State(s): Alaska
Link: https://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm
Month: July
Hotel: Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
Hikes: N/A
National Park Visit Order: #23
Ice Cream: N/A
This post continues our Alaska Cruisetour Series, where we’re recapping our 15-day adventure — 7 days at sea with 8 days on land, taking us to 4 National Parks: Glacier Bay National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and Denali National Park. Additionally, we made it to 1 National Historical Park: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. It wasn’t perfect — we ran into a few hiccups — but overall, this trip delivered the kind of adventure we were hoping for.
Day 1
We took the coach bus over to the Kenai Fjords Tours building for our cruise excursion and had about 45 minutes before check-in, so we walked over to the visitor center, just a block away. Once done there, we boarded the Tanaina for the Classic Kenai Fjords National Park Tour.
Almost immediately, we spotted a sea otter floating on its back right next to the boat, completely unbothered. For lunch, we had a chicken burrito with chips and salsa — the burrito was better than expected. Along the way, we saw eagles, murrelets, and horned puffins.
An orca swam right by the boat, and shortly after we spotted a few tufted puffins as well.
Then things got really exciting — one of the passengers noticed a whale off in the distance and alerted the crew. They confirmed the sighting and radioed the captain, who turned the boat around to get us closer. We ended up watching what was likely two North Pacific humpback whales, along with an eagle circling nearby. The whale would dive down, circle underneath the water to create a ring of bubbles that trapped fish near the surface, then come rushing up through the middle to feed. It was an incredible thing to witness. Lesson learned: keep your eyes peeled at all times, and don’t hesitate to flag down the crew if you spot something.
We also passed by a few smaller glaciers along the way, along with more sea otters and harbor seals. Then came the highlight of the day — Aialik Glacier, a massive tidewater glacier that calves directly into the bay. We got to watch chunks of ice break off and crash into the water. The crew even scooped up chunks of glacier ice for us to hold, and used some to make drinks — “Glacier-ritas” for the adults, and a non-alcoholic “jellyfish juice” made with Sprite for anyone who wanted the same festive look without the alcohol. The glacial ice was noticeably denser and colder than regular ice — it’s been compressed for so long that it’s practically a different substance.
On the way back, we stopped near “No Name Island,” where we spotted Steller sea lions and yet another humpback whale. We also passed the dock for a wilderness lodge tucked into the fjord.
The crew topped off the day by baking us fresh chocolate chip cookies onboard — such a sweet touch. We didn’t make it to Exit Glacier on this trip, but honestly, the day was already packed with more wildlife and scenery than we could have hoped for.
The weather was gorgeous the entire time, with barely any swell, and the crew told us we’d gotten lucky with both the conditions and the sheer amount of wildlife we saw. No one on board got seasick, and the all-female crew did an amazing job running the tour from start to finish.
We also met a great couple on board, Scott and Tosh, and enjoyed chatting with them throughout the day.
Then we continued on our Alaska Cruisetour Series – Land journey.
