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Kenai Fjords National Park | Kenai Fjords Cruise

Kenai Fjords National Park is a must-see when visiting Seward. There are plenty of wildlife cruises of all durations. We took the 9-1/2 hour cruise and enjoyed every minute. The Kenai Fjords are loaded with all types of wildlife including kittiwakes, sea otters, orca, humpback whale, stellar sealions, and murres. We even saw a black bear swimming across a bay! Compare this Kenai Fjords cruise to our previous one the last time we went to Seward.

Waking up in the early morning from our Miller's Landing RV site afforded us this calm view. Seward, Alaska

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On board our tour boat looking up at the scenery that surrounds us. This early in the season (late May) there aren't many passengers, so you could wander around the boat anywhere and at any time. It also made for easier picture taking as there were fewer people to compete for the best viewpoints. The large ship was also very stable -- no camera jostling. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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My daughter wants to take pictures now, but she needs help with the heavy big lens. Notice I'm wearing a jacket on this 9-1/2 hour cruise. It was pretty cold in the wind near the glaciers.

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Not even 1/2 hour into our trip we happened upon a pair of sea otters. And I think these two are fairly used to the tour boat stopping to watch their antics because we were able to get quite close. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Not even 1/2 hour into our trip we happened upon a pair of sea otters. And I think these two are fairly used to the tour boat stopping to watch their antics because we were able to get quite close. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Not even 1/2 hour into our trip we happened upon a pair of sea otters. And I think these two are fairly used to the tour boat stopping to watch their antics because we were able to get quite close. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Not even 1/2 hour into our trip we happened upon a pair of sea otters. And I think these two are fairly used to the tour boat stopping to watch their antics because we were able to get quite close. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Not even 1/2 hour into our trip we happened upon a pair of sea otters. And I think these two are fairly used to the tour boat stopping to watch their antics because we were able to get quite close. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A kittiwake flies in the same direction and only slightly faster than our boat, making it easy to get this shot. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A glaucous-winged gull (I think) flies in the same direction and only slightly faster than our boat, making it easy to get this shot. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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These sea kayakers are pretty far away from home base. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pod of residential orcas heads into Resurrection Bay. 90% of the worlds orca population are residential - meaning they live in one spot and eat fish. The other 10% are transient orcas, and they travel around the world eating anything they can find. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A flock of common murres passes overhead. We are getting close to where they hang out. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Murres are the arctic's version of the penguin. Murres look, eat, act, swim, and sound like penguins. The 2 main differences are that penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere, and that murres can fly.\nThese common murres are about 3 stories up. Our captain warned us that even though they can fly, they can't fly very well. If we saw one coming straight at us, we weren't to assume that it would be adroit enough to veer off course at the last second. We should duck. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Murres are the arctic's version of the penguin. Murres look, eat, act, swim, and sound like penguins. The 2 main differences are that penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere, and that murres can fly.\nThese common murres are about 3 stories up. Our captain warned us that even though they can fly, they can't fly very well. If we saw one coming straight at us, we weren't to assume that it would be adroit enough to veer off course at the last second. We should duck. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Murres are the arctic's version of the penguin. Murres look, eat, act, swim, and sound like penguins. The 2 main differences are that penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere, and that murres can fly.\nThese common murres are about 3 stories up. Our captain warned us that even though they can fly, they can't fly very well. If we saw one coming straight at us, we weren't to assume that it would be adroit enough to veer off course at the last second. We should duck. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Murres are the arctic's version of the penguin. Murres look, eat, act, swim, and sound like penguins. The 2 main differences are that penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere, and that murres can fly.\nThese common murres are about 3 stories up. Our captain warned us that even though they can fly, they can't fly very well. If we saw one coming straight at us, we weren't to assume that it would be adroit enough to veer off course at the last second. We should duck. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Murres are the arctic's version of the penguin. Murres look, eat, act, swim, and sound like penguins. The 2 main differences are that penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere, and that murres can fly.\nThese common murres are about 3 stories up. Our captain warned us that even though they can fly, they can't fly very well. If we saw one coming straight at us, we weren't to assume that it would be adroit enough to veer off course at the last second. We should duck. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Endangered stellar sealions rest on a small, rocky island. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Endangered stellar sealions rest on a small, rocky island. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Endangered stellar sealions rest on a small, rocky island. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pair of tufted puffins miraculously caught in flight. These guys are small and fast, so hats off to you if you can get a picture of them while they're in the air. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A tufted puffin just gets out of the water to escape the giant tour boat barreling down on him. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A huge slanted slab of rock provides a rest area for kittiwakes. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pair of endangered stellar sealions argues about something. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Beautiful shot of the mountains that you'll find everywhere along Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The water is about 38 degrees up here, and still there are starfish and all sorts of creatures living in it. A receding tide left this guy stranded vertical on a rock. Starfish need seawater pumping through them to move, kinda like a waterwheel. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Beehive Island is named for the swarms of kittiwakes circling around it like bees. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Kittiwakes hang out on a rock on Beehive Island, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Kittiwakes hang out on a rock on Beehive Island, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Kittiwakes hang out on a rock on Beehive Island, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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This is one of the many kittiwake rookeries we saw on our Alaska trip. Basically the birds pair up and build the most precarious nest on the tiniest/tallest ledge they can find. Curiously it's the nests closest to the sea that are in the most danger - they will be wiped out by waves during the first big storm. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Kittiwakes swarm around Beehive Island, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A tufted puffin attempts to swim to safety as our tour boat approaches. If puffins eat one fish too many they get too heavy and can't lift off. Instead you'll see them skimming the water in futility unable to hoist themselves into the air. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A fascinating and massive cave(?) penetrates the cliff face, and the kittiwakes were all over that. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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I hope their not finished with their nests, because they don't look like they would hold an egg at all. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Location location location. These kittiwakes got the best nesting areas. I think those are glaucous-winged gulls on the upper left.

