What To See – An October Visit to Seward and Kenai Peninsula
About an October Visit to Seward and the Kenai Peninsula
As a Global Studies Teacher, I am limited in when I can travel to summer, fall, winter, and spring breaks. I chose to travel to Seward, Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula in October as it was much cheaper than visiting during the summer. Although some activities were closed for the season, I was still able to see a lot of what Seward and the Kenai Peninsula have to offer.
Seward, Alaska is home to around 2,600 people and is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. It is also the starting point of the famous Iditarod Trail. During my two-day visit to Seward, I identified the following as my “Must Do” activities. First, I wanted to visit Kenai Fjords National Park and hike to the exit glacier. This activity would be dependent on weather as Herman Leirer Road, the road to the Exit Glacier, typically closes in late October due to snow. If the road is closed, visitors must park outside the main gate and hike eight miles to the Exit Glacier Trail.
I also wanted to spend some time walking around Seward’s Waterfront Park and the Seward Harbor area. The Waterfront Park extends five miles until it reaches the small Seward Boat Harbor.
Finally, if time allowed I wanted to take an ocean boat tour. Unfortunately, by late October the boat tours are very limited.
What To See - An October Visit to Seward and the Kenai Peninsula - Table of Contents
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Visiting Kenai Fjords National Park and the Exit Glacier
The most visited sight in the Seward area is the Exit Glacier Area of Kenai Fjords National Park. Although Kenai Fjords National Park is officially part of the US National Park service, there is no cost to enter.
Getting to the Exit Glacier
The Exit Glacier Area of Kenai Fjords National Park is about twenty minutes from Seward, Alaska. To get to the National Park Entrance, take the Seward Highway towards Anchorage. Towards the end of Seward, there will be a right turn onto Herman Leirer Road. Once on Herman Leirer Road, it is an additional eight miles to get to the Exit Glacier.
During my visit, I was fortunate that Herman Leirer Road was still open as the road is not plowed after the first snowfall. I was so excited that despite being late October that I was able to drive to the Exit Glacier. Had the road been closed, I would have had to park my car and walk the eight miles.
According to my research, the Exit Glacier parking lot can fill up quickly. That was not the case on this late October morning, as only a few cars were parked at the time I arrived.
When I arrived, I noticed that no services were being offered at the park other than the outhouse-style restrooms, which were still open.
Exit Glacier - The Trails
I had considered hiking the Harding Icefield Trail, which is a little over eight miles. Due to the weather forecast, I decided to stick to the Glacier Loop Trail. If you would like to learn more about the Harding Icefield Trail, please check out Earth Trekker’s blog post. You can view their blog post HERE.
I still had a great time hiking the Glacier Loop Trail. The 2.2 loop was an easy hike and provided wonderful views of the Exit Glacier.
Throughout the hike, there are signs that show the location of and distance to the various viewpoints.
As I walked the trail, I saw signs with different dates on them. These signs show how far the Exit Glacier reached during that particular year. For example, in 1917, the Exit Glacier reached the starting point of the Glacier Loop Trail.
Exit Glacier - The First Viewpoint
Within the first half-mile of the hike, the path comes to a fork near the first viewpoint. I recommend turning left and walking the short distance to see a great but distant view of the Exit Glacier.
The photos below show the Exit Glacier from the first viewpoint. I have one photo that is zoomed out and one that is zoomed in.
At the first viewpoint, many visitors attempt to climb down into the Outwash Plain. The climb is steep, and it is possible to fall and get hurt. About another half-mile down the trail, there is a path that leads out into the middle of the Outwash Plain. I recommend waiting to take that path as it does not involve climbing down slippery rocks.
Exit Glacier - Walking the Outwash Plain
As I stated above, there is a path that leads directly into the Outwash Plain. This path does not involve climbing down any slippery rocks. If you are interested in hiking the Outwash Plain, use this path as it is the safest way to get into the plain.
Once you get into the Outwash Plain, you will have to hike towards the center to see the Exit Glacier. This hike involves crossing a few small streams. To avoid getting your feet wet, be sure to have waterproof boots.
The photo below shows the first observation point from the Outwash Plain. You can see that it is difficult to climb down into the Outwash Plain.
To get a good view of the Exit Glacier, hike into the center of the Outwash Plain. Depending on your physical ability, it is possible to walk almost all the way to the glacier. During my visit, I walked within 100 yards of the glacier.
As of October 2021, the easiest path was to hug the far left side of the Outwash Plain. There were numerous streams to cross and many large rocks to navigate around.
