While winter in Kenai Fjords can be a beautiful and rewarding place to visit, your safety is your responsibility when visiting your National Parks. Ranger programs. Legal. With fewer people on the trail you may be more likely to s pot wildlife around the area. Snowmachines are now permitted in the park's … Exit Glacier is open year-round. Exit Glacier, an album by American Pika on Spotify. Register early to save money. Open mid-May through mid-September, specific times are updated annually. Open late May through Labor Day. Community News. Find all the transport options for your trip from Exit Glacier to Whittier right here. Exit Glacier is one of two established trails in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Kenai Fjords National Park announces that the Exit Glacier area is now open for snowmachine use. Bring hand sanitizer in case hand washing stations or toilet paper become unavailable. Rome2rio makes travelling from Exit Glacier to Whittier easy. The one-mile round-trip Glacier View Trail is a partially paved, partially gravel-packed walkway that leads to a glacier overlook with an accessible spotting scope. It’s ideally situated for exploring both the town and the nearby Kenai Fjords National Park. Exit Glacier and Anchorage. Snowmachines are now permitted in the park’s developed area, specifically the road to Exit Glacier, parking areas, a designated route through the campground to Exit Creek, and within Exit Creek. Getting There. We can’t get enough of glaciers! The terminus of Exit Glacier can be accessed on foot and by car. The trail to the Exit glacier is quite long and it takes at least 2 to 3 hrs up and down. The Exit Glacier Nature Center and a separate bathroom building are wheelchair accessible. On the way out of Seward, we stopped to do the hike at Exit Glacier. Yup, there really IS a glacier under there. Just search Exit Glacier Visitor Center, and your maps program should take you straight there – it is about ten miles outside of Seward. The Herman Leirer Road is now Open to automobile traffic at mile 1.3.Please see below for current trail conditions. See you at the starting line! Exit Glacier sees more people during the summer months, enjoying miles of hiking trails, abundant wildlife, and the opportunity to photograph the glacier itself. Please recreate responsibly to avoid damaging park resources. Hiking the main trail out-and-back is 1.8 miles, and adding the Glacier View Loop adds about 0.2 miles. All lodge rooms feature flat-screen cable TV/DVD, wireless internet, and a small fridge. The hike has some moderately steep sections, but I still classify this as an easy hike. While the park is open year round, the road to have easy hiking access is only open from about early May until November (depending on the snow fall for that year). By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. May 15 Last gate to Exit Glacier to open May 22, be bear aware. A good start would be take the wheelchair accessible Glacier View Loop (one mile total) to a view spot overlooking the outwash plain with a sweeping panorama of the glacier’s descent. The Exit Glacier Lodge is open seasonally from mid-May to mid-September. One of the cool features here is that they have signs showing where the glacier used to be certain years. Note: There is limited parking at Exit Glacier, especially during the hours of 10:30 am - 3:30pm. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road is closed to cars but open to a wide range of winter recreation –from snow machines to dogsleds, fat-tire bicycles and cross-country skiers. The road often remains closed through early May so be sure to check current conditions if you are visiting during the shoulder seasons (spring or fall). The Suite on the second floor even has an outside balcony. If continuing to the Exit Glacier Area, it is important to be prepared for minimal daylight and winter weather conditions. The picturesque path to the glacier is a mixture of back-country and on-trail trekking and the view from the top of the 1400ft of elevation that we gain while traveling over 1.6 miles of trail is absolutely stunning. Kenai Fjords National Park Opens Exit Glacier Area to Snowmachine Use KenaiFjords National Park has opened the Exit Glacier Developed Area to off roadsnowmachine use. Exit Glacier Trail System Hike It On Your Own. I expected that this would take up most of the morning, and then I would drive back to Anchorage to use the afternoon exploring the city. 2020 • 1 song. This trip usually spends between one and two hours on the ice exploring the best that Exit Glacier's undulating surface has to offer. … Read more. The Exit Glacier Nature Center is Closed for the season.Pit toilets are available throughout the off season. Helpful. Traveling beyond to the Exit Glacier Area is a further 7 miles (11.5 km), and an additional 1 mile to the Exit Glacier Overlook. Exit Glacier. 