The Kenai Peninsula is a large area.  At over 15,000 square miles, it has a larger land mass than Massachusetts and New Jersey combined!  All this wilderness equates to some of the most stunning sightseeing and wildlife viewing opportunities anywhere in the state, along with some great adventure activities such as white water rafting and fishing for trophy salmon and halibut.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is 90% wilderness and therefore a destination of choice for Alaskan travelers who desire to observe wildlife within its natural habitat.  It serves as the gateway for Alaska's best one-day flightseeing trips to view the famed Katmai bears. The Kenai Peninsula is home to one black bear per square mile, and black or brown bears may be spotted from your vehicle, from your raft as you float by, or up on the mountainside while hiking the miles of improved trails.

The Kenai Peninsula’s coast is one of Alaska's prime viewing areas for marine wildlife.  Kenai Fjords is certainly a mecca for marine wildlife watchers, as is Kachemak Bay.  Birding is world class, and many travelers time their visit to witness some of nature's special events: the migration of shorebirds in Homer or the gathering of snow geese in the Kenai River flats.  Did we mention moose?  Formerly known as the Kenai National Moose Range, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary that comprises approximately a third of the peninsula and provides an ideal haven for moose, lynx, wolves, dall sheep, caribou, fox, coyotes and more.

One of the top highlights of the peninsula is Kenai Fjords National Park.  Over the eons, glacier ice has carved valleys that are now submerged under seawater, thus forming the fjords.  Kenai Fjords National Park preserves this magical part of the Peninsula, and a diverse fleet of small ships delivers the experience.  The Kenai Fjords offers more than majestic scenery—few places in the world can boast of the stunning concentrations of wildlife viewed on a daily basis in the Kenai Fjords and the adjoining islands of the Maritime National Wildlife Refuge: sea otters, puffins, sea lions, kittiwakes, humpback and orca whales, harbor seals, oyster catchers and more.  Glaciers are still making their way down from the ice fields, and witnessing the calving of huge chunks of ice from the glacier’s face as it meets the sea reminds us that the Kenai Fjords are still under construction.