Kayaking to Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park

Alex and I are not kayakers. Frankly we don’t have the upper body strength to make kayaking the relaxing and enjoyable activity it’s supposed to be. We’ve kayaked before in some of the most beautiful places on Earth, including the Galápagos, and it still didn’t do much for us.

But kayaking past icebergs in front of the colossal Aialik glacier was different. Both Alex and I were in awe.

If you do one thing in Kenai Fjords National Park, make it this Aialik Glacier Kayaking tour.

THE TOUR

We signed up for Liquid Adventures’ Aialik Glacier Wildlife Cruise & Kayaking tour. This tour included a ~2.5 hour boat ride to and from Aialik Bay and 3 hours spent kayaking near Aialik Glacier, one of the 38+ glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park.

Here’s how the day goes:

6:45 AM

Arrive at Liquid Adventures Office

7:00 AM

Get fitted for kayaking gear and head to the boat dock

7:45 AM

The boat departs

10:30 AM

Arrive at the beach where the kayaks are stored

11:00 AM

The time has finally come! Let’s start kayaking!

2:00 PM

Arrive back at the beach

2:30 PM

Boat picks us up

5:00 PM

Back at the dock. Return to Liquid Adventures Office to return gear and head out.

WHERE IS AIALIK GLACIER?

Aialik Glacier is in Kenai Fjords National Park. Kenai Fjords is one of only 3 Alaskan national parks that can be accessed by road. It is near the town of Seward, Alaska, which is ~2 hours 15 minutes’ drive away from Anchorage, the city with the nearest airport.

The glacier isn’t accessible by road, so tours typically reach Aialik Bay by boat from Seward, a journey that takes around 2.5–3 hours depending on conditions and wildlife stops.

OUR EXPERIENCE

I won’t lie. The morning alarm was painful. 5:30am. After 2 days of strenuous hiking. Ouch. Our bodies were begging for a few more hours of sleep but we reluctantly dragged ourselves out of bed to make it to Liquid Adventures’ office by 6:45am.

About fifteen minutes after arriving, we were fitted for gear. We crammed into a shuttle that thankfully lasted only 3 minutes to the boat dock, where we waited to board our boat to Aialik Bay.

On the boat, many other passengers braved the cold on the outdoor deck to keep their eyes peeled for wildlife. Alex and I had done the 8 hour wildlife boat cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours just a few days earlier, so we were lazy. We opted for the indoor seating, waiting for the captain to make the announcement that she spotted wildlife instead. The most noteworthy sighting was a humpback whale. We had seen two the other day, but they were in such shallow waters that we didn’t get a chance to see the tail. Today, we got a perfect view.

Humpback whale tail seen from the boat in Kenai Fjords National Park

We also saw two fin whales, a bunch of otters, a pod of Dall’s porpoises, sea lions, and a couple puffins. Between the 8 hour boat cruise the other day and the ride on the way to Ailaik Bay, we saw every animal that you might expect to see in Kenai Fjords: humpback whales, an orca, eagles, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and so much more.

Just shy of 3 hours after we departed, we made it to Aialik Bay, where the kayaks awaited us.

Kayaks waiting on the beach near Aialik Bay

From the distance, we could already see the ginormous wall of ice that was Aialik Glacier.

It was at this point that I learned we would be in tandem kayaks. This turned out to be bad news for me, as I would become Chief Paddler while Alex handled the photography. I shouldn’t complain though. He snapped some excellent shots!

We hopped into the kayaks and prepared to enter the water. Liquid Adventures provided a lot of specialized equipment for the journey. I was particularly impressed with the spray skirts that would prevent water from drenching our pants and the paddling gloves that would keep our hands warm.

At this point, our group of 10 was split into two groups. Our guide, Melissa, would take two tandem kayaks and four kayakers out into the bay. She announced that we would actually head in the opposite direction away from the glacier to start. We would paddle around Slate Island first, round the bend, and come back to the glacier at the end of the tour.

Admittedly, my arms started to burn less than five minutes after we set off. I tried following Melissa’s guidance and engaging my core, but no matter what I did, I felt it in my arms. Thankfully, we were moving at a pretty relaxed pace.

Slate Island had a lot of interesting coves to check out, so we made a lot of stops to investigate what lay within. We saw many mussels clinging to the rocks here as well.

Kayaking near the rocky shoreline of Slate Island in Aialik Bay

It only took about an hour to make our way back to the magnificent Aialik Glacier. By this point, we had seen a number of other glaciers both in the rest of the park and in Norway, but this sheet of ice really dwarfed us. It was spectacular.

Aialik Glacier with tiny kayaks in the distance for scale — Can you see the kayaks in the photo? They give you a good idea of the scale of the glacier. By the way, these kayakers weren’t part of our group. They were also dangerously close to the glacier! You’re supposed to maintain a distance of at least 0.5 miles.

The closer we got to the glacier, the more effort we had to put in to avoid the obstacles: the giant chunks of ice floating in the bay. Some of them were larger than our kayak!

Gliding past icebergs. Plus, Alex admits to not doing any work!

These giant chunks of ice are a result of glacier calving events. Every few minutes, we would see a chunk of ice careen down the side of the glacier and land in the water with a spectacular, thunderous roar. It was hard to catch on camera, because the roar came once the ice had already fallen, and the calving lasted just a few seconds.

Kathryn and Alex kayaking in front of Aialik Glacier — *Photo taken by our wonderful guide, Melissa!*

Once we had made it as close as was deemed safe, we were handed lunch: a cold wrap and a bag of chips. It was surprisingly delicious and the view could not be beaten.

Once we wrapped up (pun intended!) with lunch, we started paddling back to the beach. It took us just over another hour. By the end of the day, my Oura ring recorded 5.8 miles of paddling throughout 3 hours. Not too shabby for an amateur!

