Northwestern Fjord Extended Kayak Trip

The image above was compiled from NOAA historical chart databases to illustrate that since 1932, the face of Northwestern Glacier has retreated over 9 miles in the last 85 years. The Northwestern Fjord area wasn’t even charted until the 2002 NOAA charts were released, with the space simply reading, “The upper part of Harris Bay is usually filled with floating ice.” This is a really incredible place, folks.

The Tidewater Glaciers in Northwestern are more vertical than the tidewater glaciers in Aialik. While Aialik is expansive and gorgeous as well, the glaciers are massive and slowly lope up valleys. In Northwestern, the glaciers shoot straight up the cliff sides to the Harding Icefield. We see alpine calving, avalanches, and a lot of very raw, recently exposed rock.

The lush rainforests that bridle the glaciers in Aialik Bay are nowhere to be found here, not having had the time to encroach on the rapid recession of Northwestern’s giants. Here you will see amazing geological formations, stunning pink granite from oxidization, scarring in the sides of the bedrock from glacier ice, rock slides and towering cliffs sides filled with nesting sea birds.

Your day begins with an early morning departure at 6 a.m. on our comfortable, US Coast Guard inspected water taxi for a two-hour wildlife tour and transport to the Kenai Fjords National Park. We see Steller sea lions hauled out on their exposed ocean rookeries, watch horned and tufted puffins skip across the wavelets, and view passing Dall’s porpoises dance with the bow wake of our boat. We often view feeding humpback whales and orcas passing by, diving cormorants, bald eagles, mountain goats, sea otters, and more!

We land 8-8:30 a.m. in the heart of the Kenai Fjords National Park on one of many beautiful pristine beaches.  Your guide talks you through your kayak and gear, provides paddling advice, and raises situational awareness. No experience is necessary — our guides are there for you! Once you’re properly acquainted, you begin paddling along the beautiful fjords and sheer cliff of Northwestern Fjord. Enormous calving glaciers are viewed up-close and personal from the perspective of a paddler at true sea level but within a safe viewing distance from both land and sea. You paddle at a leisurely pace around magnificent icebergs, watch curious harbor seals on ice floes, and often enjoy black bear viewing from the safety of the water. Don’t worry! You aren’t going kayaking nonstop — we break along the way for a hearty lunch, snacks, and small hikes along the beach.

Set up camp along the beach or tucked away in the forest, depending on your guide’s float plan you may have a base camp or will move to different camping locations. Our camp is always close enough to the ocean, so let the sound of gentle waves lapping the shore and the unique sounds of the glacier calving guide you to sleep after a warm meal with your guide.

The water taxi boat picks you up in the late afternoon, and the crew loads your kayaks and gear. The return trip explores the Kenai Fjords all the way back to Seward, keeping an eye out for the many whales migrating and feeding through our area.

*Earlier departures are possible from Aialik Bay pending group size — if desired, just ask!

Please be sure to inform us if you have medical or ethical dietary restrictions. We plan meals for the “average eater.” Feel free to bring your own snacks! We really try to accommodate everyone’s diet, but please understand we don’t have enough room to pack a buffet in a kayak. If you would like to buy your own groceries, a $20 refund will be subtracted from your trip cost.  This trip is best for ages 12 and over!

Northwestern can only be accessed by foot, helicopter, plane or boat. We utilize our own 36-foot landing craft that can carry up to 24 passengers. It exceeds the 5-star safety rating and has music, a heated cabin, windows for viewing the landscape or wildlife, and comfortable seating. On the way to the park, we generally stop for wildlife such as puffins, sea lions and otters. If we see orcas or other whales, we generally stop to view them.

The water taxi ride generally takes 1.5 to 2 hours depending on weather, tides, and if we see any wildlife. While the water is usually calm, it can sometimes get bumpy if weather comes in. We always do our best to make the ride comfortable, but we can’t control the weather!

