Seward is a small town on the Kenai Peninsula with a giant harbor on Resurrection Bay. This area was formed by shifting glaciers from the Ice Age thousands of years ago and as recently as the giant earthquake of 1964. The Atlantic and Pacific tectonic plates shifted creating several fjords and bays. There are tidal glaciers, forests filled with Sitka spruce trees and amazing wildlife that make up a coastal temperate rainforest where the annual temperature is between 39F and 54F. The scenery is majestic, awe inspiring and hard to capture with a photo or even words. The annual rainfall is approximately 700 inches per year and, yes, we experienced lots and lots of rain.
The town of Seward is home to seven Iditarod race winners all from the same family. There is a statue of a prospector and a dog at mile zero. The 2,300 mile trail system was originally developed to transport mail and supplies arriving by steamship in Seward’s ice-free port to communities in the interior during the Gold Rush era. The race now begins in Anchorage and finishes in Nome.
There are many adventures available in the area. We took a boat tour that brought us to the stunning Holgate Glacier. We received fascinating information about four types of glaciers: Tidewater glacier’s terminus lies below sea level and they shed chunks of glacial ice into the ocean. Hanging glaciers flow down out of mountain valleys from an ice field. Valley glaciers are broad and can create a glacial lake when they recede, and finally, Cirque glaciers which are small and occupy a bowl shaped depression between mountain valleys. We have seen all four types.
Along the way to the Holgate tidal glacier we saw sea otters, harbor seals, orca whales, Stellar sea lions, puffins, bald eagles and even some mountain goats on the cliffs. There were powerful waterfalls and sea caves and wild rock formations. Guides fished out pieces of the iceberg from the water and made some iceberg margaritas for us.
We also took a kayak adventure tour into the river area to get an even closer look at wildlife including Dall porpoises, more bald eagles, spawning salmon and even a Lions Mane jellyfish.
The rain did not stop us on these adventures, but did stop us from a hike on Exit Glacier. Instead we walked into the town of Seward and spent some time at the Alaska Sea Life Center. There is a lot of information about marine mammals, diving birds and other sea life. We drove to an overlook of Exit Glacier where the interpretive sign shows the shrinkage over the years. Sadly, Exit Glacier is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Seward is one of Alaska’s oldest settlements. It has a been a part of the fur trade, the gold rush and the start of the supply trail to the interior of the state. The port is ice-free due to the shelter of Resurrection Bay. Rain or shine, Seward welcomes tourists to experience all kinds of adventures and wildlife.
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