Back Roads (ie Exit Glacier)
by PA2AKgirl
Exit Glacier is a main attraction of Seward--it's the only part of Kenai Fjords accessible by vehicle. However, this road isn't maintained in the winter so you may feel a bit defeated having come all this way and not being able to drive the road. It is closed, technically. However, you are able to park your car at the gate and showshoe, snowmachine or ski out to the glacier in the winter. Throughout Alaska, the unmaintained roads have the sign you see in the picture and the advice is good--these roads receive the brunt of the fierce winter weather. Depending upon the road's location, there is information regarding the current status, how to access it and when it should open. Information for the Exit Glacier Road can be found at the Kenai Fjords website. Other back roads that aren't gated are marginally maintained but it actually may be easier to drive them when they're still partially frozen. When they thaw, it's usually a muddy mess of potholes.
A must do hike in Seward
by RSeppeler
Climb Mt Marathon to the waterfalls. The walk is easy and the sight of Seward and the small boat harbor is well worth the hike. Take a camera and plenty of film, along with bear spray. Can never be to sure.
Seward Waterfront Park
by AlbuqRay
Seward Waterfront Park is located along Ballaine Boulevard, right on the beach of Resurrection Bay. It has paid camping (tents $8, RV's $12 , utility sites $25). To pay, use the self-registration stations at most campground entrances. It has water and electric sites or dry camping. There is a separate area for tents. There are picnic tables, fire rings, a shower house and restrooms. It is walking distance to the Small Boat Harbor and historic downtown. For more information the phone number is 907-224-4055 and campground@cityofseward.net is the e-mail address.
Besides the camping facilities, a bike path runs the length of the park. The south end of Waterfront Park includes the Alaska Sea Life Center, Founders' Monument, Mile 0 of the historic Iditarod Trail, and the Old Railroad Depot (see separate tips on each). There is also a skateboard park near the south end of the park.
Spend a day cruising in the...
by worldtrekker
Spend a day cruising in the Kenai Fjords National Park! Photo: That's me in early June, 1996 on-board a vessel about to embark on a day cruise into the park. As you can see, it was warm enough for a T-shirt - at least before the boat started moving! Large cruise ships make a stop in Seward as well. There are a few tour operators in town that do day trips into the fjords. I always went with Kenai Fjords Tours and found them to be excellent! They were the original operator in the area and are still the most popular. The captains are experienced naturalists and they will explain a lot about the coastal wilderness and about the animals you encounter. This is a spectacular tour at any time in the summer, but I found that it was even more so in June and July when tens of thousands of seabirds are nesting. This is not something you want to miss if you are in this part of Alaska! Kenai Fjords Tours is located on the boardwalk by the Seward small boat harbor. They also have a location in Downtown Anchorage at 513 West 4th Avenue, near to the Visitor's Log Cabin. (800)478-8068 or (907)224-8068 in Seward, (907) 276-6249 in Anchorage.
State Flag
by PA2AKgirl
I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there most of my life. I know what our flag looks like but I can't tell you why it has 2 horses and is blue. Looking it up, I see there's things on it I had no idea were there. Corn and ships and eagles...there's just too much. But the Alaska state flag--probably one of the most familiar-- is among the nicest flags of the states. (My opinion--don't take offense if you're really in love with your own state flag). The point of all of this is the flag of Alaska has a good story, the design is simple and deserves a monument to the boy that created it. There's even a song about the flag. If you don't know the story, the flag was created by a 13 year old native boy named Benny Benson who lived in Seward at the time. Usually I don't take direct information from other sites when writing my own tips, but his reasoning for creating the flag he did is worth quoting:
"The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear—symbolizing strength."
The monument is located in Seward by the lagoon coming in off the Seward Highway and 2nd Ave.
JumpingNorman, Seward, Alaska
Russian Church at Old Town Kenai, Alaska
Youth Center beside Little Senior Museum at Seward
13 yo Boy who designed a flag for Alaska
