Kayaking to the Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park with Miller's Landing
Kayaking has been one of my favorite things to do in Alaska so far!
From Seward, Alaska you can kayak to the Aialik Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park.
This park is one of the largest and most actively calving glacier area.
If you're visiting Alaska, you're probably there to see glaciers, and Aialik Glacier is worth the money and time to see. Imagine a towering 1.5 mile wide glacier surrounded by rugged peaks and a thick green forest rising from the blue water. The chance to spot whales, puffins, sea lions, porpoises, eagles, and more. Large and small icebergs floating by your kayak and the thundering sound of more calving in front of you. It's all only a 2-3 hour boat ride from Seward!
There are a number of companies in Seward that have Kayak trips to the glacier including Millers Landing, Liquid Adventures, and Kayak AK.
You'll likely need to book with a good amount of lead time during peak season but you can sometimes find last minute openings on weekdays.
A guided kayak day trip typically lasts 10-12 hours including the boat ride out/back and time spent exploring on land as well. On the boat ride out you have the chance to see marine wildlife and some companies even offer a combo of fishing and kayaking; the rockfish look ugly but They do well in rockfish tacos.
I did the fishing kayak combo with Miller Landing and it was a blast!
Once you've been dropped off at a nearby beach the guide will go over the techniques for sea-kayaking and safety rules. You'll spend 1-2 hours paddling to the glacier face where you'll have the chance to slip between ice from recent calving events and take in the incredible surroundings. After paddling in front of the glacier from a safe distance you'll pull ashore at a nearby ice strewn beach and eat lunch before heading out for more paddle time around the glacier. Warning your arms will be super sore. If you are kayaking being fit really does help.
I then got back on the boat and we did some fishing for a couple hours. I caught 8 rockfish and a silver salmon. Once we got back to the dock a couple hours later I got my got my fish cut up and sealed.
I had enough fish to fill my freezer! If you’re from out of town there are ways to send that home as well. This was an amazing day trip and well worth it. I learned a ton and got a great workout.