You are an adventurous traveler. You seek out up-close, personal experiences in vast, wild places — away from the crowds. You are a birder, a photographer, a wildlife enthusiast. Major Marine Tours offers a cruising experience for adventurers like you: the Northwestern Fjord Cruise. This small-vessel cruise is a truly unique trip catered to the adventure traveler who wants an off-the-beaten-track Alaskan experience.
While our other cruises into Kenai Fjords National Park explore the area on large catamarans, our Northwestern Fjord Cruise travels to remote areas of Kenai Fjords National Park on our smallest vessel: the Viewfinder. Carrying a maximum of 36 passengers, the Viewfinder lets you experience Kenai Fjords National Park without the crowds. If you’re a birder, you can let the captain know what species you are eager to see, and he or she will do their best to find that species for you. If you’re a photographer, you will have great opportunities to get that perfect shot from the endless vantage points available on the fully-wraparound deck. If you’re a lover of wildlife and wilderness, you will marvel at the up-close views that you will have from the 58 foot vessel — the ideal vessel for watching Dall’s porpoises playing in the boat’s wake, or listening to the exhale of a humpback whale as it spouts nearby.
With 8.5 hours on the water, the captain has plenty of time to plan his or her route to maximize viewing of the many species that call this area home, including humpback whales, orca whales, Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoises, harbor seals, sea otters, and many species of seabirds including horned and tufted puffins, cormorants, common murres, kittiwakes, pigeon guillemots, oystercatchers, and more. In addition to marine animals and seabirds, you may see eagles, mountain goats, and bears along the rugged coastline.
The Northwestern Fjord Cruise travels farther than any other cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park, bringing you to the remote Northwestern Fjord in the far reaches of the park. At the end of Northwestern Fjord sits Northwestern Glacier, a stunning actively-calving tidewater glacier. In addition to watching for calving, where chunks of glacial ice break off and crash into the water, you will likely be treated to views of the many harbor seals that haul out on the icebergs. You will also cruise by Anchor and Ojive Glaciers, two more tidewater glaciers found near the end of Northwestern Fjord. The scenery on this cruise is ever-changing. You will explore Resurrection Bay, the Chiswell Islands or Cape Resurrection, the islands and coves around Cape Aialik, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Granite Passage, and Harris Bay.
Our Northwestern Fjord Cruise includes a complimentary light breakfast and a hearty deli-style lunch. In addition to our complimentary fare, we have snacks, beverages, beer, and wine available for purchase onboard. The Northwestern Fjord Cruise is a truly unique cruise, and must-do activity for adventure travelers in Alaska. This cruise runs June 3rd through August 27th. For more information or to book your Northwestern Fjord Cruise, please visit our Northwestern Cruise page or call us at (907) 274-7300. We hope you join us on the Viewfinder this summer for an incredible trip to Northwestern Fjord.
