Kenai Fjords

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Kenai Fjords National Park Exploring Exit Glacier 1–2 hours round-trip Short trails lead to panoramic and close-up views of Exit Glacier, the architect of this landscape. This is a wild place. Observe all warning signs and use good judgment. The glacier shifts and cracks, wildlife roams freely, and outwash streams change course, flooding regularly. Less than 100 years ago this entire trail system was under ice. Look for “date signs” No Feeding Wildlife No Pets No Bikes marking Exit Glacier’s terminus in past years as you walk through the forest that has sprung up in the wake of the glacier. EXIT GLACIER Edge of the Glacier A moderately strenuous hike leads over newly de-glaciated bedrock to the edge of Exit Glacier. Here you can feel the chilly winds off the glacier, gaze up at walls of blue ice and hear the sounds of this active glacier as it grinds downhill. Harding Icefield Trail Outwash Plain to the Toe Edge of the Glacier Once at the edge of the outwash plain there is no “trail” to the toe of Exit Glacier. If water levels are low, you can explore the rocky outwash plain and make your way towards the Glacier. Be prepared to get your feet wet. Don’t try to cross deep or fast moving channels. AVOID OVERHANGING ICE Ice can fall at any time. Don’t approach the glacier where the ice is over your head. Glacier View Toe of the Glacier A one-mile accessible loop leads through the cottonwood forest to a panoramic view of the Exit Glacier valley. From here you can see Exit Glacier spilling down from the Harding Icefield to its terminus at the outwash plain. O U T WA S H P LAI N PREPARE FOR THE TRAIL Take a moment to be sure you are dressed appropriately and have adequate supplies for your hike. Use the facilities before you start your hike. There are no restrooms on the trails. Glacier View Nature Center You Are Here 0 North 0 DRESS IN LAYERS It gets colder the closer you get to the glacier, and the weather can change quickly. You are in a temperate rain forest after all! BRING WATER Some of the trails are moderately strenuous, and water from streams is not safe to drink unless you purify it. 0.1 Kilometer 0.1 Mile Wheelchair-accessible Trail Trail Map photo taken September 2005 WEAR STURDY SHOES Most of the trails are unpaved. Wear shoes that will keep your feet dry and give you traction in steep or rocky areas.