Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park covers 580,000 acres of ice, rock, and rugged coastline on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula [1]. The centerpiece of this magnificent national park is the Harding Ice Field, a massive expanse of ice and snow broken only by “nunataks”—the peaks of high rocky mountains. The ice field pushes out in all directions in the form of more than 30 named glaciers.

Along the coast, eight of these glaciers reach the sea, creating a thundering display of calving icebergs. Kenai Fjords has only been a national park since 1980, but today it is one of the most popular attractions in Alaska [2]. Many visitors come to ride the tour boats past teeming bird colonies or up to tidewater glaciers; many others hike to scenic Exit Glacier [3] or up a steep path to the edge of Harding Ice Field itself.

Next to the Seward [4] harbor, Kenai Fjords National Park Information Center (907/224-2125, www.nps.gov/kefj [5]) is open daily in summer. Inside are exhibits on Harding Ice Field and little-known sights within the park.