Kenai Fjords National Park

Year Established: 1980
Annual Visitors: 412,000
Size: 607,805 Acres
State: Alaska

Best Time to Visit Kenai Fjords National Park

June to August

If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks.

Best Experiences in Kenai Fjords National Park

• Harding Icefield Hike
• Drive Exit Glacier Road

A Brief History

The park is named after the many fjords that were made by glaciers moving down from the Harding Icefield. This is one of the largest ice fields in the U.S. Around 38 glaciers start in this field, with Bear Glacier being the biggest.

The fjords are glacial valleys that are now below sea level because the sea level is rising and the land is sinking. At the end of the only road in the park, people like to go to Exit Glacier. The rest of the park can be reached by boat, airplane, or on foot.

President Jimmy Carter first made Kenai Fjords National Monument on December 1, 1978, with the Antiquities Act. This was done while waiting for final legislation to be passed about how to divide up public lands in Alaska.

The park became a national park after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed in 1980. The park protects the icefield, which is a thin strip of forested land between the mountain ranges and the sea, and the deeply indented coastline. There are many different kinds of land and sea mammals in the park, such as bears, moose, humpback whales, killer whales, sea otters, and harbor seals.

Kenai Fjords RV Camping

If you are looking for nearby RV camping options for Kenai Fjords National Park or in Alaska, consider checking out our other post:

• Best RV Parks in Alaska
• Best RV Resorts in Alaska
• How to Conserve Water in Your RV
• How To Plan An RV Trip
• Dependable RV Water Fill Stations

Visitor Information

Fees

No fees or registration are needed to get into the park.

Contacting Kenai Fjords National Park

Phone Number

(907) 459-3730

Visitor Centers

Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center

This is the main park visitor center located in the small boat harbor of Seward. It is open every day during the summer. During the winter, the visitor center is closed. At the visitor center, you can watch a film about the park, buy books about the area from the Alaska Geographic bookstore, and get help from park rangers.

Exit Glacier Nature Center

The Harding Icefield trail and all the other trails in the Exit Glacier area start at the nature center.

The building has displays about the Exit Glacier area, a bookstore called Alaska Geographic, and rangers who can answer questions about the area.

There aren’t many places to park at Exit Glacier, especially between 10:30 and 3:30. When you plan your trip, I would recommend planning out what time you will head there, and how you will get there to avoid parking.