and a common turnaround point for full-day cruises and kayak trips.
- Marine wildlifeBoat tours regularly pass humpback whales, orcas, Steller sea lion haulouts and seabird colonies with puffins.
Know before you go
Do
- Book a full-day boat tour if you can, since most of the park is only reachable by water.
- Arrive at Exit Glacier before 10:30 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. in summer, when parking fills.
- Carry bear spray and at least 2 liters of water on the Harding Icefield Trail.
Don't
- Enter the closed canyon below the toe of Exit Glacier, where outburst floods can hit without warning.
- Bring pets on any trail; they are allowed only in the parking area and on the road.
- Try to kayak the outer coast from Seward without a water taxi; the open-ocean crossing is dangerous.
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. Visitor centers in Seward and at Exit Glacier are staffed from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Herman Leirer (Exit Glacier) Road closes to cars once snow arrives, usually from late October to mid-May; it was open to vehicles as of the September 2026 conditions update, and in winter the area is reached by ski, snowshoe, fat bike or snowmachine.
Read the dated signs along the road to Exit Glacier, which show where the ice stood in past years and how far it has retreated.Trekker's tip