Alaska, Kenai Fjords National Parks

Kenai Explorer

with Get Up and Go Tours (www.getupandgotours.com)

(August 2004)

Introduction

Note: This was the second half of my first trip to Alaska AND my trip with Get Up and Go Tours. See Alpine Explorer for pictures of the first part of the trip.

I have 89 pictures for this 7-day trip, but you can scan the thumbnails and click to enlarge only those pictures that interest you. I hope you enjoy many of them, and I hope you also enjoy some of my explanations.

The map below shows the location of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska in relation to Anchorage and the location of the Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, and Homer. This trip was not as good as the first trip as (1) there were only 6 of us and many of the usual extra options weren't available, (2) we had only one guide so hiking options were also restricted, and (3) the trip was the last one by our guide for the season so he didn't restock the food supply and we had few options for our last breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately because of these problems, I will not travel with this company again and can't recommend the company.

On Day 1 we drove from Anchorage to Seward.

on the way Matthew stopped to pick up his bike at the end of a trail & we saw some Dall sheep

pictures of the Kenai Explorer

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Exit Glacier

Kenai Fjords National Park

Sweeping from rocky coastline to glacier-crowned peaks, Kenai Fjords National Park encompasses 607,805 acres of unspoiled wilderness on the southeast coast of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. The park is capped by the Harding Icefield, a relic from past ice-ages and the largest icefield entirely within U.S. borders. The mountains are mantled by the 300-square mile Harding Icefield, 35 miles long and 20 miles wide and at some places more than one mile thick, which is a vestige of the huge ice sheet that covered Alaska during the last glacial age. Like islands in a sea of ice, only the top of mountain peaks, called nunataks, emerge from the vast icy expanse. Only one small section of the park can be reached by road, the Exit Glacier, spilling off the icefield. And a short trail offers easy access to the front of the retreating glacier, while a longer trail let you climb 3000 vertical feet along it and have a glimpse at the Harding field from which it spills.

We didn't start the hike until 2 o'clock so we knew we wouldn't have time to go all the way to the icefield, but some of us wanted to go as far as we could. Others turned around before the first viewpoint seen here.

Fireweed - a perennial herb that produces fluffy airborne seeds and can form spectacular stands in disturbed or burnt-over areas (the nectar produces excellent honey)

Harding Icefield Hike

We stopped at 2.5 miles & 2,600 foot of ascent at the 2nd viewpoint and turned around - the icefield overlook was at 3,000 feet and 4.0 miles up so we had climbed most of the elevation but had a lot more distance to cover.

coming back down from the icefield

Monkshood--a perennial herb

(most common in subalpine meadows)

large waterfall beside the road

On Day 2 we went to the Alaskan Sealife Center in downtown Seward in the morning and had 3 hours we could spend in the center and/or downtown.

the Alaskan Sealife Center

a walrus

seals

a puffin

black-legged kittiwakes

tufted puffins

a sea otter

a seal

a harbor seal

stellar sea lion

a puffin

In the afternoon we took a 6-hour Kenai Fjords Tour. Located on the southeastern Kenai Peninsula, the national park is a rugged land supporting many unaltered natural environments and ecosystems. The fjords are long, steep-sided, glacier-carved valleys filled with ocean waters. A mountain platform, one mile high, rises above this dramatic coastline. The mountains are mantled by the 300-square mile Harding Icefield, 35 miles long and 20 miles wide. Only isolated mountain peaks interrupt its nearly flat, snowclad surface.

Looking back at the harbor. We saw a sea otter, a bald eagle, and lots of puffins before we even left Resurrection Bay. (The Russians named the bay, peninsula, and cape Resurrection because they landed there on Resurrection Day.)

a sea otter

a hanging glacier or cirque

a bald eagle

Calisto Head - end of the national park

a seabird rookery - the black birds are cormorants

Aialik Glacier - it is a piedmont glacier and is 300 feet high at the base & 3 miles wide.

stellar sea lions

On Day 3 we hiked in Kenai National Forest up Ptarmigan Creek to Ptarmigan Lake. The trail was 7 miles round trip.

When we started the hike, there was a salmon viewing platform. We saw several red salmon fighting very hard to get up the rapidly flowing river.

The lake was a blue-green glacial lake with mountains on two sides. We ate lunch there.

after lunch we rested for a while

Day 4 was not a good day. It was suppose to be a hiking day with rafting and fishing options, but the rafting and fishing companies required a minimum of 4 and 4 people weren't interested in either option. That was OK with me as I preferred to hike, but all Matthew led was a 1.6 mile round trip hike on the Bear Mountain Trail. The only view was from the top, and it was poor due to the smoke haze. We then went back to camp and had lunch.

In the afternoon Sarah and I were the only ones who hiked, but not together. I expressed an interest in the Kenai River Trail, but Sarah didn't know what she wanted to do and left it up to Matthew to make a recommendation. I thought it weird that he didn't recommend that the 2 of us stay together or for that matter do his job and take us for an afternoon hike. Anyway I was dropped off first at the west trailhead of the Kenai River Trail and told he would pick me up 2.5 hours later at the east end.

The trail has two trailheads along Skilak Lake Road. The Upper (east) trailhead starts at mile 0.6 and the Lower (west) trailhead starts at mile 2.3 with 0.0 representing the junction of Skilak Lake Road with the Sterling Highway. The trail provides access to the Kenai River, and the western or lower section of the trail goes through a burned area. The Pothole Lake fire occurred in 1951 and burned 8,700 acres. Much of the trail is forested and some areas are soggy. Excellent views of the Kenai River canyon occur within the first half mile of the eastern (upper) section. Good views of the River are also available in the lower section, though they are less spectacular.

On Day 5 we drove to Homer where we had a little free time and then took a water taxi across the bay to the Otter Cove Resort in Kachemak Bay State Park. The park has over 368,000 acres near Seldovia at the end of the Sterling Hwy. It is located on the south shore of the bay and includes glaciers, alpine tundra, forests, fjords, bays and high-country lakes. The bay's twisted rock formations are evidence of the movement of the earth's crust. Access to the park is by boat or airplane, as there are no roads to the park. Air charters, water taxi services, and boat rentals are available in Homer.

a sea otter

the Gull Island Rookery is home to 6 types of birds

common murre - cousin to a penquin but they fly

black-legged kittiwake

glaucous-winged gull - looks like a standard gull

puffin

pelagic comorants

pigeon guillemots

the murre & black-legged kittiwake

the murre, cormorant, & kittiwake

cormorants & murres

sea otter & glaucous-winged gull

Vegetation covers most of the main island. Two sea stacks provide additional nesting habitat, while a third, low-lying, rocky islet is a great place for gulls, cormorants, and the occasional sea lion to roost.