Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife Viewing / Photography Cruises
Cruise Alaskas Ice, Land and Sea
Departing from Seward, this cruise will investigate the daily routine of seals, whales and puffins as we explore coastal rainforests, tidewater glaciers and remote Alaskan islands. Our experienced captain and entertaining crew will narrate the trip, so you walk away knowing a whole lot more about Kenai Fjords National Park and all that it entails.
The Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park sits at the edge of the North Pacific Ocean, where storm patterns feed a land of ice. The Harding Icefield, dating back to the last ice age, crowns the park and is the source of at least 38 glaciers that flow over the land. The ice has shaped the terrain and is receding to reveal the remaining landscapes. As ice melts, rock is uncovered and life begins anew. Today, nearly 51 percent of the park is covered by ice, but all of this land was once buried beneath the ice and still bears its influence. This area is home a vast assortment of wildlife like black and brown bears, humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, seals, Steller sea lions, mountain goats, and eagles. Check out the Kenai Fjords National Park website here: https://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm
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Whale Watching
The coastal waters of Alaska are the summer home to gray whales, humpback whales, orca whales, blue whales, minke whales and beluga whales. In SouthCentral Alaska, this is prime whale watching habitat, especially during summer when most species make their annual migration north, following their food sources. Typically they begin their migration from the warm Pacific waters of Mexico and Hawaii in February. Gray whales usually come first, arriving in Alaska in April followed by Orca whales in May and June and Humpback Whales in June and July. Depending on the day, you may be lucky enough to see many different species or only one or two.
Our Temperate Rainforest!
Where the Resurrection River pours down from the Chugach Mountains and widens into braids, the forest clings to the slope as it cliffs out to the ocean. This is the farthest reach of the same temperate forest that stretches all the way south along the Pacific Coast as far as Northern California. You will be astonished to see this side of Alaska. The forests of coastal southcentral Alaska are made up mostly of towering Sitka spruce trees as well as some western or mountain hemlocks, cottonwood and alders. They cover nearly 70 percent of the forest's rooftop. In the rain (and there's a lot of it!), this canopy provides shelter for those on the ground. Amidst the tall canopies you'll see plenty of birds, including Townsend's warblers, flycatchers and chickadees. The area averages between 55 and 80 inches of rain annually. Temperate rainforests produce lots of oxygen—no wonder it feels so good to be here! Immense spruce trees make a canopy for shade-loving mosses, ferns and shrubs. Moss and vegetation covers everything in green, and in a temperate rainforest that decomposes slowly, the understory is incredibly rich with lichens and moss. In the heart of summer, you may spot flowers including dogwood, aven, calypso, iris, fireweed and goldenrod, and berries like salmonberry, timberberry and elderberry. You'll see skunk cabbage leaves and devil's club thorns as you hike.
Amidst the soft forest, there's a sense of solitude. The rustle in the canopy, the singing birds, the rumbling of a glacial river—the sounds of the temperate rainforest are subtle yet appreciated. It makes being in the forest a calming and peaceful experience.
***For more specific history of the area, visit the Seward Museum / Resurrection Bay Historical society. Wild, natural and free, Alaska is a truly incredible place. Visit us in the Last Frontier for stunning landscape views, unforgettable adventures and lifelong memories.