Kenai Fjords National Park
| Kenai Fjords National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Bear Glacier Lake in Kenai Fjords National Park |
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| Location | Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city | Seward |
| Coordinates | 59°55′04″N 149°59′15″W / 59.91778°N 149.9875°WCoordinates: 59°55′04″N 149°59′15″W / 59.91778°N 149.9875°W |
| Area | 669,984 acres (271,133 ha)[1] |
| Established | December 2, 1980 |
| Visitors | 346,852 (in 2011)[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. National Park Service |
Kenai Fjords National Park is a United States National Park established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park covers an area of 669,984 acres (1,046.85 sq mi; 2,711.33 km2)[1] on the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska, near the town of Seward. The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States. The park is named for the numerous fjords carved by glaciers moving down the mountains from the ice field. The field is the source of at least 38 glaciers, the largest of which is Bear Glacier.[3]
The park can be reached from Seward, 130 mi (210 km) south of Anchorage at the southern terminus of the Seward Highway. It is only one of three national parks in Alaska that can be reached by road, via the Exit Glacier Nature Center. A network of trails from the Nature Center provide access to the glacier, and the 7.4-mile (11.9 km) Harding Icefield Trail.[4][5]
Cruise tours originating from Seward also provide access to the park via Resurrection Bay. Various companies offer tours, many guided by National Park Rangers. The tours provide views of land and marine wildlife, particularly Steller sea lions, puffins, Dall's porpoises, American black bear, Mountain goats, and humpback and orca whales, as well as natural sights such as the fjords and tidewater glaciers.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011". Land Resource Division, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/Acreage/acrebypark11cy.pdf. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ^ "Five Year Annual Recreation Visits Report". Public Use Statistic Office, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/viewReport.cfm?selectedReport=SystemComparisonReport.cfm. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ^ "Nature & Science". Kenai Fjords National Park. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/kefj/naturescience/index.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
- ^ "Exit Glacier". Kenai Fjords National Park. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
- ^ "Harding Ice Field Trail". Kenai Fjords National Park. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/harding_icefield_trail.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
- ^ "Boat Tours". Kenai Fjords National Park. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/boattours.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
[edit] External links
Media related to Kenai Fjords National Park at Wikimedia Commons
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