Located on the Kenai Peninsula (about a two hour drive from Anchorage), you’ll find Seward, tucked in between mountains and the ocean. Seward is one of my favorite Alaskan towns. I mostly visit for the hiking, but there are plenty of other things to do around the area. Whether you’re eloping in Seward or just in Alaska on vacation and out for some sight-seeing, you’re bound to fall in love with this town.

Whale Watching (and other wildlife)

Summer is the best time to be in Seward and the whales agree. Most whales can be seen in Alaska somewhere between May and September. There a few well known tour companies that will take you through Resurrection Bay and into Kenai Fjords National Park for wildlife viewing, such as Kenai Fjords Tours and Major Marine Tours.

Humpback whales and Orca whales are the most common whales spotted in the Seward area, but Gray, Minke, and Fin whales are also in the area during certain times of the year. Other wildlife you might see on your trip includes porpoises, sea lions, seals, sea otters, mountain goats, black bears, Bald Eagles, puffins, and other birds.

Glacier Viewing

There are a number of ways to view glaciers around Seward. My favorite is (surprise) via hiking. The Exit Glacier/Harding Icefield trails are the most popular and well-known choices. On Alltrails, there’s a couple of shorter walk/hikes under “Exit Glacier,” and the longest one that takes you all the way up is under, “Harding Icefield.” Due to the glacier receding, you can’t really get up close from the shorter hikes, but the Harding Icefield trail will give you some epic and closer views of the glacier and icefield.

A much lesser known hike is Mount Alice Lookout, which will give you an amazing view of Godwin Glacier, as well as a great view of Seward from across the bay.

Glacier Viewing by Boat or Helicopter

The same boat tours that take you out for whale watching can also take you out to view glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. The water can get pretty rough at times, so be prepared if you tend to get seasick, or stick to hiking or viewing by helicopter. When I was hiking Mount Alice, I saw a helicopter fly back to Godwin Glacier a number of times. They can even land you on a glacier or drop you off in Mount Marathon Bowl. This is a great option if you’re doing an adventure elopement and don’t want to do a lot of hiking.

Kayaking Adventures

Kayaking is a popular activity in Alaska and there a number of kayaking tour and rental companies to choose from. Guided tours will take you out to fish, view wildlife, and/or to see glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. They offer day tours or overnight tours where you can camp on the beach. If a guided tour isn’t for you, you can choose your own adventure and rent kayaks for the day or for a couple of days and camp on the beach or stay at one of the public use cabins available for rent.

Where to Eat in Seward

There are so many different restaurants in this town, it’s insane. I’m sure I’m missing a lot, but this list will give you some options: The Cookery, Lone Chicharron, The Flamingo, Seward Brewing Company, Highliner, Le Barn Appetit Inn & Creperie, and The Porthole. Some of these places require reservations, so be sure to plan ahead.

Vegetarian or Vegan Food Options

For vegetarian food, I’ve heard good things about Woody’s Thai Kitchen, Resurrection Roadhouse, Mermaid Grotto, The Porthole, and Breeze Inn (I’ve had their veggie burger a number of times). I can’t recommend Seasalt Alaskan Bar & Grill, though. I’m vegan and I don’t ask for much, but they made me the saddest veggie burger I’ve ever had in my life and I’m going to complain about it for the rest of my life. It felt like a punishment for being vegan. But based on the Google reviews, vegans aren’t the only ones to suffer there.

Mount Marathon – Hike it or watch the race

This is actually how I ended up spending a lot of time in Seward – running this mountain. The Mount Marathon race is one of the oldest foot races in the US. It started in the early 1900’s as a bar bet and has been the highlight of the 4^th of July in Seward for the past century. Whether you’re a trail runner who wants to take part, or you just want to witness something truly insane, this race is not to be missed if you’re in the area. I’ve ran the race three times and hope to run it again soon. If you’re not there on race day, but would like to hike it, check out my guide to the Mount Marathon hike.

Explore Lowell Point

Lowell Point is at the end of the road, just past Seward. You have to drive through town and past it, along the bay, to get there. There’s a huge, powerful waterfall right at the edge of town that’s worth stopping to check out before heading out along the bay. Once past the waterfall, I advise you not to stop until you reach Lowell Point, as there was a pretty significant landslide a few years ago and things can be unstable.

Lowell Point isn’t technically a part of Seward, but it’s not a town either. It’s just a unique, small community with some interesting houses at the edge of a rain forest and the ocean. There are also various businesses in the area from which you can take fishing charters, sight seeing tours and rent kayaks (guided or not). If you want to stay in the area, Miller’s landing has an RV park, campground, and a couple of yurts and cabins for rent.

Tonsina Creek Trail

While out at Lowell Point, don’t forget to check out Tonsina Creek Trail. This is a shorter, mellow hike with not much elevation gain, but it’s great for a trail run or if you’re just looking for a nature walk. The trail winds through the woods, then opens up at a bridge with an amazing view of the bay and mountains. Explore further to experience a magical, mossy forest. Then, right before the second bridge, there’s a trail that will take you out to the beach. For more info, check out my Tonsina Creek Trail blog post.

Lost Lake Trail

I don’t do many overnight hikes, but this one was absolutely worth it. This is a great route for trail running or a camping trip. It’s a lot of hiking to get to the views, but if you trail run (they actually do a race on this trail), you’ll get up to it faster, and if you hike it, it’s worth staying for the night. This is also a popular mountain biking trail. You have to walk your bike in some sections, but lots of people love this route on mountain bike. For more info, check out my Lost Lake blog post.

This is not the definitive guide on Seward. I’m sure I’m missing a number of different activities or places to see, and I’ll add them as I think of them or experience them. But hopefully, this guide is enough to put Seward on your travel map for your Alaska visit.