Highlights Map
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Today unfortunately we have to leave Seward, the Kenai Peninsula and the fun cabin we shared for a couple of nights. There is one more breakfast to be made and one more walk to do outside before continuing on.
The walk in the area around the cabin is due to a weird bird we saw the day before. It seemed white like a Snow Bunting but we saw it only briefly and the area is a bit weird for a Snow Bunting at this time of the year. After a bit of searching and a lot of luck we see it again and even take photos, but we still aren’t clear what it might be. Theories range from a young Snow Bunting to a Leucistic Fox Sparrow with the majority of opinions leaning towards the latter.
With the mystery bird sorted out the last major attraction we want to see in the Kenai Peninsula is the Exit Glacier. The access road is actually the road our accomodation is located so conveniently we just have to follow it to the visitor center. We are surprised at the number of visitors, the car parking lot is full, but we manage to find some parking in the RV parking lot.
The first part of the trail is as we expected full of other tourists. We stop to take photos of the birds and plants to allow them to pass but it gets repetitive after the 20th group so we decide to move faster also.
Still we stop to enjoy the flowers, there are quite a few of them in this boggy environment which also brings out the mosquitoes which hurry us along. Ahhh…nature in equilibrium.
We do our best to capture a few photos in the instances when no one else is around. The trail is quite scenic, paved in the beginning and then gravel as is passes through the forest on the way to the glacier.
There is no chance to take a photo without anyone at the first bridge crossing as it is used as a bench whenever we pass. Further up the views open up with the snow covered mountains being quite impressive.
In this area we also enjoy watching a Hermit Thrush who is busily claiming a territory for himself.
As we get closer to the glacier the trail becomes quite scenic due to the open all around views of the snow capped mountains and the river to our side.
And then suddenly we see Exit Glacier, it is quite impressive and a bit humbling to know that the 1 mile hike we did is actually how much the glacier retreated in the last 100 years. Future visitors wil have to hike even further in….
The ice of the glacier is an unusual shade of blue, unusual for snow not for glaciers where this is a more common occurence due to how the light passes through the highly compacted ice.
From here it is time to return via a loop trail and this portion is slightly less popular as it is a bit longer to get back to the visitor center. It also follows closely the river that we want to explore for birds.
There are a few offshots of the trail that actually go into the river, checking the map we see that is actually an additional hiking loop that has been taken over by the spring melt. Not that the next hiking group cares, they jump in the cold water and then on the other side. Showoffs!
We enjoy a lot more the tame pine grosbeak at one of the shelters, it seems to be searching for minerals in the stones.
With the Exit Glacier done it is time to end our time on the Kenai Peninsula and drive north towards Anchorage and then further to Denali while stopping to sightsee along the way. The first stop is an interesting roadside stop that we saw on the way in and is not marked in any way on the map. That is surprising as it even has a boardwalk leading to an overlook over the lake.
We even name the lake, Lily Pond Lake as it has lots of Pond Lilies in bloom and it is a beautiful place to rest for a short while.
The damselflies also clearly think the same as they are all resting on the stumps in the area, there are literally hundreds of them.
Next we make a brief stop at Tern Lake to scan the mountains for Dall Sheep. Spoiler – there are none…but at least we see the titular terns again just flying around.
Restrooms are relatively far and few in between so we stop whenever we can just to avoid any problems further down the road. It also helps that the views are so magnificent at all stops.
As we approach Potter Marsh we see a large group of cars parked on the side of the road and we try to understand what is happening as we drive at 55 mph on the main highway. Moose….I hear a cry so it is time to do a turnaround find a parking space and see the moose which actually disappears suddenly as we try to rearrange our viewing area. Surprising how fast they can move and hide if they want to, but still it is our first moose in Alaska.
We stop a few times more at Potters Marsh viewpoints along the road and are rewarded by some nice views of red-necked grebes and other birds. In fact we think that this stretch was almost as productive as the boardwalk in Potters Marsh proper.
As we reach Anchorage we are quite hungry and afterwards we will be driving through the wilderness so we try to find a fast food place to eat. What we find is fast food and has a surprisingly large variety of items for which we choose two. And those two are quite good and filled we continue on north of Anchorage towards Denali.
On the way north we have mostly small stops planned like at Goose Creek Tower a fantastical tower created by a resident that can be seen only from a distance from the road. But when we stop we are actually blown away by the views of Denali, it is quite impressive how it looms in the background.
The one stop we have planned is at Denali Viewpoint South in Denali State Park which is actually the best view of Denali even better than in the National Park proper. And we also get lucky and it is a rare clear day and Denali Peak is clearly visible, it is quite impressive.
We hike a bit on a short trail up a small hill with some additional good views but as the clouds start to roll in we decide to move on.
Next we make a brief stop at Igloo City a former development that is closed now but is still fun to see from the highway. It is actually surprising that it went bankrupt as it is close to Denali and has some nice views but maybe everyone was driving to Denali proper instead of stopping here.
We arrive at the accomodation late at night and while the reception is closed there is an envelope with our keys on the door so we can actually enter our room. But we have to stop for a few minutes to laugh at the hare outside eating surreptitiously the flowers near our room.
The room is typical of a hotel room but this is the only place in Alaska where we are spending only one night so it is good enough. As it is midnight we are soon in bed and fast asleep as we are quite tired after the long drive.
