Exit Glacier Hike in Kenai Fjords National Park: A Complete Guide
Alaska’s National Parks are some of the most remote and untouched areas in the United States. Kenai Fjords, where the Exit Glacier Hike is, is actually the only car-accessible area in the entire national park. Exit Glacier is one of the 35 glaciers making up the Harding Icefield. It is one of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers, and a good indicator of environmental changes.
Exit Glacier is one of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers.
Best Time to Do the Exit Glacier Hike
The Best Time to do the Exit Glacier Hike is between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In fact, the road to the Exit Glacier Area is closed from late October to mid May. You can check the status of the road HERE. Weather during that time is from the 30s to mid-50s. Honestly, the high 40s-low 50s feels WARM when it’s sunny. But, there is also a lot of rain, so you need to be prepared for conditions.
MAY TEMPS: 25-39, JUNE TEMPS: 30-45, JULY TEMPS: 35-50, AUGUST TEMPS: 35-48, SEPTEMBER TEMPS: 29-41
Where is Kenai Fjords National Park and Exit Glacier?
jacket info: FP Movement Singing in the Rain Jacket. I rent from Nuuly (use my discount code here), to get cute outfits for vacations!
The Exit Glacier Hike within Kenai Fjords National Park is located in Southcentral Alaska. Alaska is split into regions. You may be familiar with Southeastern Alaska, which is the “tail” that sits along Canada, that cruises normally go through. There is also Southwestern Alaska, Interior Alaska, and Far North. The Exit Glacier area is outside of Seward,a 2+ hour drive south of Anchorage.
The Exit Glacier Hike
Hiking to Exit Glacier is the most popular thing to do in this portion of Kenai Fjords National Park. You can make your hike short and accessible, or even high adventure if you want it. It’s great for ANYBODY. Everybody can get great views. You get to the area by driving 12 miles from Downtown Seward down a beautiful highway. It’s only about 20 minutes. There are roadside views, if you like to stop and walk around, too. There is no fee into Kenai Fjords National Park. When you reach the end of the road, you will see parking, restrooms, and a visitor center (only open during summer).
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Exit Glacier Hike Stats
The Exit Glacier Hike is perfect for anyone. It’s short and sweet with epic views!
HIKE STATS
Beginning of Exit Glacier Hike
On the start of your hike (and even the drive in), you can see signs on the side of the road/trail with dates. This is where Exit Glacier was during that year. Pretty crazy to see how it has changed over the years. The beginning of the trail is wheelchair accessible. They also do guided hikes if you are into that!
Middle of Exit Glacier Hike
Once you pass the wheelchair area, you’ll hike on dirt. It’s a well maintained area with steps in many spots. It does take your breath away (metaphorically, and literally), but not for long. And, the views are SOOOO worth it. We stopped and took some photos up against the stunning mountain background.
Please be prepared on your hikes with proper footwear, Bear Spray and other safety gear, and water. Rain gear is always a good idea in Alaska, too.
End of Exit Glacier Hike
We stood at the end of the trail (rope present- cropped out of some of these photos) and stared at the glacier for so long. It’s so stunning. Please respect the area and don’t go off trail. We did see some people on the plains near the glacier, but it can be dangerous, so I wouldn’t recommend that.
jacket info: FP Movement Singing in the Rain Jacket. I rent from Nuuly (use my discount code here), to get cute outfits for vacations!
Other Things to Do in the Area
We spent 3.5 days in the Seward area. There are so many things to do, and other ways to see Kenai Fjords National Park. Highly recommend spending some time in the area.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Seward Windsong Lodge. It actually is on the same road to Exit Glacier- so very closeby. It is made up of separate buildings on this one way loop road, named after Alaskan berries. It was so cozy and wow our views were 10/10. There is a restaurant on site too.
What to Eat in Seward, Alaska
Food in Seward is YUMMMMMMYYY. First, can we talk about this fun Seward Coffee Cup? Love it haha. We got some on the way to doing our Exit Glacier Hike. There are some food trucks near the Downtown Shops that I loved for lunch- this stuffed quesadilla was honestly BOMB. The shop was called Los Chanchitos. For dinner, we tried out Seward Brewing Company and the Resurrection Roadhouse. For a sweet treat, try out Harbor Street Creamery and take a walk down the Harbor.
Excursions Near Seward, Alaska
If you have time after seeing Exit Glacier, definitely consider an excursion near Seward. We did the Kenai Fjords Boat Tour and the Mt Marathon Helicopter Drop Off and Hike. Both were amazing. I have an entire blog post detailing these, so check it out!
Final Thoughts About The Exit Glacier Hike
I hope this blog post convinces you to do the Exit Glacier Hike, and check out more of Seward, Alaska. Alaska is an amazing place AND you don’t need WEEKS to take advantage of it. A few days is AMAZING as is. Happy hiking & adventuring, y’all.
