Seward, Alaska is perched on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula along Resurrection Bay. A short glacial slide away is stunning Kenai Fjords National Park, best viewed from the seaside as the interior of the park, with its rugged landscape, is difficult to penetrate on foot.
There are a few trails around the Harding Icefield and Exit Glacier, as well as access to the Resurrection River Trail. This trail connects up with a 74-mile path that traverses the Kenai Peninsula. Camping and cabins are available around Seward. If you don't feel like working the soles of your hiking boots, join a guided horse tour or rent bikes in town.
Seward, like many other Alaskan sea towns, is renowned for its big fish. Anglers snag salmon in Resurrection Bay, and head out further for halibut. But whether or not you bring home a trophy fish, the harbor is entertaining in its own right as charter boats display the day's record catches and tell tall fish tales.
Unfurl your sails for some tacking across Resurrection Bay, windy almost every day. Some say this is the best sailing north of San Francisco but with more glaciers. If you'd rather explore the bay sans wind power, take a sea kayaking tour around some of the nearby fjords or paddle up Tosina River to see salmon spawn.
If you timed your visit to Alaska to coincide with the summer months but just don't feel happy without some dog mushing, Seward is your spot. For some real-snow sledding, guided tours take guests by helicopter up to Godwin Glacier for an educational overview on mushing and finish with a slick ride on the snow behind a dog team.
Seward is located 126 miles south of Anchorage on paved highway and northeast of Homer.