Best trails in Kenai Fjords National Park

4.6(9,627 reviews)

United States
:
#34 of 60 national parks

Near Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, this park protects the Harding Icefield and at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible by road is Exit Glacier, while the rest is viewed by boat tours.

Commercial boat tours are used to access the park. Please contact those services directly to ask about accessibility.

Top trails

#1 - Harding Icefield Trail

This spectacular trail takes you from the valley floor, climbing over 1,000 feet to a view of to the largest existing icefield that is completely located in the United States. You'll travel through beautiful meadows to an area well above treeline. It's a good idea to be prepared for storms and big temperature changes, even in the summer months. Snow can remain on the trail through early July and can cause avalanche danger. Its a good idea to check the weather and trail conditions at the...

#2 - Exit Glacier View and Overlook Loop

This is the only area of Kenai Fjords National Park that is accessible by road. Start the trail at the Exit Glacier Nature Center parking lot and follow the Glacier View Loop Trail through the cottonwood forest to the Glacier View, a panoramic vista of Exit Glacier spilling down from the Harding Icefield. This one-mile trail loops back to the parking area, or you can continue southwest towards the Exit Glacier Overlook via the Glacier Overlook Trail. The Exit Glacier Area is open year-round....

#3 - Exit Glacier View Loop

The Exit Glacier Area is open year-round. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road to Exit Glacier is inaccessible to cars, due to a state road closure, but open to winter recreation, including snowmobiles, dogsleds, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat bikes. The road often remains closed through early May, so be sure to check current conditions if you are visiting during the off-season (fall through spring). Accessibility: Visitors using wheelchairs, mobility...

#4 - Pedersen Lagoon Ridge

4.6(10)

•Moderate

•2.4 mi

The trail starts at the tip of a peninsula in the Kenai Fjords National Park, south of the Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. From the shoreline, head west and climb the obvious ridge in front of you. The route ends at a high point with stunning panoramic views of the bay. You can get to the start of this trail via water taxi or private boat.

#5 - Rainforest Nature Walk

This trail is near Keani Fjords Glacier Lodge in the Aialik Glacier area. It is only accessible by float plane or boat.

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Visitor info

Hours & contact

Open 24 hours

Passes & fees

No fee required

Accessibility

General park hours

Every day • Open 24 hours

Phone

(907) 318-2040

There are no passes for Kenai Fjords National Park.

Annual pass

All U.S. national parks

Join millions of people who enjoy our National Parks with the "America the Beautiful" National Park & Federal Recreational Lands Pass, otherwise known as the Interagency Annual Pass. The pass is valid for a year's worth of visits from the month of purchase at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country.

$80

Purchase pass

Overview

Kenai Fjords National Park does not charge an entrance fee, but the Interagency Access Pass allows pass holders to receive a 50% discount on other park amenities, such as camping.

The Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center and the Exit Glacier Nature Center are accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and have wheelchair accessible restrooms.

Additional information about accessibility at Kenai Fjords National Park can be found on their website: https://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm.

Facilities

The Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center and the Exit Glacier Nature Center are accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and have wheelchair accessible restrooms.

Camping

The Exit Glacier Campground has 2 individual wheelchair accessible camping sites and accessible vault toilets.

The coastal public-use cabins (Alialik and Holgate) and winter public-use cabin (Willow) have wheelchair accessible features, but assistance may be needed to get from the beach to the cabin.

Service animals

Service animals must be on-leash throughout the park.

Guides

Top Picks in Kenai Fjords National Park

3 trails

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Trail reviews for Kenai Fjords National Park

14,505 trailgoers Busiest in July

Michele AK

Sep 8, 2025•Hiking

Easy to parkBathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

Not sure what happened with the AllTrails app today. It stopped functioning on the way up to the glacier and never started working again. Weirdly enough, it did capture all the locations along the route where I stopped to take photos though (see red dots on map). Thankfully, I also run the WorkOutDoors app concurrently and it shows our entire hike of 10.02 miles round trip and 3681’ total elevation gain. We spent around half an hour at the top to enjoy the view. It’s worth extending your hike beyond the emergency shelter so you can find some privacy and solitude near the edge of the glacier, which is what we did. This is a stunning hike and well worth the trip down to the Seward area. We also did the small loop closer to the trailhead, which was supposed to give us a good view of the foot of the glacier. However, the glacier has receded so much that it is nowhere near that trail anymore. It is disheartening to see how much the glacier has retreated. This hike is in the Kenai Fjords National Park and no dogs are allowed on the trail :(

Harding Icefield Trail

Rylee K

Jul 1, 2025•Hiking

First hike in Kenai Fjords national park

Exit Glacier View and Overlook Loop

N C

Aug 17, 2025•Hiking

Easy to parkBathrooms availableGreat conditionsGreat views

This hike is so beautiful, I could overlook the crowded trails. What can I say - when there’s only 1 place in Kenai Fjords NP accessible by road, everyone is gonna crowd there. Once you break the treeline, the views are panoramic. Wildflowers popping off in marmot meadows. Steep ascent the whole way up, followed by snow near the top which is slushy though not enough to break out spikes. Stay close to the orange flag trailmarkers. Too many knuckleheads straying off trail despite signage. Harding Icefield is vast beyond comprehension. Also - marmots galore! Enjoy the critters from a respectable distance.

Harding Icefield Trail

George McCullen

Sep 6, 2025•Hiking

Good conditionsGood viewsEasy to parkNot crowdedBathrooms available

Trail provides good views of Exit Glacier. This is an easy hike. However if you can do only 1 hike in Kenai Fjords I recommend Harding Ice field which gives even more views of glacier plus other amazing views.

Exit Glacier View and Overlook Loop

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to hike in Kenai Fjords National Park?

According to users from AllTrails.com, the best place to hike in Kenai Fjords National Park is Harding Icefield Trail, which has a 4.9 star rating from 5,539 reviews. This trail is 8.6 mi long with an elevation gain of 3,234 ft.

What is the longest trail in Kenai Fjords National Park?

According to AllTrails.com, the longest trail in Kenai Fjords National Park is Harding Icefield Trail. This trail is estimated to be 8.6 mi long.

How many trails are in Kenai Fjords National Park?

There are 5 trails in Kenai Fjords National Park. These trails have an average 4.6-star rating from 9,627 AllTrails community reviews.

Which trail has the most elevation gain in Kenai Fjords National Park?

If you're looking for elevation gain, Kenai Fjords National Park has you covered. Harding Icefield Trail boasts the most elevation gain with 3,234 ft of total ascent. The park's runner-up is Pedersen Lagoon Ridge, which will get you 505 ft of elevation gain.