The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Alaska SeaLife Center
A research center as well as visitor center, Alaska SeaLife rehabilitates injured marine wildlife and provides educational experiences for the general public. The facility includes massive cold-water tanks and outdoor viewing decks as well as interactive displays of cold-water fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, including harbor seals and a 2,000-pound sea lion. The center was partially funded with reparations money from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Films, hands-on activities, a gift shop, and private small group tours where you can interact with different animals complete the offerings.
View Tours and Activities301 Railway Ave., Seward, Alaska, 99664, USA888-378–2525Sight Details
Rate Includes: $29.95, Closed Mon. -
2. Homer Spit
Protruding into Kachemak Bay, the Homer Spit provides a sandy focal point for visitors and locals. A 4½-mile paved road runs the length of the Spit, making it the world's longest road into the ocean. A commercial-fishing-boat harbor at the end of the path has restaurants, hotels, charter-fishing businesses, sea-kayaking outfitters, art galleries, and on-the-beach camping spots. Fly a kite, walk the beaches, drop a line in the Fishing Hole, or just wander through the shops looking for something interesting; this is one of Alaska's favorite summertime destinations.
Homer, Alaska, 99603, USA -
3. Islands and Ocean Visitors Center
This center provides a wonderful introduction to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge covers some 3½ million acres spread across some 2,500 Alaskan islands, from Prince of Wales Island in the south to Barrow in the north. The 37,000-square-foot eco-friendly facility with towering windows facing Kachemak Bay is a must for anyone interested in the abundant aquatic, avian, and land mammal life of the region. A film takes visitors along on a voyage of the Fish and Wildlife Service's research ship, the MV Tiglax. Interactive exhibits detail the birds and marine mammals of the refuge (the largest seabird refuge in America), and one room even re-creates the noisy sounds and pungent smells of a bird rookery. In summer, guided bird-watching treks and beach walks are offered, and you can take a stroll on your own on the walkways in Beluga Slough, where Alaskan poet Wendy Erd's commissioned work lines the way.
95 Sterling Hwy., Homer, Alaska, 99603, USA907-235–6961Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
4. Kenai Fjords National Park
Park (National/State/Provincial)Seward is the gateway to the 669,984-acre Kenai Fjords National Park. This is spectacular coastal parkland incised with sheer, dark, slate cliffs rising from the sea, ribboned with white waterfalls, and tufted with deep-green spruce. Kenai Fjords presents a rare opportunity for an up-close view of blue tidewater glaciers as well as some remarkable ocean wildlife. If you take a day trip on a tour boat out of Seward, it's highly likely you'll see frolicking sea otters, crowds of Steller sea lions lazing on the rocky shelves along the shore, a porpoise or two, bald eagles, and tens of thousands of seabirds. Humpback whales and orcas are sighted occasionally, and mountain goats wander the seaside cliffs. The park's coastal fjords are a favorite of sea kayakers, who can camp or stay in reserved public-use cabins. One of the park's chief attractions is Exit Glacier, which can be reached only by the one road that passes into Kenai Fjords. Trails inside the park lead to an overlook of the vast Harding Icefield. Named for President Warren G. Harding, this area has more than three-dozen glaciers flowing from it. Backcountry travelers should also be aware that some of the park's coastline has been claimed by local Native organizations and is now private property. Check with park headquarters to avoid trespassing on Native land.
