Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords Coastline
Map showing the location of Kenai Fjords National Park
Map showing the location of Kenai Fjords National Park
Location in Alaska
Map showing the location of Kenai Fjords National Park
Map showing the location of Kenai Fjords National Park
Location in North America
LocationKenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States
Nearest citySeward
Coordinates59°55′04″N 149°59′15″W / 59.91778°N 149.98750°W / 59.91778; -149.98750
Area669,984 acres (2,711.33 km2)[1]
EstablishedDecember 2, 1980
Visitors321,596 (in 2018)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
Websitenps.gov/kefj Edit this at Wikidata
Harding Icefield

Kenai Fjords National Park is a national park of the United States that comprises the Harding Icefield, its outflowing glaciers, and coastal fjords and islands. The park covers an area of 669,984 acres (1,046.9 sq mi; 2,711.3 km2)[1] on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, west of the town of Seward.

The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States, and 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. The fjords are glacial valleys that have been submerged below sea level by a combination of rising sea levels and land subsidence. Exit Glacier is a popular destination at the end of the park's only road. The remainder of the park is accessible by boat,[3] airplane,[4] and hiking.

Kenai Fjords National Monument was initially designated by President Jimmy Carter on December 1, 1978, using the Antiquities Act, pending final legislation to resolve the allotment of public lands in Alaska. Establishment as a national park followed the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. The park protects the icefield, a narrow fringe of forested land between the mountains and the sea, and the deeply indented coastline. The park is inhabited by a variety of terrestrial and marine mammals, including brown and black bears, moose, sea otters, harbor seals, humpback and killer whales.

  1. ^ a b "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  3. ^ "Kenai Fjords National Park: Water Taxi". nps.gov. National Park Service. January 31, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Kenai Fjords National Park: Air Taxi". nps.gov. National Park Service. February 2, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.