Page 108 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

106  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA

7 Kenai Fjords National Park

Covering 950 sq miles (2,460 sq km), Kenai Fjords National
Park takes in some of Alaska’s finest and most accessible Cook • Soldotna
Inlet
coastal scenery, glacial landscapes, and diverse marine
wildlife. The crown of the park is the Harding Icefield. This Seward
•
vast expanse of ice, interrupted only by an occasional nunatak
(see p31), feeds the glaciers that flow down from the heights Area of map
Illustrated
to form the park’s deep valleys and fjords. The seas, rich in
fish, crustaceans, shellfish, and plankton, also provide a
habitat for a range of readily observed birds and marine Gulf of Alaska
mammals, including sea otters, Dall porpoises, Steller sea
lions, and several whale species. Locator Map
Kenai Fjords National Park
Calving Glaciers
Tidewater glaciers such as
Holgate Glacier regularly calve
icebergs into the fjords in the
park. Kayakers must watch out
for large waves generated by
falling house-sized chunks.

H a r d i n g
I c e f i e l d
0 km 5
0 miles 5
Aialik
Glacier

Key Pedersen
Glacier
Highway
Minor road Northwestern
Glacier Holgate
Park boundary Glacier
Holgate
Head

McCarty Northwestern Fjord
Harris Peninsula
Glacier
Harris
Bay
McCarty Fjord

Whale-Watching
Summer visitors often spot
sounding or breaching whales in Granite
Island
these waters, which serve as summer
feeding grounds for hump backs
and migratory routes each spring
and fall for gray whales. Minke G u l f o f A l a s k a
whales and pods of porpoises are
also seen in the summer.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp242–3 and pp251–2

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