View Tours and Activities -
5. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
The opportunity to view Kodiak brown bears alone is worth the trip here. Approximately 3,000 Kodiak brown bears, the biggest brown bears anywhere—sometimes topping out at more than 1,500 pounds—share the refuge with a few other land mammals: red foxes, river otters, short-tailed weasels, and tundra voles. Additionally, a number of mammals have been introduced to the archipelago: Sitka black-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, beavers, muskrat, Roosevelt elk, and mountain goats. The 1.9-million-acre refuge lies mostly on Kodiak Island and neighboring Afognak and Uganik Islands, in the Gulf of Alaska. All are part of the Kodiak Archipelago, separated from Alaska's mainland by stormy Shelikof Strait. Within the refuge are rugged mountains, tundra meadows and lowlands, and thickly forested hills, plus lakes, marshes, and hundreds of miles of pristine coastland. No place in the refuge is more than 15 miles from the ocean. The weather here is generally wet and cool, and storms born in the North Pacific often bring heavy rains. Dozens of species of birds flock to the refuge each spring and summer, including Aleutian terns, horned puffins, black oystercatchers, ravens, ptarmigan, and chickadees. At least 600 pairs of bald eagles live on the islands, building the world's largest bird nests on shoreline cliffs and in tall trees. Six species of Pacific salmon—chums, kings, pinks, silvers, sockeyes, and steelhead—return to Kodiak's waters from May to October. Other resident species include rainbow trout, Dolly Varden (an anadromous trout waiting for promotion to salmon), and arctic char. The abundance of fish and bears makes Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge popular with anglers, hunters, and wildlife watchers.
Kodiak, Alaska, 99615, USA -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Nature Preserve/Wildlife RefugeIn a land of many grand and spectacularly beautiful mountains, those in the 13.2-million-acre Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve are possibly the finest of them all. This extraordinarily compact cluster of immense peaks belongs to four different mountain ranges. Rising through many eco-zones, the Wrangell–St. Elias Park and Preserve is largely undeveloped wilderness parkland on a grand scale. The area is perfect mountain-biking and primitive-hiking terrain, and the rivers invite rafting for those with expedition experience. The mountains attract climbers from around the world—whereas Alaska's mountains have been summited many times over, there is the opportunity here to be the first or one of few to summit. Most climbers fly in from Glennallen or Yakutat. Although there are few facilities in Wrangell-St. Elias this is one of the few national parks in Alaska you can drive to. You don't have to be a backcountry camper to experience this park—it's possible to stay in comfortable lodgings in Kennicott or McCarthy and experience the massive glaciers that stand at the foot of Kennicott—Root Glacier and Kennicott Glacier or go on a multiday, guided rafting tour along the Nizina.
, Alaska, USA -
7. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
The center is a 144-acre, 2-mile drive-through loop with places where you can see up close the many animals the park has adopted and rescued. For more than a decade the center has been raising wood bison, which had been extinct in Alaska since the 1800s and were endangered in Canada. In 2015, the center reintroduced 100 wood bison to the wild, 340 miles west of Anchorage; a small herd remains at the center. Visitors can see moose, elk, eagles, musk ox, porcupines, and the elusive lynx. An elevated walkway at the center also allows visitors the thrilling experience of seeing bears at eye level.
43640 Seward Hwy., Anchorage, Alaska, 99587, USA907-783–2025Sight Details
Rate Includes: $15 -
8. Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository
Home to one of the largest collections of Alaska Native materials in the world, the Alutiiq Museum contains archaeological and ethnographic items dating back 7,500 years. The more than 150,000 artifacts include harpoons, masks, dolls, stone tools, seal-gut parkas, grass baskets, and pottery fragments. The museum store sells Alaska Native art and educational materials.
215 Mission Rd., Kodiak, Alaska, 99615, USA844-425–8844Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
9. Byron Glacier
The mountains surrounding Portage Glacier are covered with smaller glaciers. A 1-mile hike off Byron Glacier Road—the trail begins about a mile south of Begich-Boggs Visitor Center—leads to the Byron Glacier overlook. The glacier is notable for its accessibility—this is one of the few places where you can hike onto a glacier from the road system. In summer, naturalists lead free weekly treks in search of microscopic ice worms.
