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Do-It-Yourself Sea Kayaking in Kenai Fjords The below information is to help you get started planning your Alaska sea kayaking adventure. Backcountry Safaris offers sea kayak rentals to experienced sea kayakers. If you do not have experience but still want to be self-supported (do-it-yourself) and save some money on your Alaska sea kayaking vacation we offer an option that is called "Guide Rental." You supply your own food and camping gear and we supply the kayaking gear and an experienced guide that tags along to teach you how to kayak and to guide you to the points of interest. These are custom trips and are tailored to your interest and trip length. Or we do offer fully guided and outfitted trips. Kayaking, Rafting and Camping Gear Rental Sea Kayaks, Canoes, Dry Suits, Tents, Sleeping Pad, Sleeping Bag, Stoves. Bear Resistant Food Canisters (BRFC), and VHF Marine Radios. CLICK HERE: Gear Rental Guide Rental Trips You supply your own food and camping gear (camping gear rental is available) and we provide an experienced guide and the kayaking gear. CLICK HERE: Guide Rental General Trip Information For Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjord we highly recommend that you plan on trip lengths of 4 or more days and 5 - 10 days would be ideal. Keep in mind this is a remote location and there is quite bit travel time getting there. The first day is getting there; arrival time in the bay is 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The last day is getting back to Seward. Shorter trips are not recommend. A shorter trip does not give you enough time to really see and appreciate what Aialik Bay has to offer. For a shorter trip length, we recommend Bear Glacier. It also offers a great paddling experience with glaciers and giant icebergs but is closer to Seward. CLICK HERE: Bear Glacier Sea Kayaking Other low cost short trip destinations are areas in Resurrection Bay such as Caines Head, Thumb Cove, Humpy Cove, Fox Island, or Kayakers Cove, a remote kayaking hostel. These options are scenic and fun options but do not have tidewater glaciers. There are 4 public use cabins located in Resurrection Bay if you prefer not to camp. There is a small user fee and advance reservations are required. Derby Cove Public Use Cabin Callisto Canyon Public Use Cabin Thumb Cove Spruce Glacier Cabin Thumb Cove Porcupine Glacier Cabin Caines Head, Derby Cove, Callisto and Tonsina Point are popular destinations with local sea kayakers and a short paddle right from Seward's Lowell Point if you prefer not to use a water taxi. Backcountry Safaris also offers day guided trips to Caines Head and Tonsina Point. For trips going to Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjord you should plan on arriving in Seward the day before your departure date to go over the gear and to make sure your gear will fit into the kayaks. Transportation To Seward: Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic Train or by Bus Water Taxi to Aialik Bay, Northwestern Fjord, Bear Glacier and Resurrection Bay Our water taxis and captains we work with are the most reliable boats in the fjords. They have been doing tours and providing water taxi service in the Seward Kenai Fjords area for many years. CLICK HERE: For Water Taxi Rates Drop-off and pick-up locations are somewhat limited due to exposed water conditions and shore conditions, most of which are steep cliffs or too rocky. In general, in Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjord, any location (except Pederson Lagoon) where there is a bear proof food storage locker or at the public use cabins is okay (see links below). For other locations please contact us. Resurrection Bay there are quite few possible water taxi drop-off locations. Call or email us with what you have in mind or for some suggestions. Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjord's bear proof food storage locker locations. CLICK HERE: Food Kenai Fjords Storage Locker Location Map PDF There are 2 public use cabins located in Aialik Bay if you prefer not to camp. There is a small user fee and advance reservations are required. Aialik Bay Pubic Use Cabin Holgate Public Use Cabin Note that the Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjord water taxi is the same boat that also does our small boat whale watching tour and may have sightseers on board. They always load at 7:00 a.m going out. On the pick-up if they are seeing lots of wildlife or whales on the way out the boat will make stops for these and may be a little late on the pickup time. Normally the pick time is between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM unless other times have been pre-arranged in advance. Emergency Communication It is essential (and the bare minimum) that you carry a handheld VHF marine radio with you. We have these available to rent if needed. There is a radio repeater site on Rugged Island and VHF marine radio communication with the USCG Communications Station Kodiak is possible along much of the Kenai Fjords coastline. A marine VHF can be handy for weather information and essential in emergencies. The Coast Guard monitors Channel 16. To call the water taxi boats on the radio they will only be able to hear you when they are in Bay. In addition to carrying a handheld VHF marine radio, a satellite phone may offer the best means of communicating and for calling the water taxis home port in Seward to check on any weather delays or to rearrange (a day in advance) a different pick-up location. Satellite phones are available to rent in Anchorage from Surveyors Exchange. Important emergency numbers to have with you: Coast Guard 1-907-463-2000, Alaska State Troopers Dispatch 1-907-428-7200. Cell phone coverage is available in most location in Resurrection Bay and the Seward area but cell phones do not work in