Photos by Cheryl Landes

Kenai Fjords National Park is a great place to get close-up views of glaciers, mountains, and wildlife on foot or by boat. I’ll share my experiences during a hike to Exit Glacier in another armchair photo tour, but today, we’re taking a cruise in Resurrection Bay from Seward to the day lodge at Fox Island for a hearty dinner.

I reserved a tour during a Memorial Day weekend (late May for readers outside the U.S.), when the chances of rain are still high in southern Alaska. Rain fell most of our tour, but we could still see the glaciers below the cloud cover.

The clouds created interesting effects in the remote, wild landscape.

There’s a big advantage to taking a cruise in Resurrection Bay on a cloudy, rainy day. Our captain said that the wildlife is more active. Within five minutes after we left the dock, we saw five whale spouts in the bay, along with several whale fins breaking the surface.

Humpback, minke, fin, gray, orca, and sei whales call these waters home.

We also saw a Pacific white-sided dolphin partially surface. Dall’s and harbor porpoises are also common in Resurrection Bay.

We saw one sea otter floating on his back, allowing the current to carry him wherever it wanted. The captain said that he is an elderly sea otter that hangs out in the same area every day.

Steller sea lions lounged on the rocks. Harbor seals are also common in Resurrection Bay, but we didn’t see any today.

Gulls perched on rocks the sea lions couldn’t reach.

By the time we arrived at Fox Island, the rain stopped, but the clouds persisted.

We went inside the day lodge to enjoy a buffet meal of salmon, prime rib, salad, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dinner rolls, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

After I finished my meal, I went outside to enjoy the view from the deck.

Then I walked around until it was time to board the boat for the return trip to Seward.

The lodge rents kayaks to people who want to paddle during their visits.

Learn more about the cruises from Seward and make reservations at the Kenai Fjords National Park Boat Tours page.