Kenai Fjords of Alaska.

If you are like most of the visitors to Alaska, then you want to see as many species of wildlife as you possibly can on your Alaska adventure. The Kenai Fjords is a wonderful place to start your adventure. The beauty and richness of the area will remain a vivid memory for years to come.

Kenai Fjords National Park, south central Alaska, occupying the southeastern portion of the Kenai Peninsula, on the Gulf of Alaska; established as a national monument 1978, as a national park 1980.

The park has a diversity of landscapes, including deep coastal fjords, lush rain forests, and active glaciers, the largest of which is the 300 square mile Harding Icefield. The coastal area and offshore islands are frequented by seals, sea lions, sea otters, and numerous species of birds, such as puffins and auklets, that breed here.

The fjords are long, steep-sided, glacier-carved valleys that are now filled with ocean waters. A mountain platform, one mile high, rises above this dramatic coastline. The mountains are mantled by the 300-square mile Harding Icefield, 35 miles long and 20 miles wide. Only isolated mountain peaks interrupt its nearly flat, snowclad surface. Exit Glacier spills off the massive Harding icefield and is accessible by road.

The Kenai Fjords reflect scenic icebound landscapes in which salt spray mixes with mountain mist. Located on the southeastern Kenai Peninsula, the national park is a pristine and rugged land supporting many unaltered natural environments and ecosystems.

The park's wildlife includes mountain goats, moose, bears, wolverines, marmots and other land mammals who have established themselves on a thin life zone between marine waters and the icefield's frozen edges. Bald eagles nest in the tops of spruce and hemlock trees. Thousands of seabirds, including puffins, kittiwakes, and murres seasonally inhabit the steep cliffs and rocky shores. Kayakers, fishermen, and visitors on tour boats share the park's waters with stellar sea lions, harbor seals, Dall porpoises, sea otters, humpback, killer and minke whales. You can kayak, fish, or just enjoy the diverse wildlife.