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Inside the cave kittiwakes are more protected than usual. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A typical kittiwake nest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Kittiwake pair building their nest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Is there room for one more in here? Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A pair of tufted puffins find a nice nest site. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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If you spot a large flock of birds all partying over the same spot in the middle of the ocean, chances are they found a baitball. Some species of fish have concluded that if they school in a huge ball at the surface of the water, they are more likely to survive a predatory attack. The birds have concluded that it's easy-pickens when the fish practically come to you. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Birds land on the baitball beneath the water. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Everyone's coming to this baitball party. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Wow, it's crowded here at the baitball party. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A tufted puffin is slower than usual to paddle away from the approaching tour boat.

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I liked the shape of this rock and how it was separated from the mainland by a crack only a few feet wide. Plenty of kittiwakes resting on the rock. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Nobody's nesting here. Just resting. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Looks like there are a few unused perches on the lower right. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Doesn't matter what angle the rock is pointing into the sea. Kittiwakes will sit on it. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A tufted puffin tries to fly away, but he's too loaded down with fish that he can't get into the air. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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There was one small bay on our tour just loaded with waterfalls this time of year. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Wow! This was a rare treat seeing a black bear swimming across a small bay. He didn't seem to be swimming that fast (although I'm sure it was faster than I could swim). Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The black bear gets out of the water to shake himself off and then disappears up the rocks and into the forest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The black bear gets out of the water to shake himself off and then disappears up the rocks and into the forest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The black bear gets out of the water to shake himself off and then disappears up the rocks and into the forest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The black bear gets out of the water to shake himself off and then disappears up the rocks and into the forest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The black bear gets out of the water to shake himself off and then disappears up the rocks and into the forest. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Plenty of beautiful waterfalls this time of year in this little bay. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Another beautiful waterfall rakes over the cliffs along a small bay on our tour of Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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The captain got right underneath some of the falls. What a great view to look up this wall of water. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Waterfall. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Another cool view looking straight up a waterfall. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A waterfall splits into 2 just before hitting the bay in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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It would be fun to somehow get to the top of this fall to see where all the water is coming from. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A huge glacial mass looms in the distance beyond an island on the way to Northwestern Glacier. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Northwester Glacier awaits our ship's arrival along Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A harbor seal hangs out on a growler. Actually there are several more in the background. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A small piece of brash ice floats by our tour boat. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Harbor seals hang out on the ice near Northwestern Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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One of the whitest pictures I've taken - a closeup of the ice on Northwestern Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A small calving off of Northwestern Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Brash ice patiently floats in the sea. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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A lot of those dark dots on the ice are harbor seals. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Brash ice sitting still in the sea. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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On our way out from Northwestern Glacier we spotted a humpback whale giving us a small show. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Humpback whale "waves goodbye" as we start on our return journey back into Seward. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Stellar sealions take over a small rocky island. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

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Everyone races to get back to port.

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The town of Seward in the shadows of the fir-cloaked mountains.

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This huge conveyor belt loads coal for shipment to Chile and South Korea. The coal waits patiently in train hoppers until a ship arrives to collect it.

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One last shot of a kittiwake before we dock.

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Our tour boat after our 9-1/2 hour wildlife safari along Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. This was the second time we took this trip and it was still absolutely worth it.

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