Byron Glacier Rd., Alaska, USA -
10. Chugach National Forest
Sprawling east of Chugach State Park, the Chugach National Forest encompasses nearly 6 million acres. The forest covers most of the Kenai Peninsula and parts of Prince William Sound and is the second-largest national forest in the United States, exceeded in size only by the Tongass in Southeast Alaska. The forest has abundant recreational opportunities: hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, boating, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, and flightseeing. Southcentral Alaska is not the best terrain for rock climbing (aside from Denali), as the rock is predominantly composed of hardened ocean sediments that are weak and crumbly. There are, however, some places for great bouldering, and in the wintertime ice climbing is quite popular, as are snowshoeing, skiing, snowmachining, and dog mushing. Hiking trails offer easy access into the heart of the forest. You can spend a day hiking or looking for wildlife, or you can embark on a multi-day backpacking excursion. At all but the most popular trailheads, a five-minute stroll down a wooded trail can introduce you to the sights, smells, and tranquility of backcountry Alaska. Be prepared to be self-sufficient when entering the Chugach Forest. Trailheads typically offer nothing more than a place to park and perhaps an outhouse. Running water, trail maps, and other amenities are not available. Also, be "bear aware" whenever you travel in bear country—and all of Alaska is bear country.
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11. Chugach State Park
Comprising nearly a half million acres, Chugach State Park is the third-largest state park in the United States. On the edge of Anchorage, the park is Alaska's most accessible wilderness, with nearly 30 trails for hikers of all abilities. Totaling more than 150 miles, the hiking trails range in length from 2 miles to 30 miles. Although Chugach, connected as it is to Alaska's largest city, is technically an urban park, this is far from being a typical urban setting. Hardly tame, this is real wilderness, home to Dall sheep, mountain goats, brown and black bears, moose, and several packs of wolves. Miners who sought the easiest means of traversing the mountain peaks and passes initially blazed most of the park's trails. Today they are restored every spring and maintained by park rangers and various volunteer groups. Hiking in the park is free whether you're here for an afternoon or a week, though a $5 daily parking fee is charged at several popular trailheads. The park serves up some truly intoxicating views, and, depending on what perch you're looking down from, you can see across the bay to the looming white mountains of the Alaska Range, the great tides of Cook Inlet, and, on clear days, Denali in all its glory. One of the best and most easily accessible places to seek out such a view is from Flattop Mountain, on the park's western edge. The peak is the most popular destination within Chugach Park. A 1-mile hike leads to the top, and hikers of all abilities make the trek, but be aware it is strenuous, particularly toward the top.
Alaska, USASight Details
Rate Includes: Free; $5 parking fee at some trailheads -
12. Clam Gulch
In addition to fishing, clam digging is popular at Clam Gulch, 24 miles south of Soldotna on the Sterling Highway. This is a favorite of local children, who love any excuse to dig in the muddy, sloppy goo. Ask locals on the beach how to find the giant razor clams (recognized by their dimples in the sand). Ask also for advice on how to clean the clams—cleaning is pretty labor-intensive, and it's easy to get into a clam-digging frenzy when the conditions are favorable, only to regret your efforts when cleaning time arrives. The clam digging is best when tides are minus 4 or 5 feet. A sportfishing license, available at grocery stores, sporting-goods shops, and drugstores, is required for clam diggers 16 years old and older.
Soldotna, Alaska, USA -
13. Columbia Glacier
A visit to Columbia Glacier, which flows from the surrounding Chugach Mountains, should definitely be on your Valdez agenda. Its deep aquamarine face is 5 miles across, and it calves icebergs with resounding cannonades. This glacier is one of the largest and most readily accessible of Alaska's coastal glaciers. The state ferry travels past its face, and scheduled tours of the glaciers and the rest of the sound are available by boat and aircraft from Valdez, Cordova, and Whittier.
Valdez, Alaska, USA -
14. Copper River Delta
This 35-mile-wide wetlands complex east of Cordova, a crucial habitat for millions of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, is one of North America's most spectacular vistas. The delta's nearly 700,000 acres are thick with marshes, forests, streams, lakes, and ponds. Numerous terrestrial mammals, including moose, wolves, lynx, mink, and beavers, live here, and the Copper River salmon runs are world-famous. When the red and king salmon hit the river in spring, there's a frantic rush to net the tasty fish and rush them off to markets and restaurants all over the country. The delta is connected by the Million Dollar Bridge, an impressive feat of engineering notable for its latticework. The Forest Service had built an imposing viewing pavilion across the Copper River from Childs Glacier—famous for the spectacle of its calving icebergs and tidal waves—but in 2011, a natural change in the river's flow compromised Bridge 339 at Mile 36, and then several years later it washed out at Mile 44. With every new administration, there are talks of reconstructing the bridge and road, but due to continued budgetary constraints and the hefty price tag of repair, it is unlikely road access will be recreated any time in the near future. The only way to see the glacier now is to book a private helicopter or plane tour or float the 140 miles or so from Chitina. The rules for these float trips are continually changing, but while you're in town, it's worth investigating if there are any motorboat outfitters currently permitted to give rides upriver to the glacier. This difficulty of getting to Childs Glacier has only slightly deterred visitors, as travelers from all over the world still come just to see the awe-inspiring glacier; though in recent years, it has ceased to calve with much frequency due to the receding of the ice and the lowering of river waters.
