Alaska Wildlife to Look For in Denali, Katmai, and Kenai Fjords

On the water out of Seward, scan the open stretches between headlands for a spout. A humpback may then arch into a dive and lift its broad tail clear of the water. Summer brings feeding whales to this coast. Watch from a distance and give the same patch of water time to show you another breath.

On the waters of Kenai Fjords, look for a dark dorsal fin with a gray saddle patch behind it. A second or third fin surfacing along the same course can help you see how the group is moving. The park describes both fish-eating and mammal-eating orcas. Give either group space and watch without following.

At Brooks Camp in Katmai, use the park’s viewing areas. July is a good time to watch bears fish at Brooks Falls. In September, they often gather lower down near the river mouth. Look for a shoulder hump and long front claws through binoculars, and follow park instructions if a bear turns up away from the river.

In Denali, check wet ground and stands of willow for a long-legged animal browsing at the edges. A moose can disappear into brush even with much of its body above the stems. An adult bull’s broad antlers are a good clue later in the year. Stay well back and give a feeding moose an open route.

Scan rocky slopes and ridges above the Denali Park Road. A Dall sheep can look like a white spot against a bare mountainside until it moves. Mature rams have a conspicuous curl to their horns. Binoculars or a spotting scope let you look for that shape from the road corridor.

In Denali’s open country, look for wild caribou moving between feeding areas. Broad hooves and a pale neck can help once you have them in view. Both sexes can grow antlers, so an antlered animal may be a male or a female. Caribou is the North American name for these relatives of Eurasian reindeer.

Check protected water near shore in Kenai Fjords for an otter lying on its back. The head and front paws can stand out while the rest of the body sits low in the water. Watching quietly from a distance gives you a better chance to see whether it is grooming, feeding, or resting.

Scan the water below the seabird cliffs in Kenai Fjords. A breeding Horned Puffin has a white face and a dark, pointed projection above each eye. Its compact shape can resemble a Tufted Puffin from far off. Wait until the bird turns and you can see its face.

On the same stretch of rocky coast, look for a puffin with long yellow tufts sweeping back from its white face in breeding plumage. In flight both Kenai puffins beat their wings rapidly. The head and body pattern will help more than the wingbeats if you see both together.

Look across the water toward rocky haul-outs in Kenai Fjords for large, tan to brown animals. A Steller sea lion has visible ear flaps and holds itself up on long front flippers. It can look quite different from a harbor seal lying flat nearby. Use binoculars from a distance.

Along the shore of Resurrection Bay, check exposed perches above the water. An adult’s white head and tail can show at a distance, while a younger Bald Eagle is much darker and may look mottled. Keep an eye on the bird after it leaves the perch. Its wings are broad, and it may fish along the shore.

In a glacial fjord such as Aialik Bay, look for harbor seals resting on floating ice or rocks. Their rounded heads and lack of external ear flaps help distinguish them from sea lions. When they’re on the ice, watch from farther out so the animals can stay where they are.