Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield Trail

After our Denali adventures and a night spent in Anchorage, we've headed south to the Kenai Peninsula.  We've now landed in Seward for three nights.  Top of our list of things to do while we're here is visit Kenai Fjords National Park and hike the Harding Icefield Trail.

Kenai Fjords National Park has over 40 glaciers all fed from the Harding Icefield.  The Icefield is over 1,100 square miles and caps the Kenai Mountains.  Exit Glacier is the most accessible of the glaciers as you can drive out to the visitor center and walk a mile to the observation area near its toe.  Alas, the glaciers are receding at a fairly fast pace.  There are signs as you drive in showing you various years that mark how far out the glacier used to come from the Icefield.   It's quite sobering to drive and walk past these signs and realize the receding of Exit Glacier can be measured in miles.

Seward and this portion of the Kenai Peninsula are considered to be a temperate rainforest climate.  It's quite the juxtaposition of seeing a glacier next to dense, tropical-style vegetation as you walk out to the glacier and hike the trails.  

The Harding Icefield trail is a four mile one-way trail (eight miles round trip) that gains about 3,300 feet in elevation as you go up the trail.  There are basically three lookout points -- Marmot Meadows, Top of the Cliffs, and End of the Trail.  We decided to stop at Top of the Cliffs, mainly because the trail above that area still had lots of ice and snow and we could see folks slipping and sliding trying to navigate that portion of the trail.  While we missed seeing the vast expanse of the Icefield itself, we were still treated to incredible views of the glacier and the edge of the Icefield.  The trail goes though a lush, dense forested area, across a cascading waterfall, before you begin the steep ascent.  You then enter an area of ground brush before climbing into the tundra and minimal vegetation.

The ice appears Blue

With a guide and the proper permits, you can actually hike on the glacier itself.  We did a glacier hike many years ago in our 30s and now that we're not in our 30s, we thought we'd just stick with the traditional hike.  We loved the combination of hiking through the forest before opening up to cliffs overlooking the glacier.  It rains a lot in Seward, but we were fortunate to have no rain and an overcast morning only to be greeted with full sun and clearing skies in the afternoon.  Sections of the ice appeared blue and when the sun came out, it really made the glacier sparkle.

Hikers out on the glacier

No wildlife sightings on this hike, but the views were breathtaking.  Our legs will be sore tomorrow but I'm not complaining.  Another fabulous Alaskan day.