From Anchorage
Anchorage to Kenai Fjords: three ways, and how long the day really is
Most people who want a glacier cruise are staying in Anchorage, and the cruise leaves from a town two and a half hours away that most of them have not thought about. Here are the three ways to bridge that, what each one actually costs in hours, and the option that removes the problem entirely.
Quick answer
You can reach a Kenai Fjords cruise from Anchorage by driving two and a half hours to Seward, by taking the Alaska Railroad, or by booking a tour that includes the coach. A six-hour cruise booked independently makes an eleven-hour day door to door. The Anchorage-based tours from $244 build the transport in, and the Prince William Sound cruise from Whittier is a shorter drive.
From Anchorage, at a glance
- To Seward
- 127 milesabout 2.5 h by road
- By rail
- Alaska Railroadabout 4 h, and worth doing for itself
- To Whittier
- 60 milesabout 1 h, plus a one-lane tunnel
- Six-hour cruise from Anchorage
- ~11 hdoor to door, driving yourself
- Tours with coach included
- From $244transport at both ends
- Morning departures
- 08:00–09:00which means leaving Anchorage around 05:00
- The road
- Seward Highwaya National Scenic Byway, and it earns it
- Beluga whales
- Turnagain Armseen from pull-outs on the drive, seasonally
- Dall sheep
- Windy Corneron the cliffs above the road
- Best plan
- Sleep in Sewardit halves the day
The drive itself
The Seward Highway is not a transfer, it is part of the trip
Belugas, Dall sheep and a mountain pass. Book it as a day, not as a transfer.
The 127 miles from Anchorage to Seward is a designated National Scenic Byway and one of the more remarkable roads in North America, and it is worth building time into the day for it rather than treating it as dead mileage.
The first fifty miles run along Turnagain Arm, a long tidal inlet with some of the largest tidal ranges in the world. Beluga whales follow the incoming tide up it in season and are seen from marked pull-outs. On the other side of the road, at Windy Corner, Dall sheep stand on the cliffs directly above the traffic.
Then the road turns inland, climbs through Turnagain Pass, and drops down onto the Kenai Peninsula proper through country with almost nothing on it. The last stretch into Seward runs beside Kenai Lake and the Resurrection River.
The practical catch: for an eight o’clock sailing you are leaving Anchorage at about five in the morning, which at the ends of the season is in the dark. You will not see any of the above on the way down. You will see it on the way back, tired, which is the wrong order but is better than nothing.
The three options
What each one actually involves
Plus the one that is usually the right answer and is rarely considered.
- Drive yourself to Seward
Two and a half hours each way, a rental car and a paid parking lot at the harbour. Total day for a six-hour cruise: about eleven hours. Maximum flexibility, and a five in the morning start.
- Take the Alaska Railroad
About four hours through country with no road access at all, and one of the great train rides. The catch is the timetable: the southbound service does not reach Seward in time for the morning sailings, so it works as an arrival the day before.
- Book a tour with the coach included
Two of the departures here start and end in Anchorage with transport built in, from $244. You give up flexibility and you do not drive a mountain road before dawn. For most people this is the better trade.
- Or go to Whittier instead
An hour from Anchorage rather than two and a half, and the Prince William Sound cruise reaches twenty-six glaciers on sheltered water. The one-lane tunnel needs timing, and the Anchorage version of that ticket includes the coach.
- The option most people skip: sleep in Seward
It turns an eleven-hour day into a six-hour one and gives you the town in the evening, which is a completely different place once the day boats are back in. If you can spare the night, do this.
Whittier is an hour from Anchorage and the sailing from there is sheltered the whole way. On a tight schedule it is often the better answer than Seward.
The 26 Glacier Cruise→Doing it in one day
An honest hour-by-hour of the eleven-hour version
Eleven hours, of which six are the cruise and five are the road. It works; it is not restful.
05:00 — leave Anchorage. It is light in June and it is not in May or September.
07:30 — arrive in Seward, park in the paid lot by the harbour, find the check-in desk on Fourth Avenue.
08:00 — check in. This is not optional padding; boarding is called by group.
09:00 to 15:00 — the cruise. First hour sheltered, an hour of open water, a glacier face with the engines off, and the run home.
15:30 — back on the road, this time in daylight with the whole Turnagain Arm ahead of you. Stop at the pull-outs; this is the part of the drive you paid for.
18:00 to 19:00 — back in Anchorage, depending on how many times you stopped.
It works. It is a long day and there is no version of it that is not. If the choice is between doing it like this and not doing it at all, do it like this — but if you can move a night to Seward, the same cruise becomes a relaxed morning.
Common questions
Anchorage to Kenai Fjords, answered
Can you do a Kenai Fjords cruise as a day trip from Anchorage?
Yes. Driving yourself makes about an eleven-hour day for a six-hour cruise. Two of the departures here start and end in Anchorage with the coach included, and the Prince William Sound cruise from Whittier is a shorter drive.
How do you get from Anchorage to Seward for a cruise?
Drive the Seward Highway in about two and a half hours, take the Alaska Railroad in about four, or book a tour with transport included. The train does not arrive early enough for the morning sailings.
How far is Anchorage from Seward?
About 127 miles on the Seward Highway, which is a National Scenic Byway along Turnagain Arm and over Turnagain Pass.
Is the Alaska Railroad worth it?
For its own sake, very much: it runs through country with no road access. As transport to a morning cruise it does not work, because the southbound service arrives too late.
What time do I need to leave Anchorage?
About five in the morning for an eight o’clock check-in in Seward. At the ends of the season that is in the dark, and you will miss the scenery on the way down.
Is Whittier easier than Seward from Anchorage?
Closer — about an hour — but with a one-lane tunnel that runs on a timetable and is shared with the railway. Booking the Anchorage version of the Whittier cruise puts that timing on the operator.
Go deeper
More on cruising to a glacier in Alaska
What an Alaska glacier cruise costs
Fifteen departures priced per person and per hour, from $116 to $1,334.
Kenai FjordsThe Kenai Fjords glacier cruise
Aialik, Holgate and Northwestern — which boat reaches which face, and for how long.
VerdictThe best Alaska glacier cruise
Fifteen departures ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
WhalesWhale watching on an Alaska cruise
Humpbacks feed here rather than pass through — what that means for your odds.
SewardGlacier cruises from Seward
Every sailing out of the small boat harbour, and how to get there from Anchorage.
WhittierThe 26 Glacier Cruise
Prince William Sound, twenty-six named glaciers, and the tunnel you have to time.
