Exit Glacier Ice Hiking Adventure from Seward
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
In the wilderness is where memories are made… Whether it’s the exhilarating rush as you look over the edge of a bottomless crevasse, the fresh mountain air that fills your lungs, or the sense of wonder gazing across the glaciated landscape. With a friendly, local guide and eight hours to immerse yourself in unrivaled natural beauty, you’ll smell the earthy alder of our boreal forests, feel the cool breeze on your face from the Harding Icefield, and have plenty of time to slow down to soak it all in…
Inclusions
What's included
- Deli lunch - turkey wrap, granola bar, piece of fruit
- Glacier hiking equipment - small backpack, helmet, harness, crampons, trekking poles.
- Courtesy round-trip ground transportation from Seward to Kenai Fjords NP
- Professional Glacier Guides
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
What's not
- Gratuities for guides
- Rain Gear
- Footwear (Wear sturdy, well-broken-in hiking boots or hiking shoes)
- Gloves
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
Itinerary
This tour is available with pick up in Seward or meet-on-location at our office. Pick-ups in Seward begin as early as 8:00am, possibly earlier depending on your location. If you have your own transportation, please meet us at our office. We will transport you to the National Park where your tour begins, or you're welcome to follow us in your own vehicle.
At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests around this vast expanse of ice. Native Alutiiq relied on these resources to nurture a life entwined with the sea.
We provide pick-up and drop-off in Seward.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 5165
- 43
- 30
- 21
- 14
Ratings come from 173 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
1Bad experience with cancellation
Kenai Backcountry canceled my trip two days before departure. Their staff did try to work to get us rebooked, but they ultimately offered no discounts despite the very late notice. Ultimately, we booked other experiences, but the last minute changes cost an additional $1,000 on our trip (not to mention the stress of booking while actually on my arrival flight). Emergencies do come up, but I would have hoped this team had better contingency plans in place.
5Wonderful hike to, from and ON Exit Glacier!
We had an excellent hike to, from and especially ON Exit Glacier! Our guide, Brandon, was fabulous -- he is highly knowledgeable and experienced as an Alaska wilderness guide generally and about glaciers and glacier hiking in particular. He taught us how to use our equipment and walk on the glacier to stay safe, and also encouraged us to be adventurous in our exploration. I've hiked on other glaciers before, and this glacier hike was more challenging given the sloped terrain and large number of crevasses -- but we always felt safe under Brandon's guidance. We also learned about the changes in Exit Glacier over time. We were a group of 5 people, and the 1:5 ratio worked well -- including that Brandon happily took photos of us as well. Highly recommended for safety focus plus a challenging and beautiful hike in the Alaska wilderness of Kenai Fjords National Park!
1Canceled Last Minute
I hate leaving a poor review … This looks like an amazing experience, but unfortunately they canceled on us last minute. We had booked the experience a month in advance, and then we called several days before the hike because it was showing heavy rain in the forecast. We were encouraged to keep the booking as they said they’ve even done the glacier hike on days with 3” of rain. So it was disappointing to have it canceled on us 20 minutes before they were supposed to pick is up due to “unsafe conditions”. Our family decided to still go up to Exit Glacier and we hiked along the trail up to Harding Icefield. We came across several other tours that were hiking out onto the glacier so it seemed like the cancellation was more likely related to our tour guide being unavailable and not due to unsafe conditions.
5An Unforgettable Glacier Hiking Experience with an Amazing Guide!
This was an amazing experience and definitely a must-do activity in Alaska! A special thank-you to our guide, Nick. He was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so many interesting facts about Alaska, as well as the trees, plants, and flowers we encountered along the way. As beginners, we really appreciated his clear, step-by-step instructions. He reminded us when to remove layers as we hiked uphill and made sure we were wearing the proper clothing and gear before stepping onto the glacier. Thanks to his guidance, we quickly learned how to hike safely and confidently on the ice. Nick made the entire experience fun, educational, and unforgettable. We highly recommend this tour!
2Wouldn’t trust a booking with them
We had booked an Exit Glacier ice hike and received a call 2 days prior that their ice hike guide went on a sudden leave of absence and they couldn’t do our hike. We opted to cancel for a full refund (which they did provide, thankfully) and book with another company last minute rather than do the alternate they offered us, a rafting trip that does not touch any glaciers, very different from what we had booked. While hiking with the other company, we believe we saw KBA on the same trail with a small group… so obviously they did have a guide. Not sure if they overbooked or what but that wasn’t a good look for the company.
5other reviews are right!
Looking for a highlight excursion, this one constantly had amazing reviews across the board. great communication, pickup at hotel and dropoff on time at cruise terminal. Jake was amazing, prepared, fun, laid back, and flexible. We had an incredible day hiking and exploring. I saw other groups barely get on the glacier and rappel down, while Jake let us go all over and showed us highlights as well as gave us choices on what to do. Fantastic trip and highlight of our entire Alaska vacation
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please arrive 30 minutes before your tour at Kenai Backcountry Adventures (11724 Seward Highway, Suite A. Seward, AK 99664)
- Pickup
- Pickup is offered, or you can meet at the starting point.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 20 travellers
- Operated by
- Kenai Backcountry Adventures
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
- Participants under 18 must be with an adult – Minors must be accompanied.
How it compares in Seward
- Its from-price is 44% above the median of the 57 experiences we list in Seward.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 9 of 57.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Seward
Seward is a small harbour town at the head of Resurrection Bay in Alaska, the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park with its glaciers and sea life.
Seward sits at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula, backed by steep mountains. It was founded in 1903 as the starting point of a railroad into Alaska's interior and named for William Seward, the US Secretary of State who arranged the purchase of Alaska. The harbour is a base for fishing boats and sightseeing cruises, and a trail runs along the waterfront. The Seward Highway to Anchorage winds through mountains and beside Turnagain Arm.
Top-ranked sights in Seward: Kenai Fjords National Park, Resurrection Bay, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
