Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula Hiking Tour

Meet up with your guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Get to know your guide and other travelers during a meet and greet in the evening. Chat about the upcoming trip in detail and check out some of the optional activities that may be worth signing up for. Spend the rest of the evening exploring Anchorage at your own leisure.

Hop in the air-conditioned van to start your journey to Homer. On average, the drive takes around 4.5 hours, but you will stop at worthwhile viewpoints and embark on a short hike en route. Notice the Chugach and Kenai Mountains, sprinkled with snow, jetting out of the sea, and the bodies of water—glaciers, rivers, sea, lakes—shimmering in enchanting blue hues as you travel. Hike up Summit Creek Trail and let the alpine lakes and tundra views enamor you. After making your way down the mountain, expect to stop in Kenai/Soldotna for a chance to grab any last-minute items. Continue to Homer, where the possibility of a short walk along Anchor Point Beach awaits you. Check into your hotel and relax.

Tie up your hiking boots, hop in a water taxi and travel to Kachemak Bay State Park. Embark on a hike through Spruce groves, while waterfalls hum in the background, until you reach Grace Ridge. Expect your jaw to drop at the view of peaks upon peaks dotting the landscape ahead and below. Admire the glistening blue water dividing the towering mountains. Spend the rest of the day enjoying the quirky attractions in Homer, such as the Salty Dog Saloon.

Opt to hop into a bush plane with an experienced pilot for the ultimate bear-viewing experience. Travel across the Cook Inlet to Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks, where a huge number of brown bears live. It’s possible to see around 25 to 40 bears during this exploration. Or you can decide to go on another adventure: rent a fat bike and enjoy a ride along the beach, hop in a kayak, embark on a little trip to Gull Island Old Seldovia, try out fishing. Spend the night in Homer.

After consuming breakfast, you will hop in the van and head to Seward. Expect to go on three short but pleasant hikes today—ones equipped with charming views. Go on a three-mile walk on the Vista Trail in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Encounter a view of the turquoise Skilak Lake here. Enjoy pleasant treks to Russian River Falls and a walk amid rainforest to Tosina Beach. You may witness spawning salmon, eagles, and the occasional bear on these three walks. Arrive in Seward in the evening and check into your hotel on the harbour.

It’s a choose-your-own-adventure day. Ask your guide to help you organize a kayak trip depending on your skill level. One amazing option includes riding a helicopter to Bear Glacier and paddling through icebergs. Or you can travel by boat to Kenai Fjords National Park for a day of viewing marine wildlife in their natural habitat. Lastly, you can always decide to take a day off of intrepid explorations and meander and relax in Seward instead.

Get ready for your last day in hiking boots. Embark on one of the most coveted hikes in the Kenai Peninsula: Harding Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park. The starting point at the sloping Exit Glacier is only the beginning of your magical journey through a winter wonderland surviving in the thick of the summer. After a strenuous trek through spruce forests and grasslands, come out to a magical view of ice fields blanketing the land. Chill out in Seward during the evening.

Before you say goodbye and get dropped off at the airport, you will stop at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center en route from Seward to Anchorage. This non-profit organization cares for troubled, local wildlife.