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Pair the book with:

• Top 5 Destinations
• Resurrection Bay
• Day Harbor
• Aialik Bay (KFNP)
• Northwestern Fjord
• Nuka Island

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Get a close-up view of Aialik Bay's amazing tidewater glacial basin, home to roaming bergy bits and harbor seals resting on ice. Travel Aialik Bay by small boat or kayak with maps and information on glacial chronology, vessel anchorages, kayaker campsites, harbor seal concentrations, and special places to visit.

Aialik Bay's glacial basin (right) is among the top must-see boating and kayaking destinations in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Hikers can explore the south moraine of Aialik Glacier where the ice terminus fluctuates from year to year. Glaciologist suggest that Aialik Glacier rested on its previous terminal moraine (4.5 miles away) sometime prior to 1700. The glacier then retreated into the deep water of the glacial basin. By all accounts, Aialik Glacier has been relatively stable during this past century. Drop anchor or beach camp in Abra Cove with a view of Aialik Glacier. Visit the majestic waterfalls flowing down the colorful granite wall at the cove's head.

Cliff Bay (left) lies at the mouth of Aialik Bay. Its sheer rock shoreline is mostly inaccessible due to its southwest exposure that traps the gulf swell which continuously rolls into the bay. The bay is a fair temporary anchorage on the best day, but no kayak haul outs are available. In the lower bay the best anchorages are in Three Hole Bay, Bear Cove, and Verdant Cove. For kayakers the nearest camping beaches are just N of Three Hole Point and the prominent gravel beach near the head of Bear Cove.

Aialik Glacier (right) grips Middle Rock, located midway along the tidal ice front. The glacier's south side has pulled back from tidewater and has been retreating. Along the ice front, where large blocks of ice calve into the basin, baseball-sized fragments of ice, released under extreme pressure, can dangerously explode outward across the water. It's not safe to approach or paddle near the ice front for many reasons.