Kenai Fjords National Park 2019


A crowning jewel in the Alaskan coastline, a visit to Kenai Fjords National Park had long been overdue and did not disappoint. Where great mountains and glaciers plunge into the Gulf of Alaska the surrounding seas can often be storm tossed and violent, but on this rare day the waters around Cape Aialik calmed and allowed us safe passage.




Kenai Fjords NationalPark had a number of unique geographic and marine features that were of special interest to us. The park includes the western half of the vast Harding Icefield and Kenai Mountains along with a narrow fringe of heavily timbered land along its convoluted coastline.



Investigating our options we found that the coastal section of the Park was easily accessed by a fleet of seaworthy vessels. From the port of Seward Alaska we went out on two different days, the first was to the northwestern section of the Park and the Chiswell Islands and on the second outing we explored the eastern half and Aialik Bay.




The first glacier we encountered was the largest, the Bear Glacier was, up until recent times, a tidewater glacier but is now surrounded and buffered by a freshwater lagoon. The ice berg filled lagoon was created by gravel debris left behind by the retreating glacier and may to some degree help slow the glacier’s further retreat.





Rock walls and pillars were the majority of the coastline and it was fascinating to see how the full force of the Gulf of Alaska shaped and sculpted the Park’s shoreline. As the tide fell a myriad of intertidal life forms became exposed revealing a complex intertidal ecosystem that had adapted to the powerful wave shock from the deep ocean.


We were there in June and observed plentiful numbers of marine bird populations, like these Common Murre (Uria aalge), nesting in the rocky crevices of the Chiswell Islands. Other birds that nest on these islands include Horned Puffins, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Tufted Puffins and various auklets such as Cassin's Auklet and the Whiskered Auklet.


Located within the Park the Chiswell Islands are also part of the Alaska Maritime National WildlifeRefuge that stretches along much of Alaska’s Pacific shoreline. Deep ocean currents in the summer months rise up along the steep sided coastline and deliver fish and plankton to the surface which attracts Whales and other marine mammals such as Seals, Sea Lions and Porpoise. At one point we were surrounded on all sides by whales, Humpbacks, Orca and a Finn, while circling these outer islands.



Navigating deeper into the fjords, cascading glaciers inched their way down the sides of the surrounding mountains. The Harding Icefield, vestige of the last ice age ten thousand years ago, was peeking out from behind the clouds. These relatively calmer waters were a relief from the heaving ocean swells for many onboard.




The face of the Northwestern Glacier, in a number of places, was retreating for the first time above tideline and our Captain noted that there were far fewer ice burgs to navigate through on the way in. Historic photos on display at the Park headquarters in Seward showed that these tidewater glaciers have retreated back several miles in the past century.




It would make for a fantastic kayak trip though we noted few beaches or landings sites available to rest or camp on the outer islands. And though the sea kayak would be our preference in most places here on these steep sided and unforgiving shores we had to console ourselves by taking advantage of the vessels greater stability for photographing wildlife.



Being on a larger vessel made approaching the Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) hulled out on the rocks a lot less formidable as well.  These marine titans can run well over a thousand pounds and from firsthand accounts acquired from local sea kayakers the large bulls on these islands can be quite territorial and aggressive at times.



“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal”. -Charles Darwin