This week we’ll explore a wonder off of the mainland United States, up North in Alaska. Alaska is known for its unique and epic natural scenery, and for good reason. The focus of this post, Kenai Fjords National Park, is one of those many places. Between the glaciers, lush evergreens, rich blue water, breaching whales and orcas, and the scraggly sea stacks, it can be hard to believe this place is even real. It seems like it should be part of some magical land in a made-up world. But lucky for us, it is real and ripe for adventure!
One of the most incredible things about this park is the ability to spot wildlife. This is one of the less frequently visited parks, so wildlife still stays relatively close to where tourists are. While this can result in fascinating sights, it also adds an extra layer of importance to being prepared and knowing how to stay safe around wildlife. Some potential wildlife sightings are brown and black bears, coyotes, beavers, otters, lynx, moose, porcupine, porpises, orcas, various whales, and my personal favorite, the mountain goat (pictured below). One of the best places to spot wildlife is Blying Sound, also known as Ressurection Bay. A cruise tour is probably the easiest and most efficient way to visit the Bay, but for those who would like a more immerse experience, kayaking tours are also available.
Because of the steep and rugged terrain, as well as the dangers of falling ice, there are limited hiking opportunities. Most trails are only about one to two miles in length and located in the Exit Glacier Area. If you’re looking for a longer treck, there’s the epic Haridng Icefield Trail. This out and back hike is 8.2 miles and extremely taking, therefore it should not be attempted by beginner hikers. Approximately three and a half thousand feet in elevation are gained, there is snow on parts of the trail almost all year round, and risk of avalanches and storms. It takes about six to eight hours to complete. Unfortunatly there is no in between these shorter hikes and the strenous Harding Trail, however, portions of the trail can be hiked instead of the entire thing.
Besides hiking and wildlife spotting, Kenai Fjords still has plenty to offer. Fishing, ice climbing, and flight tours are all possibilities. If you’re interested in learning more about what the park has to offer, be sure to check out this link!
Images and References:
https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/animals.htm#:~:text=The%20following%20land%20mammals%20can,%2C%20vole%20(4%20species)%2C
https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2019/05/safety-tips-for-unexpected-wildlife-encounters/
https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/alaska/kenai-fjords-national-park
Great post! The pictures really added to your vivid descriptions of the Kenai Fjords National Park. It looks like such a peaceful place to be! This would definitely be a national park that I would want to visit, but the long list of predators that I might encounter makes me a little hesitant. The cruise tour and the kayaking tour sound like a great experience, but again, I cannot imagine how I would react if a orca or a whale were to swim right below where I was in a boat/kayak.
This national park sounds incredible! Somehow, I’ve never actually realized that fjords exist outside of Scandinavia, so seeing them at least a little closer to home is great. The wildlife does sound like the most interesting thing, having such a wide variety of animals all in one place. It does sound like this should be the setting of a fantasy book with how amazing the pictures look. Unfortunately, it sounds like the difficulty may be a bit too high to actually go there, but it still would be great to see it in person one day. Great post!
Visiting the Kenai Fjords National Park has always been on my travel bucket list. Alaska is the ultimate destination for me, so I was so excited to read this blog post. One of the professors in my hometown lives across the street from me and was telling me about his visit to this national park over the summer. I am sure that going on one of the kayaking tours is as physically challenging as it is mentally stimulating. Kayaking is one of my big passions and being able to do that at Kenai Fjords would be amazing. I did not know about the lynx there, but I suppose it makes sense that the Alaskan wilderness would have a greater degree of wildlife than central PA or NY. Seeing these animals in the wild would be a treat considering their prevalence in zoos across America. It is good to know that there at least remains some locations where they can live independently from humans. Great blog post!