Today we woke up well rested after a full day of adventures yesterday. The forecast was right, and it turned out to be a pretty rainy day, so we made a good call switching our boat tour. After a slow start to a rainy morning, we moseyed over to Resurrect Art Coffee House to have coffee and some breakfast pastries. We soon learned this coffee shop is located inside of an old church, and on top of the delicious food, they have local artwork and handmade jewelry for sale!
After breakfast we walked down to the main strip in Seward and popped into some small gift shops and art galleries to find local souvenirs to bring back home. We also admired some of the street art around town!
After finding a few things, we headed back over to our hotel for check-out. We had a few more hours to enjoy Seward before our train ride back to Anchorage, so we decided to do the Exit Glacier hike, which is located in Kenai Fjords National Park. We called “Exit Glacier Shuttle” in the morning and they had 2 spots left for a 1PM tour, so we decided to reserve two spots for $15 per person (roundtrip).
The Seward free shuttle has been so convenient for us, and it was serendipitous having a stop right in front of our hotel. We got on the shuttle with our bags, and hopped off the shuttle at the marina area stop, which was just a short walk to the Seward Outdoor Store, where the Exit Glacier shuttle departs from.
The ride to Exit Glacier is about 20 minutes and this company provides a ride to the park, and arranges a time to pick you up and bring you back. They have different drop off and pick-up times depending on how long you want to spend hiking the park. The staff is pretty knowledgable about the hiking options, and even offers guided tours if you’d like. If you’re in between two destination (like we were), they will even store your bags for the day for $5 per bag.
The drive itself is incredibly scenic, and there are many opportunities for wildlife sightings, so get a window seat and be on the lookout.
Once in the park, you’ll start to see signs that show where exit glacier was in the past (it has receded quite a bit, especially in the past few decades). There are different trails to hike, each varying in difficultly and length, so be sure you pick the one that’s right for you. Since it was a rainy day, we opted to take a shorter trail called Edge of the Glacier (the lower trail).
Along the trail we spotted more signs that marked past locations of the glacier. Regardless of which trail you choose, you’ll end up having numerous viewpoints of the glacier along the hike.
After spending some time admiring this phenomenon, we started our hike back to the visitor center to catch our shuttle back to town. Once back at the shop, we asked if they could hold our bags a bit longer, and they obliged. We walked back to the free shuttle stop near the marina and caught it back towards the main downtown strip.
We still had a couple hours before our train departed, so we walked to the nearby waterfall that you can see right off the road in town. Even though it was later in the night, the sun was still out which allowed us to enjoy a bright night stroll around the coastal park.
After a quick in-town nature jaunt, we decided on dinner and some beers at Seward Brewing Company. This meal kind of signified the end of our trip for us, so we spent it reminiscing on all of our favorite memories we formed in the past week. We each enjoyed a local beer and shared wonton nachos…so delicious!
After a satisfying meal, we hopped back on the free shuttle one last time to go pick up our bags from the Seward Outdoor Store before they closed, and walked across the street to the train depot. We loved how walkable Seward was and how the free shuttle made everything even more accessible. Seward is such a beautiful little town and we hope to visit again one day.
For our return trip back to Anchorage, we opted for the budget fare (termed Adventure Class), which still offered enjoyable views of the Alaskan wild, but with less amenities. We arrived in Anchorage around 11pm, but our flight was not until 10am the next morning.
Before arriving in Alaska, we made a bold, but conscious move of not making any sleeping arrangement for our last night. We figured since we were arriving super late and leaving pretty early the next day, we didn’t see the sense in getting a room for only a couple of hours. On top of this, the decision became easier when we found out that the Anchorage airport is open 24/7.
Even though we arrived into town at 11pm, the sky was still bright and there were a few local places still open.
We decided to end our night with late night bites and drinks at F Street Station. We thought it would be quiet, but we soon learned it’s a pretty popular local bar! We walked in looking like tourists with our packs on our back hoping not to bump into anyone in the crowded room, but we found a nice spot in the corner of the bar thanks in part to a local who cleared the way for us.
We began chatting, and he seemingly knew everyone in and behind the bar. He pointed over to a massive block of Tillamook sharp cheddar (with a sign that reads “FOR DISPLAY ONLY DO NOT EAT.” He told us that patrons will shave off pieces throughout the night and it’s so popular they have to replace the block every few days.
He also said the food inspector does not allow unrefrigerated cheese to be served (which is the reason for the sign), so eat at your own risk. Our upcoming flight was pretty long, so we decided not to take any risks with unrefrigerated cheese, but we were tempted! Instead, we ordered a halibut sandwich and a salad, which we highly recommend.
By the time we said our goodbyes, we felt like Anchorage locals. We shimmied out of the closing bar around 2am and caught an Uber to the airport. Anchorage airport is one of the few airports that has terminals that stay open all day, everyday (most airports will require you to exit the terminals and remain on the other side of the security checkpoint). We walked towards our gate and found a nice place to rest our eyes for a few hours (we felt totally safe doing this and actually saw many other travelers doing the same).
We set an alarm, closed our eyes, and dreamt about all of our Alaskan adventures. We couldn’t believe this trip has come to an end, but our memories will last a lifetime and hope to be back to explore other parts wild frontier. Stay posted for our next adventure!