In 2017, we did an Inside Passage cruise with my sister and dad that was phenomenal. The last cruise stop was in Seward, but we sadly, saw nothing of the town so we were excited to explore this location further and planned to spend 4th of July here as it’s Independence Day tradition is a huge draw.
On our first day in Seward, we took a Kenia Fjords Tour with Major Marine Tours. The captain and crew went out of their way to show us as many animals as they could find. Ultimately we saw humpback whales bubble feeding, harbor seals, steller sea lions (with bulls that can get up to 2000lbs), fin whales (the 2nd largest mammal after blue whales can reach lengths of 85 feet long), killer whales/orcas, a black bear, mountain goats, horned puffins, tufted puffins, common mures (that can dive as deep as 590 feet to catch prey), cormorants, seagulls, and bald eagles!
To see the humpback’s bubble feed we veered way off course and to get back on we had to traverse the 3-4 foot waves in more open water. Despite this being a relatively “easy and clam day” for this area, we had numerous people sick on the boat. One poor girl spent the entire trip on the back of the boat, sitting below the rail with a puke bag stuck to her face. Meclazine people. Take your Meclazine.
We also saw some waterfalls, great mountain views, and 3 different glaciers . The 3 glaciers we saw stem from Harding Ice Field, which is over 700 miles wide. The Aialik Glacier is the largest one in the Aialik Bay spanning approximately 3.5 miles in length and 1.5 miles in width. It’s almost double the size of the Holgate Glacier. Surprise Glacier was the smallest one we saw but quite pretty with visible waterfalls nearby.
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The next day we decided to ride the bikes a bit and Seward has a pretty nice paved trail along its waterfront. At the end of it, the bike ride from Seward to Lowell Point is an easy, flat, and short ride, if you aren’t stressed about the highly visible rockslide warning signs. If you want to make it a bigger adventure, there are kayak tours available at Lowell Point and a beach there if you bring your own watercraft. Note that I’m wearing a puffer jacket and a couple of the local girls threw on bathing suits to SUP (stand up paddleboard) that day! In Alaska, you can always tell a local from a tourist just by the layers they wear!
We took a quick ride downtown to see the shops and because of the July 4th festivities, there were food and craft booths downtown all weekend as well.
At midnight on July 3rd there was a “boat parade” which was not at all organized and consisted of whoever had a boat getting out on the water, before their 12:01am July 4th fireworks from the marina. The city of Seward does their fireworks early morning on July 4th because it’s the only time it’s dark enough in the summer to do so and even then, it’s not really dark enough for the fireworks to be spectacular.
During the day of the 4th, there is a very small street parade that consisted mostly of police and fire trucks running their lights, but the annual Mount Marathon Race in Seward is the real reason that thousands of spectators descend on this small town every 4th of July. The 3.1-mile course with an elevation gain of 3,022 feet is steep and grueling. It has an average slope of 34 degrees and sections that reach 60 degrees. People say that it’s a grueling race up and an uncontrolled fall down with the winners completing the entire course from sea to peak and back in under 45 minutes!
The tradition started in 1915, stemming from a wager between two locals on whether anyone could complete the route in under and hour. Since then, it’s become legendary and it draws athletes from around the globe. It’s known as one of the toughest short-distance races in the world and from my perspective, just to finish it is a true feat of endurance. The local I was standing next to said the fastest times usually occur when there’s a snow patch that remains at the top of the peak that runners can slide down and when the course is wet so they can slide down the muddy hillside, but these conditions also result in a lot of injuries. This year the course was very dry, but there was still a lot of sliding going on, judging from the participants that finished the race.
The men’s winner this year, David Norris from Steamboat Springs, CO, finished with a remarkable time of 40:37, beating his own2023 record. Max King from Bend, OR finished second with a time of 42:52. Klaire Rhodes of Anchorage, AK won the women’s race with a time of 49:49.
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If you live in Alaska and haven’t been to the annual Mountain Marathon Race in Seward, please go. It’s a little bit crowded but there’s still plenty of parking and plenty of places to pull up or chair or see the race clearly. The race is fast enough that you can watch the runners leave town and return before you’ve finished your beverage and the scene is one of great comradery with cheers for every racer, first to last. Plus, the kids get food on a stick, there are craft booths, and despite the morning light interference, the fireworks display is professionally done and long enough to ring in the 4th. It’s worth checking out, for sure if you live in Alaska, and if you’re travelling, it’s a great stop. Just be sure to make reservations for accommodations well in advance.
