Which Glacier & Wildlife Cruise should I choose?
Which Kenai Fjords Glacier and wildlife cruise should I choose? Captain Leif of Northern Latitude Adventures here, and I get asked this question a lot. I will Break down the different options, and offer honest suggestions and recommendations based on my 20 years experience working on the boats in Kenai Fjords National Park. Ultimately the answer to which Kenai Fjords cruise is best won’t be the same for everyone. For Most people however, I recommend our 9 hr Kenai Fjords Ultimate Adventure. Keep reading to find out more.
How many Hours, and which Glacier?
Which Tour is best, half day or full day?
I know it might seem like there are a lot of options to choose from but lets check out the differences
Half Day – Bay Tours
Often refered to as “half days” or “bay tours” we have the 3.5 hr Resurrection Bay Tour, and the 3.5 hr Ultimate Whale Watch. These tours are great for whale watching, wildlife viewing and some very nice scenery. While they do make it into parts of Kenai Fjords National Park, they do NOT make it all the way to the calving tidewater glaciers. Resurrection Bay does have some of it’s own glaciers that add the the beautiful scenery. These Glaciers, including the massive Bear Glacier, can be seen from a distance but do not reach the ocean
Full Day – Glacier and Wildlife Cruises
If you are looking to check out the glaciers that drop (calve) ice into the ocean then you are going want to check out one of the “full days” or “park tours”. Here at Northern Latitude Adventures we offer 3 different park tours to the tidewater glaciers.
6 hour Tidewater Glacier Express
This is our shortest trip out to the glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. We offer 2 departure options for this tour. Morning departure of 8:00 am – 1:30 pm. There is also a 11:30 am – 5:00 pm schedule that lines up with the Alaska railroad’s schedule for people taking the train roundtrip on the same day. Due to the shorter time frame this tour is faster paced than our other park trips.
Holgate Glacier is typically the gacier visited on this trip. Holgate Glacier is about a 1/2 mile wide and several hundred feet tall at its face. While not the biggest glacier in the area it is very impressive and beautiful. Holgate does calve ice into the ocean every day. Keep in mind that large calvings can sometimes be several hours apart so timing is key.
I recommend this trip for anyone who prefers a faster pace, such as families with children. This is also a good option for groups with tight itineraries such as with the same day rountrip railroad schedule.
7.5 hour Kenai Fjords Glacier Odyssey
Our Classic Glacier and Wildlife cruise. Enjoy a relaxed pace with plenty of time for a little bit of everything. With 7.5 hours and a relaxed schedule there is more time at each stop. Time spent at the glacier is usually 40-60 minutes compared to roughly 20-30 minutes on the 5.5 hr tour. We also have more time for exploring the coast, whale watching, and other wildlife viewing stops.
Aialik Glacier is the glacier we usually go to on this tour. It’s a little bit further to travel, but is worth the extra time. Aialik Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in our area at over 1 mile wide, and tends to be the most active as well. Calvings are more frequent here so it’s your best chance to see it happen. Since this is such a popular spot for tour boats and kayak trips we like to get there as early as possible. With our 8:00 am departure we often get the whole place to ourselves for quite a while.
9 hour Kenai Fjords Ultimate Adventure
This is definately the best option for Birders as well as for people who like to get way off the beaten path. Here we travel further and deeper into Kenai Fords National Park to an area many people never see.
Aialik Glacier is the glacier we usually go to on this tour. It’s a little bit further to travel, but is worth the extra time. Aialik Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in our area at over 1 mile wide, and tends to be the most active as well. Calvings are more frequent here so it’s your best chance to see it happen. Since this is such a popular spot for tour boats and kayak trips we like to get there as early as possible. With our 8:00 am departure we often get the whole place to ourselves for quite a while.
Northwestern Glacier is a beautiful and fairly active glacier. Sometimes iceflows from recent calvings can actually make it pretty difficult to aproach the glacier through its narrow fjord. While not as wide as Aialik, it is very tall and unique in its flow pattern.
Birders will want to choose this option as it is the only trip we offer with a focus on birding. Kittlitz’ murrlets can often be found in the waters of Northwesten Fjord. The tour also visits the Chiswell islands which is part of the Alaska National Maritime Wildlife Refuge. Its one of the best spots for birding around.
I recommend the 9 hr Kenai Fjords Ultimate Adventure 6 passenger max glacier and wildlife cruise as the best Kenai Fjords tour option for most people.