Kenai Fjords

Neon green colored algae on the Kenai Fjords National Park coast, Alaska. [click to continue…]

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Another look at the beautiful Kenai coast outside of Seward, Alaska.

You can see why this area is a challenging, but amazing place to kayak.  Not only do you often have rough seas, but getting to shore can be pretty tough in many areas.  But what a place to explore up close!

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There in an extensive book written on Kenai Fjords National Park titled A Stern and Rock-Bound Coast.  Seems like an appropriate name!

This was also from Monday night.  I liked how a little bit of sun was lighting up the green hillside – it almost made it glow.

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Kayakers in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

As you head into Kenai Fjords from Seward, Aialik Bay is the first fjord you come to.  But they next bay over, Northwestern Fjord, is even more spectacular in many ways.  Northwestern has more glaciers, and almost no vegetation, it is a very harsh, raw environment.

This is Northwestern Glacier from a few years ago.  A few years before this, there wasn’t any rock showing between the legs of the glacier, it was all solid ice.  Now that the rock wall is exposed, this south facing glacier is really melting fast.

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A tour boat in front of Holegate Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Well, back to Kenai Fjords.  The easiest way to experience this amazing park is on a boat tour.  Which tour is one question I am frequently asked, and since I have a lot of opinions on the subject, I thought I would write about them here today. [click to continue…]

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Pedersen Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

The last 8 photos I have posted on Kenai Fjords, along with the photo in my Graduated Neutral Density filter post were all captured in this amazing location.  I tried to describe it early on, but I think this aerial view really on a feel for this place.  Ailaik Bay is in the foreground.

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Pedersen Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Continuing on my theme – this is another photo from my favorite place.

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Kayaking in Pedersen Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

A kayak is a great way to get around Aialik Bay and Pedersen Lagoon.  This was a little early in the season – the icebergs are a little thick by the entrance at this time of year making it a little tricky picking your way through the maze – tricky but fun!  As the summer continues, it get easier.

There are numerous beaches for camping all around the bay, and the Park Service has food storage boxes at most of the best beaches, so you don’t need to worry about lugging bear proof food containers.  The one thing you do have to worry about it the unpredictable weather.  Short sleeve days like the one pictured aren’t very common.

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Ghost Forest, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Everyone calls these standing dead trees “ghost forests”.  Don’t know if that is an official name, but it works for me.

These trees have been standing dead like this for over 40 years.  Pretty amazing given our wet environment – my fire wood ends up rotting after just 3 or 4 years.  So how did they die, and why are they still standing strong? [click to continue…]

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An unnamed mountain rises above Pedersen Lagoon and Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

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Pedersen Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

This was a gloomy, cloudy morning, but and friend and I paddled up to this lake anyways, and were rewarded with a very brief burst of sunlight on the far side of the lake. [click to continue…]

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Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Ailalik Bay is one of the most beautiful locations in all of Alaska.  The Pacific Ocean, tidewater glaciers, towering peaks and plenty of wildlife - you can’t beat it!  Of the 500 – 1,000 people who visit this wonderful fjord each day via tour boat, maybe only one or two percent actually ever make it to shore. 

This was a wonderful, calm summer evening close to midnight.  That is the ocean on the right, and a lagoon on the left.

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Hiker at the end of the Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Of all the wonderful hiking trails in the Seward area, the Harding Icefield trail is my favorite.  It has everything; amazing scenery and wildlife.  The wildlife on this trail includes plenty of marmots, but there is a very good chance you will see bears and mountain goats as well.  But the real attraction has to be the scenery – specifically Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield.  If you have never stood at the edge of an icefield and looked out at mile after mile of ice, snow and nunataks (mountain rising out of the icefield), it is an amazing experience!  I have spent some wonderful nights on the edge of Harding Icefield with my tent watching some beautiful sunsets and sunrises.

The trail is about 8 miles round trip – that isn’t too bad, but like most trails in the Seward area, you do a lot of climbing – it has a 3,000 vertical foot rise in total.  If you don’t do a lot of hiking, you are going to feel the climb [click to continue…]

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Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Just a short, beautiful 12 mile drive from Seward is Exit Glacier.  Exit Glacier is one of the few glaciers in Alaska that you can easily walk up to and view and photograph up close.  From the parking lot, the trail is about a mile, with much of that on a paved pathway.  If you have never seen a glacier up close, it is a fascinating treat.  For the photographer, there are endless photo opportunities. 

This is actually an older photo shot on film.  Unfortunately this glacier has receded a fair amount since this photo was taken, and now the toe of the glacier is off the valley floor.  I think the rate of retreat is going to really increase because the sun can now warm the underlying bedrock.

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Harding Icefield at sunrise, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I recently broke up some of my categories a bit and discovered I have only posted 4 photos of Kenai Fjords National Park!  We live in the gateway city to my favorite National Park, and I have largely ignored it here on the blog – so I hope to fix that over the next week or so.

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Seward residents have been treated to a visiting Humpback Whale for the past week.  This isn’t one of those whales you can barely see looking South out the bay.  No, this whale has been coming right up to the head of the bay and swimming close to town, and even near the cruiseship dock!  We have seen it on four different days this week from our office – whale watching is sure a nice break from key-wording!  Yesterday there was a pretty big crowd of cars and locals watching.  I think it is pretty cool to see people stopping and still getting excited about a whale swimming by considering most residents of Seward have probably seen a lot of whales over the years. [click to continue…]

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