1 contribution. The Harding Icefield Trail leaves from the same trailhead as Exit Glacier, but turns off before reaching the toe and instead climbs above the glacier, giving a birds-eye view. Exit Glacier Shuttle. × Exit Glacier By American Pika. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road is closed to cars but open to a wide-range of winter recreation – from snowmachines to dogsleds and cross-country skiers. Kenai Fjords National Park announces that the Exit Glacier area is open for snowmachine use effective immediately. In a beautiful and wooded setting, the lodge offers guests a variety of options for a comfortable stay. It’s crazy to see how much Exit Glacier has receded in the last ten years. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Visitors are reminded to be self-reliant. The opening is months later this year due to warm temperatures that prevented the accumulation of adequate snow depth necessary to ensure resource protection. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Exit Glacier Lodge is a simple, authentically Alaskan lodge with a clapboard façade and decking, and is located near the harbour town of Seward. If you would like a quieter experience on the trail, it’s best to hike early in the morning or in the early evening. The Glacier Overlook Trail provides a much more magnificent sight of the Exit Glacier. Date of experience: July 2019. The trail itself is open sunrise to sunset, although the Exit Glacier Visitor’s Center facilities are only open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m during the summer months. From the Exit Glacier parking lot it’s an easy walk to the overlook. The Main Lodge includes 15 rooms with one or two beds. 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. Seward Highway milepost 3.7, turn on Exit Glacier Road (signed). Following the race, treat your team to a delicious lunch at the Resurrection Roadhouse and join us for the awards ceremony around 11:30 am. A short walk from the parking lot leads to a small ranger station-Nature Center. The Nature Center is a great educational opportunity. The driving road closes in heavy snows but stays open to snowmobiles and other recreational winter vehicles. Beyond the last sign, which marks the 2010 edge, is a chasm of open space showing how Exit Glacier has continued its retreat up the valley. One of two glaciers with easy access, Exit Glacier is a short drive from Seward over the Leirer-Exit Glacier Road. First up was visiting the only landbound portion of Kenai Fjords National Park open to the public, the hiking trail that accompanies the Exit Glacier. Exit Glacier. Provides daily, roundtrip service between Seward and Exit Glacier. Kenai Fjords National Park anticipates opening the gate to the Exit Glacier area on Friday, May 22, 2020. Ranger-led walks to Exit Glacier are available at 10am, 2pm and 4pm daily. There is a total elevation gain between 330 and 400 ft depending on the route and how far out on the overlook you go. Easy access from Seward to Exit Glacier. I pass budding alder trees, then clamber up slate and gravel to reach a windswept vantage point. Lynn S wrote a review Sep 2019. NPS / Travis Fulton. The race consists of a 5K or 10K run on paved road with a gradual decline. Please recreate responsibly to avoid damaging park resources. For my second full day in Alaska, I had two destinations in mind. Please recreate responsibly to avoid damaging park resources. Exit Glacier is open year-round. View detailed information and reviews for 12672 Old Exit Glacier Rd in Seward, Alaska and get driving directions with road conditions and live traffic updates along the way. Sign the whole family up for this popular Seward event! Exit Glacier restrooms will be open and available as long as they can be maintained safely. Play on Spotify. Open areas include, theExit Glacier Road, a designated route through the Exit Glacier campground toExit Creek, and t Discover the Exit Glacier Nature Center . These walks are approximately 1–2 hours long. The Exit Glacier Race is open to all ages and ability levels. An advantage of this area of the park is its close proximity to the city of Seward, and regular shuttle services operate between May and September for those wanting to make a quick day trip. Explore reviews, photos & menus and find the perfect spot for any occasion. A network of flat, well-maintained trails reach from the visitor center to the toe of the glacier. Kenai Fjords National Park announces that the Exit Glacier area is now open for snowmachine use. The accessibility of the hiking trails, some of which lead onto this glacier inside Kenai Fjords National Park, makes this attraction one of the most popular glaciers. Kenai Fjords National Park announces that the Exit Glacier area is now open for snowmachine use.