Seward is one of the most beautiful places in all of Alaska, which is saying a LOT, with towering mountains, ancient glaciers, and wildlife galore. Besides being jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the charming fishing village of Seward has plenty to keep you busy, from gawking at the largest icefield in the United States to catching a glimpse of a breaching humpback whale. Here’s 8 incredible things to do in Seward, Alaska, a must-stop on the Kenai Peninsula.
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How to Get to Seward, Alaska
Seward is located on the stunning Kenai Peninsula, along the southern coastline of Alaska.
While there are certain areas of Alaska that are famously challenging to access, Seward is thankfully not one of them—you can actually access it via cruise ship, a scenic train ride from Anchorage, or by car.
Here’s how long you can expect to drive to Seward from other popular spots in Alaska:
- From Anchorage to Seward: 2 hours and 20 minutes
- From Homer to Seward: 3 hours and 15 minutes
- From Soldotna to Seward: 1 hour and 50 minutes
My husband, Justin, and I drove all around the Kenai Peninsula and found the roads to be well-maintained. However, we have heard grumblings that there’s frequently construction in this area that can make your drive time much longer, so, if you’re driving, I’d suggest budgeting a bit more time than you think you might need!
If you’re arriving here without a car, like via cruise ship or train, not to worry—it’s pretty easy getting around town without a vehicle, given the small town is walkable AND there’s shuttles, like the free one around town or the paid shuttle to the Exit Glacier area of Kenai Fjords National Park, that can help you get around.
Things to Do in Seward, Alaska
1. Exit Glacier hike
One of the most popular things to do in Seward is to explore Kenai Fjords National Park, the most easily accessible of the eight national parks in Alaska.
The only part of the national park that you can reach via car is the Exit Glacier area. This area has a handful of hiking trails to explore the Exit Glacier, a four-mile long sheet of ancient ice that spills over mountaintops, and the Harding Icefield, the largest icefield that’s contained entirely in the United States.
The Exit Glacier is arguably the most famous glacier in the United States, not only because of its accessibility, but also because of how it serves as a visible indicator for climate change. In recent years, the glacier has been receding, on average, 160 feet annually. The national park has made it easy to visualize these changes, with a series of signs along Exit Glacier Road and a portion of the hiking trail to show where the glacier terminated that year.
If you’re a beginner hiker or short on time, the easy Exit Glacier hike is an excellent option, combining three trails that partially overlap and total about 2.3 miles in length and about 270 feet of elevation gain, to get different perspectives of the glacier.
These three trails are:
- Exit Glacier Loop (1.0 miles and 85 feet of elevation gain)
- Glacier Overlook Trail (1.8 miles and 229 feet of elevation gain)
- Outwash Plain (0.2 miles and 20 feet of elevation gain)
If you want to hike all three of them together, we’d suggest starting with the Exit Glacier Loop, a wheelchair accessible flat pathway that winds through a lush cottonwood forest to the shores of Exit Glacier Creek. Beyond, you’ll get spectacular views of the Exit Glacier, cascading down the mountaintops.
From here, continue on to the Glacier Overlook Trail, where you’ll see the spur trail for the Outwash Plain. From here, you can walk on the rocky ground, most of which is sediment from glacial runoff, to see the terminus of the glacier.
This is a really unique perspective (my personal favorite!), where you can see the unique caves and arches that are formed as the glacier slowly melts. Just be sure to be mindful to not go past the National Park’s warning signs—this area is prone to unexpected glacial flooding.
Finally, head back to the Glacier Overlook Trail and climb uphill to the rocky outcroppings overlooking the glacier. This provides you an excellent view of the glacier and the surrounding valley—in the summertime, the mountains here are usually full of spectacular waterfalls!
2. Harding Icefield hike
If you have more time to enjoy the Exit Glacier area and are up for a more challenging hike, we’d highly recommend the Harding Icefield hike—it’s one of our favorite trails in all of Alaska!
This trail takes you up to a number of viewpoints over the Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield, which sprawls for 700 square miles(!!), is 4,000 feet deep, and terminates in a whopping 38 glaciers across the Seward area.
This trail is DEFINITELY a booty kicker, at 8.6 miles in length and 3,198 feet in elevation gain. If the trail gets to be too much for you, there are some good stopping points along the way, like Marmot Meadows (which would be about 4 miles roundtrip) and Top of the Cliffs (5.2 miles roundtrip), both of which provide jaw-dropping views of the Exit Glacier and the surrounding valley.