While we were hauling the kayaks back up the rocky shore, we saw a black bear. It was on the rocks, just a short distance away. Thankfully, it soon headed in the opposite direction.

Eventually we got back on the boat, headed back to Seward. At this point, I was too tired and lazy to devote any energy to hunting for wildlife. I rested my eyes and started plotting dinner plans.

It was a long day, but it was well worth the time and effort it took to get to Aialik Bay. It says a lot that kayaking is not my favorite hobby yet this was still my favorite thing we did in Kenai Fjords National Park. I have no doubt if you were to lay eyes on Aialik Glacier, you too could not help but be impressed.

A NOTE ON THE WEATHER IN KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK

I won’t beat around the bush: a typical day in Kenai Fjords National Park is cloudy, gray, and wet. Even in the middle of summer, gray skies, drizzle, and passing showers are completely normal. You might get lucky with a beautiful sunny day, but I wouldn’t plan your trip assuming you will. You need to come prepared for rain. This means that it’s important to invest in high quality rain gear and bring lots of layers for cold, damp conditions.

Given the prevalence of rain, your tour operator likely won’t cancel your tour unless the wind or rain is very heavy or the seas are rough. That being said, I highly recommend building at least one buffer day into your itinerary so that you have flexibility if the weather refuses to cooperate and the tour is cancelled.

We got incredibly lucky with the weather. We had two gray but dry days and two very sunny days and were able to do activities on all four days. However, the weather was a major topic of discussion amongst every single local we encountered. They constantly thanked us for bringing the good weather and told us just how lucky we were. I even met one guy from Anchorage who said he had been to Seward ten times and this was the first time he saw the sun here.

All that to say, be prepared for the rain. Don’t let the drizzle scare you off. Give yourself enough flexibility that one truly miserable weather day doesn’t derail your entire visit.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Yes! Aialik Glacier is breathtaking and cruising past giant chunks of ice bigger than your kayak is pretty awesome. Out of everything we did in Kenai Fjords National Park, this was our favorite activity.

FAQS

How long do you paddle for?

We paddled for a little over an hour, then took a lunch break on the kayak, then paddled for another hour to get back to the beach. We were on the water for a grand total of 3 hours.

Is kayaking physically demanding?

Your arms and shoulders might burn a little depending on how regularly you exercise your arms, but it’s pretty manageable. The pace is quite relaxed.

Do you need kayaking experience to participate in the tour?

No! Alex and I have only kayaked a couple times before and we had no trouble completing the tour. Our guide gave us instructions before we started and the group maintained a relaxed pace throughout the day.

What should I wear?

I wore a long-sleeve shirt, a thin down jacket, and a rain coat on top plus a pair of leggings and rain pants on the bottom.

What should I bring?

I would bring the following:

Waterproof clothing, including a rain jacket and rain pants (If you have them. Liquid Adventures also has some waterproof pants you can borrow)
Two pairs of socks (a recommendation by Liquid Adventures. We did not end up needing the second pair)
Sunglasses
A baseball cap and/or beanie
A camera or phone
Water
Snacks
Binoculars
Dramamine (if you’re prone to seasickness)

Optionally, you can bring a waterproof phone or camera case, but we were comfortable keeping our phone and camera in a dry bag, taking them out for short periods of time, and putting them back immediately. Liquid Adventures provides one dry bag per kayak, but we brought our own as well.

Will you get wet?

Rain comes and goes quite frequently in Kenai Fjords National Park, so it’s very possible that you will get wet while kayaking. However, if the weather cooperates, you should be able to stay relatively dry. Liquid Adventures provided us with spray skirts that prevented water from the paddles from falling into our laps, so I stayed remarkably dry throughout the excursion.

What time of year can you go glacier kayaking?

The glacier kayaking tour runs from mid-May through the beginning of September.

Is lunch included?

Lunch is not included but can be purchased in advance when you sign up for the tour. We opted to do this and got wraps made from the barbecue restaurant next door, Firebrand BBQ. They were pretty delicious, even though they were ice cold! I was delighted that they had a yummy vegetarian option.

How close can you get to Aialik Glacier?

You can kayak up to half a mile away from the glacier. That sounds far away, but it’s for safety. The glacier calves often. The falling ice can create powerful waves capable of capsizing a kayak, so it’s best to keep a safe distance between yourself and the glacier.

How does the Aialik Glacier kayaking tour compare to the boat tours?

Many operators run boat tours that travel right up to Aialik Glacier. We did a boat tour and a kayaking tour and thought the experience was much cooler from a kayak. To start, there were very few kayaks in Aialik Bay when we were there, making it feel more intimate and calm. It was also really cool gliding past the chunks of ice that were floating in the bay. Boat tours tend to be a little crowded in my experience, so while you do get to get a little closer on the boat, I would still recommend the kayaking experience.

What wildlife can you see on the boat on the way to Aialik Bay?

You have the opportunity to see humpback whales, orcas, fin whales, Dall’s porpoises, otters, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, eagles, and puffins. We saw all of these animals between our Northwestern Fjord cruise and our boat ride on the way to Aialik Glacier.

How does Aialik Glacier compare to other glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park?

During my four days in Kenai Fjords National Park, I visited two other glaciers: Northwestern (via a boat tour) and Exit Glacier (via the Harding Icefield hike). Aialik was the largest and most impressive in my opinion. Holgate and Bear Glaciers are also popular to visit.

What is the bathroom situation?

There is a bathroom on the boat, but there are no facilities on the beach where you’ll be dropped off. You’ll need to make it ~4 hours without facilities.

How do you get to Seward, Alaska?

Fly into Anchorage, Alaska. Drive (~2 hours 15 minutes) or take the train to Seward, Alaska.