According to National Geographic Adventure Magazine, The City of Seward is one of America's top ten adventure-based outposts. Located at the head of Resurrection Bay, it is also a popular US sailing destination. From Seward Harbor, visitors have easy access to Kenai Fjords National Park and Exit Glacier as well as many outdoor recreation opportunities that include fishing, hunting, camping, kayaking, and flight-seeing among other things. Sports fishers come for the abundant salmon, halibut, ling cod, and salmon shark. Other visitors come to take day cruises and see the glacier and the wildlife.
By Alaska standards, the climate in Seward Harbor is mild, being influenced by the Gulf of Alaska, with lots of rain. The Alaska and Talkeetna mountain ranges protect Seward Harbor from the extreme cold winds from the north. While the area is not as rainy as southeast Alaska, it gets much more snow. Snow falls from October through April. Rain is most common from July to September. Temperatures range from an average high of 17 °C (62 °F) in July and August to an average low of -6.5 °C (20 °F) in January.
The SeaLife Center in Seward Harbor is Alaska's only public aquarium and ocean wildlife rescue center. The SeaLife Center offers visitors underwater viewing of marine wildlife that includes a two thousand ton Stellar sea lion, puffins, harbor seals, Alaskan king crabs, sea stars, and Giant Pacific octopus. The SeaLife Center also has a Discovery Education Department that has many programs for educators and students that link classrooms with hands-on, below-the-surface experiences. The center has Day Programs and popular Nocturne Sleepovers as well as outreach programs that go to schools.
At the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai Fjords National Park was formed by glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms. This dramatic ecosystem is mostly rugged wilderness, but there are many opportunities to explore. The wildlife is abundant and diverse, including mountain goats, black bears, and bald eagles. Visitors can hike the Harding Icefield Trail or fly over the glacier. Rangers lead walks on the Exit Glacier trails. Exit Glacier is the only place in the park that is accessible by road, and it is open throughout the year. When the snow arrives (usually mid-November), the road is closed to cars, but the park is open to people who love winter recreation. Snowmobiles, cross-country skiers, and experienced backcountry adventurers explore the inland portions of the park where they find sheer cliffs, box canyons, and steep gorges. The only maintained trails in the park are in the Exit Glacier area, and park managers recommend that hikers stay on the trails, as off-trail areas are densely vegetated and hard to move through. There are also three rustic public cabins (Aialik, North Arm, and Holgate) on the coast that are available from late May until mid-September. Visitors to the coastline in Kenai National Park can find boat tours or kayaks to explore the tidewater glaciers and marine wildlife.
Travelers who want to visit Seward Harbor by sea can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.
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