Travel Dates: September 2021
Hotel: Seward Harbor 360 Hotel
We booked this hotel as a package with the Major Marine boat tour because it gave us a discount for the tour and was also very convenient; check-in and docking for the boat tour is at the hotel. Included with our stay were free breakfast and free parking, and we were also able to leave our car at the hotel even after checking out. Otherwise, non-hotel guests on the boat tour would have to pay for public parking across the street.
Food:
Thorn’s Showcase Lounge (Seward) is known for its bucket of butt (aka fried halibut). Since we had so much fried halibut on the trip already, we just had a reuben sandwich: it was super delicious and juicy. Top that off with their Arnold Palmer, and you have an amazing, no frills meal.
Wild Catch Cafe (Whittier) was where we had delicious, crispy fried halibut and fries. We highly recommend this spot if you need a quick bite in Whittier. We also got a dirty chia latte which was great for a cold, chilly day.
Activities:
Major Marine Boat Tour (Seward) – we took the 6 hour boat tour to the Kenai Fjords where we saw glaciers and wildlife. There is assigned seating for everyone on the first and second floor (indoor sections) of the boat, but you are allowed to walk around the outside decks for better viewing. There’s complementary water, tea, and coffee, and an added bonus of free binoculars to use on the trip. The tour includes free lunch consisting of a sandwich, bag of chips, apple, brownie, and a soft drink.
There’s an option to purchase additional food and drinks throughout the duration of the tour. Though you should wait until you get to the glaciers to order a very special drink: margarita made with glacial ice! The bar used shavings off of a huge chunk of glacier ice (picked right out of the water) to make these drinks.
Immediately after we left the bay area, we saw an eagle. We then stopped near some islands and coves and saw harbor seals and otters. Afterwards, we headed out towards the Gulf of Alaska where we saw pods of orcas (killer whales). The amount of pods was a lot that day, more than usual, and we were very lucky to see them all!
From there, we ventured to Holgate Glacier where we saw glacial calving. It’s amazing to see and hear the glaciers but also sad to think about global warming impacting the melting of the ice at a faster rate than before. Being upfront and so close to a massive glacier as Holgate is also a very awing experience, and the blueness of the glaciers is so beautiful. Before heading back to Seward, we stopped to see sea lion haul outs, more otters chilling in the water, puffins, and a Dall sheep climbing on a cliff side.
Overall this was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this tour. It does get rocky so if you do get seasick, make sure to take dramamine or ginger.
Byron Glacier Trail (outside Whittier) – easy, flat 30 minute hike one way where you get up close to a glacier, and can even walk on it. If you don’t have clamp-ons, just be careful if you want to walk on the glacier because it is slippery. Depending on what time of the year you go, you may see some ice caves forming.
Portage Lake Overlook (outside Whittier) – this is the last stop before heading into Whittier. There’s a visitor center here for restrooms and in the back of the center, you have a nice view of Portage Lake and the glaciers in the distance.
Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (connection to Whittier) – if you decide to go to Whittier, you have to go through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel which is $13. This is a controlled one-way tunnel so you only have to pay going into Whittier, and that also means there is a schedule to follow. Cars going into Whittier leave on the half hour and cars exiting Whittier leave on the hour. The tunnel will close at a certain time so if you don’t leave by the last schedule you will get stuck either in Whittier or outside of it. It’s best to get to the tunnel at least 10 minutes before the scheduled opening because you have to pay and cars have to line up–you definitely don’t want to miss the schedule or you’ll be waiting another hour for the next opening. Driving through the tunnel is about 6 minutes at 25 mph.
Portage Pass Trail (Whittier) – the trail is on the first right once you exit the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. Follow the signs to Portage Pass Trail and drive all the way inside until you’re at the actual hike (that saves you several minutes from walking). The hike starts off steep as you gain 800 feet in elevation. Once you get to the Portage Pass sign at the top (30 – 45 minutes from the start), continue walking down towards the glacier/lake (following a trail sign on the left side). After another 30-45 minutes, you’ll see a fork in the road. Follow the sign that says to Portage Lake and you’ll very soon have a great view of Portage Glacier in the distance. Overall round trip, this hike is about 3 hours.
On a sunny day, you’ll be able to see the glacier immediately once you get to the top at the Portage Pass sign. But if you’re unlucky like us, all we saw was fog–and Whittier is known to often be wet and foggy. Several hikers told us to keep hiking down in order to see the glacier, and thankfully we listened to them and had an amazing view. So if you’re hiking there on a bad day, just ask other hikers if they’re able to see the glacier so you can gauge if this trail is then worth it.
Globe Trotter 