Although I probably could have made it slightly closer, the photo below shows the closest I was able to get to the Exit Glacier. Within 100 yards of the glacier, there was a bunch of flowing water and I did not want to risk falling on the slippery rocks.
I took the photos below with my zoom lens. My grandmother, who frequently reads my blog and looks at my photos, commented that she could see a “face” in the photo to the left.
There was no way to climb out of the Outwash Plain without retracing my steps. It took about 30-minutes to walk back to the entrance to the Outwash Plain.
Once I got back to the entrance to the Outwash Plain, I decided to hike an additional half mile to the second Exit Glacier viewing point. This viewing point was much more difficult to hike to, and the walk took me over slippery rocks.
Exit Glacier - The Second Viewpoint
Although the hike was somewhat strenuous, it was definitely worth the extra half mile. The second viewing point provided a stunning view of the Outwash Plain and the Exit Glacier. It is hard to believe that in 2005, the Exit Glacier touched the cliffs of the second viewpoint.
The Glacier Loop trail eventually loops back to the parking lot. During the mile-long hike, there are a few additional viewpoints that provide other viewing angles. I did not feel that any of these viewing points were better than the two that I featured in this section. From start to finish, I spent about three hours hiking around the Exit Glacier Area of Kenai Fjords National Park.
Seward Waterfront Park
By late October, much of Seward has shut down for the winter. There were only a few sights that were still open for visitors. One of those sights was Seward Waterfront Park which follows five miles of coastline. Seward Waterfront Park is a great place to get stunning landscape photographs and look for sea life. While I did not see any whales or sea lions, I did take some beautiful photos of Resurrection Bay.
Located inside Seward Waterfront Park is the Mile 0 Marker of the famous Iditarod Dogsled Race. This race begins in Seward and ends 938 miles away in Nome, Alaska. Close to the Mile 0 Marker is the George Rae Riley Memorial.
Also located in Seward Waterfront Park is the Seward Founders Monument. This monument commemorates the arrival of John Ballaine, who was the founder of Seward, Alaska.
I did not walk the entire five-mile coastline of Seward’s Waterfront Park. Instead, I hiked about a mile and then drove the rest until I arrived at Seward Harbor.
Seward Boat Harbor
By late October, many of the boats in Seward Harbor were not in use. That did not ruin my experience walking through the harbor, as there was still plenty to see. To enter Seward Boat Harbor, locate one of the walkways, which serves as an entrance to the harbor.
Part of the fun of visiting Seward Harbor is walking the docks and looking at all of the boats. Since, by October, many of the boats were done for the season, there were lots of boats to look at.
There were quite a few sightseeing boats, but by this time, they were not running tours. I will have to return one day and take a boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park.
I spent about an hour walking multiple docks at Seward Boat Harbor. I was hoping to see a harbor seal or other wildlife.
While I did not encounter any harbor seals, I was able to photograph a few different red jellyfish.
Towards the end of Seward Harbor is a hoist provided by the J-Dock Fish Company. During fishing season, people returning from fishing would hang and photograph their catch here. Disappointingly, by late October, the fishing season seemed to be over.
Next to the fish display is a large fish cleaning station. The station was already winterized and the hoses were disconnected.
At this point, I decided I’d had my fill of Seward Harbor. I spent about an hour walking around the various boat docks. It was getting late, so I decided to find someplace to eat dinner.
Seward - Where to Eat
In late October, there were only a handful of restaurants open in Seward. In addition to the two restaurants I ate at, the Seward Subway was open, and the Safeway Grocery Store had lots of hot and cold prepackaged meals.
Breeze Inn Hotel Restaurant
I stayed at the Breeze Inn and ate two meals at their hotel restaurant. The hotel restaurant seemed to be a hangout for locals and tourists. While expensive, it was really the only option for a sit-down meal.
Below are the foods I ordered from the Breeze Hotel Restaurant. The prices were as follows:
Bacon Cheeseburger – $20
Philly Cheesesteak – $22
Cheese Curds – $16
Cheesecake – $6
Lone Chicharron Taqueria
The other restaurant that I visited was the Lone Chicharron Taqueria. This Mexican restaurant featured authentic food at decent prices. I ordered four tacos at $4 each. Each taco was a combination of meat, onions, and cabbage.
I chose to order four different types of meat. They were brisket, chicken, pork, and steak. I highly recommend this restaurant as the food was authentic and delicious. It was hard to believe that I was within a few hundred miles of the Artic Circle.
Seward Tours and Packages
By October, many of the tours were no longer running. Below is a list of tours that I would consider if I ever returned to Seward during the peak tourist season. Please note that I am an affiliate of Viator. If you book any of these tours using my links, I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no additional cost to you.