3. Hike on the Exit Glacier
If you’re looking for even more of an adventure, consider joining a tour to actually hike on the Exit Glacier!
On this kind of tour, like this option, you’ll hike up a challenging trail to an access point to the Exit Glacier and then get to climb on the glacier itself for a couple of hours!
This is definitely a unique opportunity to see the glacier up close and personal (you’ll actually have lunch right on the glacier!) and get a whole new perspective of the cracks, crevasses, and moraines on this ancient ice.
4. Glacier Flightseeing Tour
One of the only ways to truly get a sense of the vastness of the Harding Icefield and its almost 40 glaciers is to get a birds-eye view of them—with a flightseeing tour!
There’s a number of tours that you can take from Seward to see some of the glaciers (and, with any luck, some wildlife!) and learn about the area from your pilot, like:
Bear Glacier Scenic Flight
This 30 minute tour will take you over the Bear Glacier, which holds the title of the largest glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park and one of the largest glacier moraines on the planet! Besides getting a unique perspective over the glacial ice and the impossibly blue pools that form on top of it, the pilots with this tour operator are incredibly friendly and great at spotting wildlife below, including bears and moose.
Godwin Glacier Flightseeing Tour
This 30 minute tour packs a lot in, flying over the Godwin Glacier and actually landing on it, allowing you the opportunity to walk around this ancient ice for a bit! The pilots are great at adapting the flight, depending on the weather and any wildlife you might see along the way (they have eagle eyes for spotting bear!), PLUS they’re pros at taking awesome photos of you on the glacier!
5. Explore the town of Seward
While the town is tiny, it’s still one of the most stunning seaside villages that we’ve ever visited, with some cute shops, restaurants, and bars that are well worth-exploring.
Some of our favorites are:
- Yukon Bar: Classic Alaska dive bar with a ceiling covered with dollar bills and a kind of chaotic (in a fun way!) vibe
- Red’s Burgers: Tasty burgers and killer fries, which you can enjoy eating on a school bus
- Millers Landing: A cafe that does a little bit of everything, including coffee, three meals a day, and live music, plus some of the best views of Resurrection Bay in Seward
- Tidewater Taphouse: Bar and restaurant with delightfully kitschy decor—like a bar that has octopus legs!—and killer cocktails
- Forest, Tides, and Treasures: A gift shop that has a nice mix of touristy souvenirs and locally, handmade goods, from birch candies to wood carving
Plus, don’t miss the ADORABLE drive-thru coffee shacks in town!
6. Kenai Fjords cruise
As mentioned above, only a small section of Kenai Fjords National Park can be accessed by car, given that the vast majority is actually covered by either ice or water. Accordingly, one of the most popular things to do in Seward—and the best way to see its diverse wildlife and glaciers—is to take a Kenai Fjords cruise.
These tours are a bit on the expensive side, so Justin and I hemmed and hawed a bit about whether it would be worth it. We ultimately decided we would regret not doing it while we were in Alaska and decided to go on a seven and a half hour cruise with Major Marine. After actually going on the cruise, I can say that, 10 outta 10, it’s ABSOLUTELY worth every penny.
On our cruise, we sailed out of Resurrection Bay, a jaw-dropping fjord surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and out to the Blying Sound and Cape Resurrection, in search of marine life. During our cruise, we saw almost two dozen humpback whales, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, two fin whales (the second largest animal on the planet!), two pods of orcas, Dall’s porpoises, black bears, and mountain goats.
Seeing wildlife on these cruises is never technically guaranteed, but, given the incredible diversity and abundance of creatures that call Kenai Fjords home, you have a pretty darn good chance of seeing it!
From here, we headed to see two tidewater glaciers, which are glaciers that terminate in the ocean. If you’re lucky, you might see the glaciers calving, where massive hunks of the glacier fall off into the water or, if you’re not quite as lucky, like us, you can still admire the glaciers’ insane spires of ice, icebergs, and the wildlife that tend to hang out around them (i.e., harbor seals!).
Everything about our experience on our Major Marine cruise, from the amount of wildlife we saw and jaw-dropping views of the glaciers to the friendliness of the staff and the thoughtful features of the facilities, made this one of the biggest highlights of our two months in Alaska.