Aialik Bay, Northwestern Fjord, and Bear Glacier. Sea Kayaking Safety Kenai Fjords Sea Kayaking and Boating Safety. Waves from calving glaciers or large icebergs can upset your kayak or skiff. Stay at least 1/2 mile away from tidewater glaciers. READ MORE Kenai Fjords Sea Kayaking Safety Pedersen Lagoon Area - Beware of breaking waves when entering or exiting. Be sure to sit well offshore and analyze the conditions thoroughly before entering and take a look from shore before entering the river to exit. With the river and tidal currents you should plan on entering the lagoon on the incoming tide at or near high tide and exiting on the outgoing tide. Bears - Take the time to learn the basics of bear behavior so you can act responsibly in bear country. Remember, your safety (and the safety of the bear) depends on you! READ MORE: Kenai Fjords Bear Safety Due to the risk of cold water immersion and hypothermia we require kayak renters to have cold water protected clothing such as a wet suit or dry suit. Dry suits are available to rent if needed. CLICK HERE: Hypothermia and Cold Water Shock information Weather For kayaking trips in Aialik Bay, Northwestern Fjords, Bear Glacier and the outer edges of Resurrection Bay, be advised that Gulf of Alaska storms, with accompanying high seas, can delay your scheduled water taxi pick-up time. Plan accordingly and be sure to bring along a minimum of 3 days extra food and supplies. When listening to the marine weather report on your VHF marine radio (channel 1) in Aialik Bay, Northwestern Fjords, and Bear Glacier your location is the Cape Suckling to Gore Point area. East or Northeast winds are bad. A report with East or Northeast wind 25 knots or more and seas 9 feet and over is a good indication that there could be possible delays in pick-up. The Cape Suckling to Gore Point coverage is a large area and local conditions may also vary some. Boats do go out everyday to check local conditions at Cape Aialik so your pickup may still be possible. So you still need to be ready for a pick-up at the agreed time and location planned in advance by you and the boat captain. CLICK HERE For current marine forecast for Cape Suckling to Gore Point Kenai Fjords is a temperate rainforest. It's a good idea to be prepared for cool, rainy weather - but don't forget your sunglasses and sunscreen either. The sunlight reflected off of the water or the ice can be very intense. It's best to dress in layers and always carry raingear - no matter how nice the weather looks when you're starting out. Summer daytime temperatures range from the mid 40s to the high 70s (Fahrenheit). Overcast and cool rainy days are frequent. It is not unusual to get several long periods of continuous rain in the summer months, but we do have some glorious sunny days as well. CLICK HERE For the current Seward and Kenai Fjords forcast. Camping Camping is allowed anywhere in Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjords except on the private Alaska Native lands owned by Port Graham Native Corporation where a permit is required. More information and permit information can be found on the Port Graham Native Corporation's web site. Also see our "Aialik Bay Map" - the Alaska Native land is the shaded area. In Aialik Bay and Northwestern Fjords there are bear proof food storage lockers located at the popular camping locations. For camping anywhere else in the park, the national park regulations require that food must be packed in certified Bear Resistant Food Canisters (BRFC). Backcountry Safaris has BRFCs to rent if you plan on camping outside the standard camping locations. To help with your camping plan Backcountry Safaris has a number of detailed maps available. The detailed camp location maps show food storage locker locations in the camps. Some are food lockers that are hidden in the alders and can be hard to see. CLICK HERE: Backcountry Safaris Kenai Fjords Maps In Resurrection Bay there are a few small private land-holdings on the eastside; otherwise camping is allowed anywhere. Leave No Trace. Read More: National Park Leave No Trace. The national park and federal guidelines say human waste disposal is no longer permitted in the inter-tidal zone. The tradeoff here is a lot of the camping locations in Aialik Bay are small with cliffs behind them and finding a location 200 feet from the water is impossible or the ground is so laced with rocks that digging a proper cat hole is impossible. In these locations you have to make a personal decision and weigh out what is doing less harm. The common practice for many years and still practiced today by many Kenai Fjord sea kayakers has been to use the bathroom at the inter-tidal zone and let the tides break the waste down. And burn the toilet paper. If campers were to start digging cat holes at these small camps and because of the rocky conditions prohibiting a proper cat hole to be dug deep enough, it would not take long for these camps to become so polluted that you would not want to camp there. Of course the best option is to carrying out all human waste. There are newer systems on the market that make this very doable for sea kayakers. Cleanwaste Wag Bag (Pett Wag Bag) is one system that can be used with or without the toilet seat setup. Wag Bags are available at many outdoor stores or direct from the manufacturer: Clearwaste Reading Suggested reading to learn more about Kenai Fjords and where you will be sea kayaking: Kenai Fjords Historic Resource Study (online book) by Linda Cook and Frank Norris Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords  by David MillerKenai Fjords Park - Trails Illustrated Map  Alaska: A History of the 49th State  by Claus-M Naske and Herman E. SlotnickGuide to the Birds of Alaska  by Robert H. ArmstrongWild Flowers of the Yukon, Alaska  by John G. S. Trelawny
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