Thanks to the opportunity to work remotely, I spent three weeks in Alaska working in Anchorage during the week and then taking off to explore on the weekends. (Posts about weekend adventures near Anchorage and to Denali National Park are coming soon!) My very first weekend I took an epic road trip to the Kenai Peninsula – a trip that could easily take a week, but my general philosophy is to do it now with the time I’ve got, and then I can always come back later if I’m lucky!
Day One – Weekend Road Trip to Kenai Peninsula
9am – After leaving Anchorage, drive along the Seward Highway with incredible views of the Turnagain Arm and the mountains beyond. Yup, this is Alaska! You made it!
10am – Stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. If you’re lucky maybe you’ll see some wildlife in the wild during your time in Alaska, but why not see it up close here too? Bears! Right there on the other side of the fence! And buffalo, and elk, and many more interesting creatures as well. In their own words, “The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care.”
3pm – After another 90 minutes or so of driving, arrive in Seward, your destination for the night. Take a little time to explore the quaint “downtown” (all 6 blocks or so) and soak in the amazing views of the mountains across Resurrection Bay. (Note – you may want to consider stopping at the Exit Glacier campground on your way into town to snag a spot.)
4pm – Take some time to visit the Alaska SeaLife Center. Sea anemones! Watch the seals swoop around! Also, you can learn some interesting information about Resurrection Bay and local conservation efforts.
6pm – Grab dinner in town if you like – there are several restaurants – or snag some groceries at the Safeway to make dinner at camp. Be sure to get some food for breakfast and lunch regardless.
9pm – Head to the Exit Glacier campground, just out of town on the outskirts of Kenai Fjords National Park for the night. There’s just one parking lot near a communal cooking/dining area, and then the campsites are a short walk away. No rush to bed since the sun sets so late during the Alaskan summer, but try to get to sleep relatively early since tomorrow is a big day!
Day Two – Exit Glacier and Homer
6am – Rise and shine! The nice thing about hiking is that you can start whenever, and it never really got dark overnight anyway. Just a few minutes from the campground, you can hike the Harding Icefield trail, or other trails in the Exit Glacier Area. The full Harding Icefield trail is 8.2 miles, but Marmot Meadows at 1.2 miles is a popular turnaround point with great views of the glacier.
12pm – Have a quick lunch or snack and then hit the road. Your destination is Homer, about 3.5 hours from the Exit Glacier Area if you drive straight through, but you may want to stop for views, coffee, etc.
6pm – Arrive in Homer via a scenic viewpoint looking over the town and Kachemak Bay beyond. Head straight to the Homer Spit, grab a parking spot wherever you can find it, and walk the boardwalk in search of dinner.
9pm – Take advantage of that late Alaska summer light and finish your night with a scenic drive along East End Road.
(It’s about 4 hours straight back to Anchorage from Homer – I put in my 8 hours of remote work, starting early, on Monday in Homer and then made the drive back.)
Google probably wants me to make sure you know that you can find other sample weekend 48-hour trip itineraries here, and other national park guides here. You can see all my Alaska posts, including a guide to taking the ferry to Alaska, here. And, I should probably re-state that this is a post about a weekend road trip on the Kenai Peninsula. Happy walking!