Copper River Hwy, Cordova, Alaska, USA -
15. Cordova Historical Museum
Located in the Cordova Center, the Cordova Historical Museum documents early explorers to the area, Alaska Native culture, the Kennicott Mine and Copper River and Northwestern Railway era, and the growth of the commercial fishing industry. Additionally, the museum often features touring exhibits by Alaskan and (occasionally) non-Alaskan artists. The gift shop sells local postcards, Cordova and Alaska gifts, and regional history books.
601 1st St., Cordova, Alaska, 99574, USA907-424–6665Sight Details
Rate Includes: Donations encouraged, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
16. Denali State Park
Overshadowed by the larger and more charismatic Denali National Park and Preserve, the 325,240-acre "Little Denali," or Denali State Park, offers excellent road access, beautiful views of Denali, scenic campgrounds, and prime wilderness hiking and backpacking opportunities within a few miles of the road system. The terrain here varies from the verdant, low-lying banks of the Tokositna River to alpine tundra. Moose, wolves, and grizzly and black bears inhabit the park, along with lynx, red foxes, land otters, beavers, porcupines, and myriad other species.
Alaska, USA -
17. Eagle River Nature Center
Eagle River Road leads 12 miles into the mountains from the bedroom community of Eagle River. The nature center, at the end of the road, has wildlife displays, telescopes for wildlife spotting, and 9 miles of hiking trails. Volunteers are on hand to answer questions, lead hikes, and host naturalist programs. A cabin that sleeps eight and a pair of yurts (round insulated tents) that sleep four and six are available to rent ($65 per night). A 1½-mile hike in is required. Amenities include wood stoves, firewood, and outdoor latrines. The center is also the trail end for the Crow Pass Trail, a 26-mile section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail that starts in Girdwood.
32750 Eagle River Rd., Eagle River, Alaska, 99577, USA907-694–2108Sight Details
Rate Includes: Parking $5 -
18. Exit Glacier
One of the few accessible valley glaciers in the state, Exit is the only destination in the park accessible by car. Named for being a mountaineering expedition's exit from the first recorded successful crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968, this glacier is the park's most popular destination.
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19. Exit Glacier
Nature SightA mass of ice that caps the Kenai Mountains, the Harding Icefield covers more than 1,100 square miles, and oozes more than 40 glaciers from its edges and down the mountainsides; Exit Glacier is the most accessible part of the ice field. Just outside Seward, if you hike a mile up the paved trail that starts at the parking lot, you'll find yourself at the terminal moraine of Exit Glacier. Look for the marked turnoff at Mile 3.7 as you enter town, or you can take the hourly shuttle from downtown ($15 round-trip). There's a small walk-in campground here, a ranger station, and access to the glacier. The hike to the ice field from the parking lot is a 9-mile round-trip that gains 3,000 feet in elevation, so it's not for the timid or out of shape. But if you're feeling up to the task, the hike and views are breathtaking. Local wildlife includes mountain goats and bears both black and brown, so keep a sharp eye out for them. Due to recent ice fall at the toe of the glacier, the entire toe is currently off-limits.
Herman Leirer Rd., Seward, Alaska, USA -
20. Exit Glacier Nature Center
Open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the center includes a bookstore, exhibits of topographical maps, stories of explorers and adventurers, and geological and glaciological artifacts. The center is ADA compatible and has rangers on staff to answer questions and guide short tours of the immediate area.
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