Exit Glacier Shuttle, Alaska, United States

5Peter3152 5:00 PM Jun 21, 2017

Don’t overpay.
Landing at Seward by cruise ship, you may be tempted to venture into the wonderful Kenai National Park and specifically the area of Exit Glacier…so you should – it offers so much. Entry to this attraction within the Park itself is free, there are knowledgeable Park Rangers available and anxious to please,. There are good Restrooms, their Nature Centre is spacious with a host of informative exhibits, posters and displays and the trails are well maintained. (More about the park itself in a separate review). Based at 405 4th Avenue, Seward, Exit Glacier Guides offer a range of services including Hiking and Climbing, but also offer 2 mini bus ”taxis” to the national park. Booking a visit to Exit Glacier from a cruise ship can be very expensive and, unless you are overly concerned about your return time for departure, booking via Exit Glacier Guides is easy and only £15. This gets you a definitive seat on a mini bus leaving at a particular time and a return time from the Park (be there on time of course as the bus could be full). The buses leave from downtown and will also drop you off at the Saveway supermarket on your return if you wish. You can also book your ticket and get a pick up from the small boat harbour (about a 15 minute flat walk from the cruise ship). Their service seems very reliable, timekeeping seems good, radio contact is maintained with their base office and their drivers are considerate. The route follows the road along the river side and glacier trail with the delights of the Alaskan countryside all round. However, although the Park itself has a wheelchair- riendly path trail, the mini buses are fairly basic, so if these are your circumstances then I suspect other transport arrangements will be needed. Otherwise, don’t overpay for what is essentially a good value twenty minute return transportation to this wonderful national park.

5spitzy135 5:00 PM Sep 19, 2016

Convenient and Economical
The Exit Glacier Shuttle service is an excellent, economical way to get to Exit Glacier if you don’t have a car in Seward. We arrived by train and left by motor coach, so this was a great way for us to get to the park. It is a 20 minute drive and definitely worth the price as compared to a taxi. Service was very friendly, prompt and reliable, and they provided lots of information on the rides to and from the park. It is $10/person round trip, and they pick up and return once an hour. See their schedule on their website. We arranged for their service online through e-mail, but they also have a number you can call. They have 2 pickup locations, one is about 3 blocks/5 minutes easy walk from the Sea Life Center, and the other is at the harbor near the cruise ship docks. Make sure you have a watch with you at Exit Glacier, since there is no cell service, and you will need to be at the pick-up point at the designated time. That’s why you can’t call for a taxi from this location, everything needs to be pre-arranged. We spent a couple hours here, making it up close to the Toe of the Glacier. The loop to the first viewpoint is a very easy flat walk that is wheelchair accessible. Going further up the trails to get closer views takes more time and definitely gets to be more of a moderate hike. So make sure you have a good idea of how much you want to do and how long it will take so you are at your pick-up point on time. These are the same people who offer hikes to actually walk on the glacier. Just keep in mind it takes several hours to hike to the glacier to do this activity, and you should be in decent physical shape to do it. You just don’t “walk up” to Exit Glacier, as some people think! For less strenuous hikes, check out the ranger led programs which are also excellent. See the park website for more info. We highly recommend Exit Glacier Shuttle for transportation to the park. Check them out!