Depending on how much time you have in Seward and your budget, there’s a variety of other kinds of Kenai Fjords boat tours with different itineraries that you can choose from, including:
- Four hour wildlife cruises, which do not stop at any tidewater glaciers, like this option
- Six hour wildlife and glacier cruises, which stop at one tidewater glacier, like this option
- Eight and a half hour wildlife glacier cruises, which stop at three tidewater glaciers, like this option
7. Try your hand at glacier kayaking
If you’re looking for an even more adventurous version of a Kenai Fjord glacier cruise, consider heading out on a glacier kayaking tour.
These kinds of smaller group tours generally include a boat ride out of Resurrection Bay to a tidewater glacier, where you’ll then get into a kayak and paddle around to take in the views of the towering ice field and the surrounding icebergs.
One of our friends did one of these tours with Kayak Adventures Worldwide while they were in Alaska and LOVED it and now it’s absolutely on our bucket list!
These kinds of tours are definitely on the pricier side (usually starting around $500 per person), so if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, there’s some kayaking tours around Resurrection Bay, like this option or this option, which get you out in the water where, with any luck, you might spot puffins, otters, sea lions, bald eagles, and even bears.
8. Go rafting
For one of the most exciting things to do in Seward, consider joining a rafting tour down the Resurrection River, like this option. The Resurrection River has a mixture of Class II and III rapids, which is gentle enough for newbie rafters but still challenging enough to feel like a proper adventure!
While you’re rafting down the narrow channels of the river, you’ll pass towering mountains and dense pine tree forests and can keep an eye out for wildlife, like bald eagles and bears.
How Long Should I Stay in Seward Alaska?
If you have a short timeframe to explore Alaska, I’d recommend dedicating two nights in Seward, which would allow you to explore the Exit Glacier area and do some kind of activity out on the water, like a glacier cruise or kayaking adventure.
However, if you’re going to be in Alaska for a longer period of time, I personally think you’d easily be able to keep yourself busy in Seward for at least four nights (or more!). We stayed camped in Seward for about a week and I’m still itching to go back and explore some more!
When to Visit Seward, Alaska
As you might imagine, most of Alaska, including Seward, is quite seasonal, with most visitors coming to the town from late May through late September, when the weather has warmed up and the wildlife is active. While the weather is always quite rainy in the Kenai Peninsula, May is the driest of the warmer months, with it growing progressively rainier as the summer wears on.
To be honest, outside of the May through September timeframe, most tours and businesses in Seward, including many of the bars and restaurants, will not be in operation, and most trailheads will not be accessible.
If you happen to be visiting in the wintertime, Seward is still worth a stop, especially if you enjoy snow sports. There’s TONS of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails to choose from, where you can take in the spectacular views of the surrounding snow-covered mountains.
Where to Stay in Seward, Alaska
Harbor 360 Hotel
Located right by Seward’s harbor on Resurrection Bay, Harbor 360 Hotel’s views alone would make this one of the best hotels in Seward.
But you’ll also find friendly and helpful staff (which, in full transparency, can be hard to find in Alaska); a surprisingly delicious free continental breakfast; and other perks, like an indoor pool and hot tub that overlook the harbor.
Resurrection Lodge on the Bay
This cozy lodge is located a bit further outside of downtown Seward and right on Resurrection Bay, with spectacular wildlife spotting opportunities (it’s not unusual to see otters right from your room!) and even better views.
There’s a variety of different lodging options here, from a quirky yurt to more condo-like options, with living rooms and fully equipped kitchens, and thoughtful details, including a complimentary hot breakfast every morning and freshly baked cookies throughout the day.
Seward Gateway Hotel
This newly constructed property is conveniently just a short walk from Seward’s downtown and offers cozy and immaculately clean rooms. While the hotel is on the more modern side, it still feels very cozy, with thoughtful perks, like an afternoon happy hour with local beers and complimentary breakfast.
Orca Island Cabins
Honestly, Orca Island Cabins is a whole experience in and of itself, where you’ll take a water taxi out to a remote cove on Resurrection Bay and stay a night (or three!) in yurts directly overlooking the emerald water.
The yurts are on the more rustic side and you’ll need to bring along your own food, but you’re not here for luxury—instead, it’s all about taking in the killer views, using the complimentary kayaks or stand-paddleboards to get to private waterfalls, and spot some wildlife! I have a friend who stayed here who opened the doors of her yurt to see a pod of orcas, playing under her balcony—that’s, like, next level cool.
Staying at the Orca Island Cabins is definitely on our bucket list for our next trip to Alaska!
Phew, there are SO many cool things to do in Seward, Alaska—I hope you enjoy this little slice of heaven as much as we did! Do you have any questions about visiting Seward? Let us know in the comments below!
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