• A $10 cancellation fee is imposed for all reservations cancelled.
• Cancellations must be received by email only to [email protected] The cancellation notice date is the date the email was received at [email protected]  Phone cancellations will not be accepted.
• Cancellations received by email 30 days prior to the first day of the reservation are charged a $10 cancellation fee and you will receive a refund of 90% of the total amount of the reservation.
• Cancellations received by email 15 to 29  days prior to the first day of the reservation are charged a $10 cancellation charge and you will receive a 75% refund. of the total amount of the reservation.
• Cancellations received by email 14 days to zero days prior to arrival are charged a $10 cancellation fee and you will receive a 50% refund only if we are able to rebook  your camping, cabin, fishing, kayaking, watertaxi, shuttle, lunch, or activity. If we are not able to rebook your reservation then no refunds will be issued and. You must call or e-mail Miller’s Landing post date of cancelled stay in order for us to research whether or not your site booked. Sites that were booked of course qualify for the 50% refund, sites that were not unfortunately do not.
• In some situations a raincheck worth 75% of your reservation may be issued at the discretion of Miller’s Landing management instead of the applicable cancellation charge. If this option appeals to you please suggest this at the time of cancellation. Rainchecks are good for one year and may be used for activities, camping or lodging owned by Miller’s Landing or towards the cost of hats, tee shirts, gifts, etc. sold in the Miller’s Landing store or items sold online. For items purchased online the customer is expected to pay for the cost of postage. Rainchecks may NOT be transferred to another person.
• A 100% refund will be issued for any activity that was cancelled due to weather by Miller’s Landing. Miller’s Landing reserves the right to determine weather cancellations. Rain does not constitute cancellations.

Please note:  Miller’s Landing encourages only guaranteed prepaid reservations. Unlike many other states, Alaska has  a very short tourist season which can make it  difficult for us to rebook when we have cancellations without ample notice.  

If you are booking a charter and lodging and your charter , water taxi or kayaking is cancelled due to weather you are still responsible for the lodging or camping reservations and the normal cancellation policy applies. All of our activities are possible during rain, so rain does not constitute a cancellation.  Miller’s Landing is not responsible for vehicle break downs, personal emergencies, flight delays,  health issues or other unforeseen hardships.  We will try very hard to work with you but the cancellation policy will need to be applied  if we cannot issue a raincheck or find an alternative solution that appeals to both parties.

Please understand that Miller’s Landing also incurs a hefty financial merchant fee from our bank  for the cost of charging your credit card and again for the cost of refunding it, and there is also a cost involved for the time involved in processing and refunding your reservation in employee costs. Our goal when taking your reservation is to have a solid, guaranteed prepaid reservation. We strongly discourage the practice of making reservations without having an airline ticket or making tentative reservations.  Thank you for your understanding.

Please let us know about any medical or dietary restrictions before the trip!

Before the trip, your food is prepped by your guide in a clean and well-maintained kitchen operated by Barrio. A coffee shop located inside Millers Landing’s office. They have a clean, certified, and modern kitchen. All food plans are double checked or are planned by multiple people to ensure satisfaction.

Barrio does not only prepare food for our kayaking trips but makes delicious beverages, breakfast and lunch for our customers, and caters to weddings as well as special events such as birthdays! Our guides as well as Barrio’s staff takes all measures to maintain a clean and well-run kitchen so you can enjoy Alaska and your meals.

In the backcountry, your guide will prepare meals using a whisper lite stove. We chose these because the fuel canisters are re-fillable reducing waste, and they are reliable and maintainable. Your guide will not only cook you fresh and warm meals but will have hot water for coffee, hot cocoa, or tea.

Our Guides are all experienced in kayaking and in outdoor leadership before joining our team. They often come from all different backgrounds; from being ski instructors, snowmobile guides, backpacking guides, or passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Which we believe helps build a strong diverse team with many skills who are all able to thrive and learn from each other. Everyone is trained for two weeks to refine their skills together and learn all they need to know to safely guide our clients. We instruct and certify our guides as ACA L2 kayakers, practice cold water rescue techniques, spend 6 amazing but gruelling days in the backcountry as a team, and require that all guides have an up-to-date Wilderness First Responder Certification.

Check it out here: Kayak Guide Training Summer 2022 | Miller’s Landing (millerslandingak.com)

Spend a summer outdoors and in the Stunning Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay, teaching, guiding, and enjoying all the amazing experiences Alaska have to offer. Miller’s Landing is a family-run business that started operations shortly after Kenai Fjords National Park was established in 1980 and the tourism industry began to form in Seward. We work hard to provide every guest with a memorable experience, with a focus on safety, education, stewardship, and fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment.

We begin our hiring process in the winter, between December and January, and suggest you apply in December. Our training begins May 1st and the season runs until September 15th. We ask that guides are able to attend training and can stay until at least mid-August. Learn more about our requirements and the hiring process here: Kayak Instructor / Guide | Miller’s Landing in Seward Alaska (millerslandingak.com)