Trees and mountain goats cling to the cliffs as we pass under them—the tops of which disappear into low-lying clouds. From here, waterfalls cascade down finding their home in the sea. We have entered a wilderness paradise.

May 29–31, 2021

It’s our first time stepping foot in Alaska, a bucket list trip held long on the books in our family, and it feels surreal. Our homemade itinerary has us landing in Anchorage, driving down to Kenai Fjords National Park for several days before returning to Anchorage for a train ride up to Denali National Park for the remainder of our stay. These two parks seemed ideal for our first foray into Alaska—relatively close to Anchorage and easy to access.

Well, we land around 3:00 p.m. grab a rental car and drive down the scenic Seward Highway to our vacation rental house in Seward. The immensity of the state captures our imagination as we skirt along the Cook Inlet past the gorgeous Chugach Mountains. It takes everything in us not to stop and pull over at every scenic overlook. A little over 2 hours later, we arrive in Seward, a quaint little coastal town built up on tourism and fishing. The sky is moody and overcast as we settle into our new home base and cook dinner.

Here in Alaska, daylight extends well past 10:00 p.m. so my brother and I step outside to explore the coastline, just a short walk from our lodging. Amidst the seagull cries and the lapping tides, we hear the occasional splash of a breaching whale, looking up just in time to miss the action. This only intensifies our anticipation for the boat cruise in the days ahead.

The next morning, we rise slowly and prepare a comfortable breakfast of pancakes and eggs. This is our day to explore Seward and the front-country trails of Exit Glacier. About lunchtime, we find ourselves driving to Exit Glacier and the accompanying nature center. After a brief orientation of the park at the nature center, we take to the trail system. The weather is still overcast and rainy in late-May. Trees are just starting to bud and snow is slowly melting making for some slippery, muddy conditions along Glacier View Loop Trail.

Off in the distance, we see our first glacier, Exit Glacier, an impenetrable wall of blue ice perched on the mountainside. Climbing the ridgeline, we catch views of this glacial valley and the distant icefield behind it. Suddenly, the trail in front of us is closed. We had been told this trail was open. Confused we wait to see if anyone else comes along. And we soon get our answer. Up ahead a ranger comes back down the trail towards us and takes down the sign, alerting us of black bear activity in the area. Apparently, a mother and cub were spotted just above us about an hour ago. By now they have moved on and the trail can reopen.

Bummed we missed the bear, but grateful to hike on, we peel off on the Harding Icefield Trail, a longer 8-mile roundtrip route past Exit Glacier overlooking the indomitable Harding Icefield. Up and up we hike, but soon, the late spring snow becomes thicker and thicker on the pathway. The air temperature is warm, but not enough to melt the trail. Eventually we must turn back for fear of losing the trail and sinking into waist-high drifts. We find a decent viewpoint, take a breather and start back down the trail towards the car.

The rest of the day consists of exploring Seward and the marina before settling in for the night. While we are walking along the coastal boardwalk, we feel a soft bump. Admittedly, my first thought is a whale bumped the pier, but later we come to realize that was an earthquake tremor from miles away in Whittier.

Come morning, we rise early to walk over to the marina and check in for our Kenai Fjords boat tour. While we await our scheduled departure, we enjoy the nearby Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center learning more about our trip ahead. At 10 a.m. we board the tour boat and embark on our day cruise.

In the bay, we immediately spot sea otters and humpback whales playing in the calm waters. But out at sea we find a different story. Outside of the protected bay, we are met with large swells and rainy winds. Thankfully, this only lasts a moment as we round the corner and find refuge in Aialik Bay. Bald eagles circle overhead as pods of orca and porpoise surface to greet us. Sheer rock walls dive straight into the ocean waters. Trees and mountain goats cling to the cliffs as we pass under them—the tops of which disappear into low-lying clouds. From here, waterfalls cascade down finding their home in the sea. We have entered a wilderness paradise.

We top off our excursion with an intimate view of the Holgate Glacier, hoping to catch a rare sighting of calving ice. After a good 30 minutes of no luck, we move on as another tour boat takes our place. The ride back to Seward takes a pit stop at Fox Island for a rustic Alaskan dinner buffet of salmon cakes and potatoes. The rain is really pouring now, but on the island we are warm and dry in the tour cafe. An hour later, we board our boat back to Seward. Even a wet dreary day at sea was still worth our time in Kenai Fjords. The animals and glacier gave us quite the show in the backcountry.

The evening is a little bittersweet knowing our time in Kenai Fjords has come to an end. While our time was well spent, it seems there is much more to discover in this region. I look forward to the day I can return, hopefully in sunnier weather and later in the summer, when snow is melted and trees are full. All I can hear is the Holgate Glacier and Harding Icefield Trail calling my name.