Sightseeing on the Kenai Peninsula & Kodiak Island

Southcentral Alaska and Kodiak Island are full of opportunities for fun, wildlife, and education. This nine-day itinerary takes you to animal rehabilitation centers and World War II military fortifications, plus a chance to see massive Kodiak brown bears in the wild.

Day 1: Anchorage

Begin your journey in Alaska’s largest city with a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, the Anchorage Museum, or the Alaska Aviation Museum — or all three. Grab a reindeer hot dog — Alaska’s most popular street food — for lunch from one of the downtown vendors, then rent a bike and use it to pedal along the Light Speed Planet Walk, a series of model planets that are spaced throughout the city so that it takes you the same amount of time to walk between them as it takes light to travel between the planets themselves. Spend the night in Anchorage.

Day 2: Anchorage to Seward

Rent a car and head south on the 125-mile drive to Seward. This roadway — aptly named the Seward Highway — is beautiful, with steep mountains on one side and the fast-moving waters of Turnagain Arm on the other. You might get lucky and see the bore tide, Dall sheep on the steep cliffsides, or white beluga whales chasing fish up the inlet.

Along the way, stop by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for up-close views of black bears, brown bears, wolves, moose, and other wildlife, or take a side trip to the Portage Glacier area for some scenic hikes and a visit to the interesting Begich-Boggs Visitor Center to learn about the area’s glaciers, flora, and fauna. Once you reach Seward, stop by the Alaska SeaLife Center, a rehabilitation and research center where you can have close encounters with marine wildlife like Steller sea lions, sea otters, and puffins. Overnight at one of Seward’s many excellent hotels or B&Bs.

Day 3: Seward

Today, consider boarding one of many day cruises into Kenai Fjords National Park, which is known for its excellent wildlife-viewing opportunities. Look for humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, sea lions, dozens of seabird species, and tidewater glaciers that may calve dramatically into the ocean at any moment. Or, learn all about glaciers by paying a visit to the Exit Glacier Visitor Center, about 10 miles out of Seward, then hiking the gentle trails near the glacier’s toe. For a more challenging day, book a guided glacier trekking trip or make the tough hike up to the Harding Icefield, where Exit Glacier and some 40 other glaciers originate. Other day trips including kayaking in Resurrection Bay, going flightseeing, or taking a dog sled ride with dogs from the kennel of an Iditarod champion.

Day 4: Soldotna & Kenai

Depart Seward and make the 95-mile drive to Soldotna, taking you alongside the beautiful turquoise waters of Kenai Lake and through the small town of Cooper Landing. Both Kenai and Soldotna offer great access to the famed Kenai River and its teeming runs of sockeye (red) salmon. Hire a local guide to take you sportfishing, where you can fill your cooler and maybe even see giant bruins that are intent on enjoying the river’s bounty too. Or, take a hike and stop at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna to learn about the area's wildlife including moose, wolves, caribou, lynx, and more. When the day is done, enjoy just-caught seafood from the grill of a local restaurant while sampling one of the many locally produced craft beers. Overnight in Soldotna or Kenai. 

Day 5: Homer

Drive another 75 miles from Soldotna to Homer, a colorful artists’ enclave that offers great gallery-hopping, wonderful food, and some of the best halibut fishing in the state. Along the way you’ll have panoramic views of four active volcanoes on the other side of Cook Inlet, plus an opportunity to see one of the most-photographed buildings on the Kenai Peninsula, the Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik. Once you arrive in Homer, spend the afternoon wandering the 4.5-mile-long Homer Spit, a thin finger of land that reaches into Kachemak Bay and is lined with some of the state’s best gift shops, galleries and restaurants. Overnight in Homer.

Day 6: Homer

Learn about the area with visits to the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and the Pratt Museum, and then head out to the Carl E. Wynn Nature Center, where you can take a nature walk on the center’s grounds. Or, head out on the water in Kachemak Bay for a day trip including charter fishing for “barn door” halibut (so named because they’re as big as a barn door), kayaking, wildlife viewing, or take a water taxi across the bay for a day of hiking in Kachemak Bay State Park. 

Day 7: Kodiak

Take a 14-hour Alaska Marine Highway ferry ride to Kodiak Island. If the ferry schedules line up just right you can make the sailing overnight, sleeping in a cabin berth instead of a hotel room, then wake up in Kodiak. The ferry can accommodate vehicles, or leave your car parked in Homer. (Be sure to make your ferry reservation well in advance). 

Get your bearings in Kodiak at the local museums and historical sites. The Alutiiq Museum houses more than 250,000 artifacts documenting over 7,500 years of history for the Indigenous Alutiiq/Sugpiaq people of this region. The Kodiak History Museum is also fascinating, filled with artifacts from Kodiak’s era of Russian occupation. But the most fascinating of all may be Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, where World War II fortifications are dotted through the rainforest. One of the bunkers holds a volunteer-run military museum that contains artifacts dating as far back as WWII, many of them still in working order.

Day 8: Kodiak

Today is all about bears. Book a fly-out trip to see the famous (and massive) Kodiak brown bear in the wild in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Kodiak’s renowned brown bears are their own distinct subspecies and can stand up to 10 feet tall on their hind legs. You can also book a van tour that takes you around Kodiak Island and offers good chances of seeing at least a few bears. Or, hop on a short flight back to the mainland to visit Katmai National Park and Preserve. Few places in Alaska offer a better opportunity to view bears up close than Brooks Falls at Katmai. Several local flightseeing operators take clients to the park for an unforgettable day of watching bears and their cubs fish for salmon and play along the riverbanks. Spend the night in Kodiak.

Day 9: Start your journey home

Take the ferry back to Homer. Sailings from Kodiak to Homer may not be scheduled every day, so be sure to check the schedule and make reservations well in advance. Depending on the ferry schedule, you may spend another day in Kodiak. Once you reach Homer, spend another night there and then head out on the four to five hour drive back to Anchorage.

Optional Itinerary Change:

If you would rather not take the ferry to Kodiak Island, you can still enjoy some of Alaska’s best bear viewing directly from Homer. Flightseeing companies in Homer take you across the water to Lake Clark National Park or Katmai National Park for a day of guided bear viewing. Add another day in Homer on Day 7 to embark on a full day bear viewing trip, and then head back to Anchorage on Day 8.