Kenai+Fjords+National+Park

By: Shaylee S.

Almost 40 glaciers border the Kenai Fjords most important feature, Harding Icefield. There is much wildlife roaming around the Fjords. The glaciers at Kenai Fjords National Park are struggling to stay alive due to the changing climate.

Location/Size/Distance
Kenai Fjords is in the southeastern part of Alaska. It sits on the northern part of the Pacific Ocean that reaches Alaska. The park is approximately 669,984 acres of land. The park can easily be reached from Seward, which is south of Anchorage. From Oskaloosa, Iowa to Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, Alaska it would take you 63 hours and 53 minutes by car to get there. It is about 3590.07 miles to Seward, Alaska from Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Park Hours
Kenai Fjords is open year-round even though the main road to it is closed for most of the winter months and some of the spring. The backcountry is also closed late fall through early spring because of rough seawaters. The visitor center hours are... May 5-6 (weekend only) 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. May 12-25 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. May 26-September 3 8:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m. September 4-16 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Climate
If you are going to Kenai Fjords, be prepared for alot of rain. Seward (the closest town to Kenai Fjords) gets about 117 days of rain per year. The winter days in Kenai Fjords, the temoerature is betw een the low 30's to -20 degrees Farenheit. They get aorund 200 inches of snowfall during the winter. They also get as much rain in the winter then they do every other season of the year. When it rains in the winter, the temperature is aorund the mid 30's. During the spring, Kenai Fjords is very rainy. Spring is when most of the rain falls in Seward. Summer in the park is very nice. The low-high temperature in Seward in July is 49-60 degrees Farenheit. There is much wind in the summertime also and may be chilly at times. The autumn in Kenai Fjords is very stormy and the weather is very heavy. There is a little wind, but much rain.

History
In 1741, Captain Vitus Bering was believed to be the first European to ever see the Kenai Peninsula. The first American settlement was made in 1884. The Kenai Fjords was claimed a national monument on December 1, 1978 and declared a national park on December 2, 1980. The Alaska National Interest Lands Sct made Kenai Fjords a national park 1980. It was originally foun by the early Native Americans. Even though Vitus Bering was the first to see the Kenai Peninsula in 1741, Captain James Cook made the European d iscovery in 1778. The park then became a competition site for competitive traders. Through out the yeats the competition settled down and the first American settlement was made in Seward in 1884, by William Lowell. It was created to save the Harding Icefield and its beautiful glaciers.

Facts
There is about 40 species of mammals in Kenai Fjords. There is about 191 species of birds in the park and nearly 40 species of fish near and around Kenai FJords. That includes at least 5 species of salmon alone. There is at least 38 glaciers surrounding Kenai Fjords. The longest glacier is 13 miles long and they named it Long Bear Glacier. Kenai Fjords is the longest icefield entirely within the U.S. borders.

Things To See
While visiting Kenai Fjords, you may see many species of fish, whales, and other undersea creatures. You may also see puffins and many other types of rare and common birds that are sometimes hard to see anywhere else. You will see many glaciers at Kenai Fjords and you can visit the Harding Icefield where almost all of the glaciers are stationed. You may also want to see Exit

Glacier, where there are trails to go hiking, wildlife areas, and you can see various rock formations.

Things To Do
In and around Kenai Fjords there is alot of things to do. Maybe you would enjoy going fishing for salmon in parts of the park. Or you can go kayaking or canoeing in some parts of the park. You can also go hitchhiking or go exploring the park by foot. You can take beautiful cruises aorund the park or just enjoy some of the wildlife reserves they have there. You can go sightseeing and relax or even take a flying tour over the Harding Icefield which gives you a great look at the glaciers.

Resources
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