Kenai Fjords National Park Things to Do

This stop offers a view of Exit Creek and a bench to rest on. In 1926, the toe of Exit Glacier was at this resting point. You can look around and see the changes that have happened to the landscape since then. Deciduous trees line the creek bank on either side an early successional forest has developed.

The Top of the Cliffs is roughly 2.4 miles into the Harding Icefield Trail. Here you can get some of the first views of the Harding Icefield and the nunataks that rise above it. This is a great place for lunch and makes a good turn around point if you don’t have time to hike all the way up to the End of the Trail. Allow 4-6 hours for a round trip hike. To get to Top of the Cliffs, continue on the Harding Icefield Trail from Marmot Meadows roughly another 1 miles up the trail. The trail between Marmot Meadows and Top of the Cliffs is the steepest part of the Harding Icefield Trail with many switchbacks in this section.

About 1/3 of the way up the Harding Icefield Trail, the surrounding forest opens up to Marmot Meadows. Although named for Hoary Marmots that were often seen here, they are less common now due to more plants growing and covering the land. Marmot Meadows offers some spectacular views of Exit Glacier from above it. To get to Marmot Meadows, start at the trailhead for the Harding Icefield Trail. Marmot Meadows is roughly 1.3 miles up the trail. The trail is quite steep, averaging roughly 1000 feet of elevation for every mile. Be sure to bring plenty of water and warm clothes, as weather can quickly change. Before hiking here, check the Current Conditions page on our Park's website.

This is the trailhead for the 8 mile roundtrip Harding Icefield Trail. This trailhead is located off of the Glacier Overlook trail. From the Exit Glacier Nature Center walk down the concrete path towards the Glacier Overlook trial, and turn off when you see signs for the Harding Icefield Trail. From here, the trail is roughly 4 miles one way (8 miles round trip). The elevation increases to roughly 4000 feet by the trails end. The trail leads up to the Harding Icefield, which is the largest Icefield entirely within the United States. There are spectacular scenic views of Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield along the way, especially at Marmot Meadows and at Top of Cliffs

This small stone building provides an excellent break if it is a rainy day. Three wayside signs are located inside the stone structure. Stop here to read about how scientists study the resources in the park, and about how climate change affects more than just the ice. A post outside of the building offers an opportunity to be a part of a citizen science project by placing a camera, cell phone, or tablet on the post and taking a series of pictures in a circle.

The Exit Glacier Pavilion is an open building a short distance away from the Exit Glacier Nature Center. Across the path from the Pavilion is the 1917 sign, showing where Exit Glacier was in 1917. This is the first dated sign as you go down the lower trails. There are rows of wooden benches underneath the covered building. A bear safe food storage box is also available at the Pavilion. During the summer months Rangers give programs underneath the cover at the Pavilion.

This wayside offers great views of Exit Glacier in the distance. As you look toward the glacier, you might notice that the plants closer to the glacier tend to be small shrubs compared to the trees and forest that you just went through. There is a bench to rest on and listen to Exit Creek as it flows by. The wayside talks about the Harding Icefield, which is the source of ice for Exit Glacier. There is a picture on the wayside that shows the ice from Exit Glacier spilling over from the Harding Icefield.

The Exit Glacier Outwash Plain is a complex matrix of plant communities in various successional states interconnected with an abundance of game trails. The plant communities range from dense spruce and cottonwood forests to open shrubby gravel beds. The Exit Glacier Outwash Plain was formed from rushing meltwater streams redistributing sediment from Exit Glacier, and depositing it in recessional moraines across the outwash plain. To get to the outwash plain follow the signs from the Glacier Overlook Trail. Access out to the Outwash Plain can be limited due to Exit Creek. Take Caution when crossing any water.

After going about halfway up the Creekside of the Glacier Overlook Trail, this wayside offers stunning views of Exit Glacier. Looking around, you might see that there are very few trees as you have gotten closer to Exit Glacier. If you look away from the glacier towards the outwash plain, you will see a fuller deciduous forest. Further still, you will see a spruce dominated forest indicative of the non-glaciated areas. This is a great place to observe the succession of a forest after a glacier’s retreat. Scientists have studied the plant life on the moraines to date the retreat of Exit Glacier

This is the closest the trail gets to Exit Glacier. The sign shows where Exit Glacier was located in 2010. Very few plants are growing here as this area has only been exposed recently from underneath Exit Glacier. Stop here to feel the powerful katabatic winds blowing off of Exit Glacier and to observe the land as it is uncovered due to glacial retreat.

This overlook offers one of the closest viewing points of Exit Glacier. The toe of Exit Glacier was at this point in 2005. The ground is mostly barren rock, as the plants that grow after a glacier’s retreat have not had a time to start growing here yet. There are two wayside signs at this overlook. Stop here to observe Exit Glacier, and to see the powerful river of ice that helped to shape this landscape.

Get your Kenai Fjords National Park cancellation stamps and more.

Boat tours depart Seward's small boat harbor daily during the summer months, making it easy to travel deeper into the park.

Explore Kenai Fjords by kayak. Paddling in Kenai Fjords can be a once in a lifetime experience. By dipping your paddle into these waters, you're participating in the long history of human powered travel along the Kenai Peninsula coast.

Explore Kenai Fjords National Park by snowmobile. Once the road to Exit Glacier is snow-covered and closed to cars, it is accessible by snowmobile,

Once the road to Exit Glacier is snow-covered and closed to cars, it is accessible by fat bikes and cross-country skis, 

Would you like to visit the Exit Glacier area, but only have a couple of hours? These are some suggestions for what you might do with that time.

Overflights also provide dramatic views of the park's glaciers, fjords, and wildlife. You may catch a glimpse of a mountain goat traversing a rocky ledge or peer down at a brown bear fishing in a salmon-choked stream. Flightseeing is one of the best ways to get a sense of the vastness of the Harding Icefield

A junior ranger walk focused on fjords. Join a ranger to learn about these amazing ecosystems

Earn a Glacier Junior Ranger patch by checking out a Discovery Backpack or an Art for Parks backpack and completing some activities.

The area surrounding Kenai Fjords has outstanding opportunities for both fresh and salt water fishing

Consider staying in one of the park's three public use cabins. These cabins provide a great opportunity to stay overnight in Kenai Fjords. You can experience the solitude and enjoyment of your park, no matter the season, while still enjoying a roof over your head.

The 8.2-mile round trip Harding Icefield Trail is a spectacular day hike. Travel from the valley floor, through forests, meadows and the alpine, finishing with a breath-taking view of the Harding Icefield. The top of the trail is a window to past ice ages - a horizon of ice and snow that stretches as far as the eye can see, broken only by an occasional nunatak, or lonely peak.