Kenai Fjords National Park was founded in 1980. On land, a visit centres on two places: the park Visitor Center in Seward, with exhibits and the park film, and the Exit Glacier area at the end of the park’s only road. There, a one-mile loop, partly paved and partly compressed gravel, leads to a panoramic view of Exit Glacier, although snow can still make the trail inaccessible when the road opens, typically in May.
That road is the catch. It is not ploughed in winter and is closed to cars, so the park cannot be reached by car while it is snow-covered, typically from sometime in October to May depending on the year, and both visitor centres close between Labor Day and Memorial Day weekend.
Without a car, the Alaska Railroad runs from Anchorage to Seward in summer and private buses and vans make the trip daily; the park runs no shuttle of its own, but private shuttles and taxis go between Seward and Exit Glacier. Parking at Exit Glacier is limited, especially between 10:30 and 3:30.
The Exit Glacier Nature Center has picnic tables and, in season, family restrooms. Food storage rules apply throughout the park: food, rubbish and anything with food odours must be kept in a vehicle, hard-sided building, food locker or approved bear-resistant canister, not in a tent, cooler or bag.
