The best running trails around Bear Creek

This paved multi-use path goes right along the waterfront, offering nice views of Resurrection Bay. Honestly, it's spectacular, and it's not uncommon to see curious sea lions or seals watching you from the water, and sometimes if you're very lucky you might see a whale. Believe it or not, the campgrounds you pass are run by the city. (They are pretty cheap!) There's also a small skate park, some playground equipment, and a large first-come, first-serve picnic pavilion.

A boat tour from this harbor is a must when you are in Seward. There are two large providers (Major Marine Tours & Kenai Fjord Tours), which certainly do not differ in quality. In any case, we can definitely recommend booking the large 8.5-hour tour, where you travel in much smaller boats and have a very intense nature experience. There were not even 20 people on board and we saw a lot of wildlife. 🐳🐬🦭🐦‍⬛🦙 You could feel the crew's love for the sea every minute and learned an incredible amount about its creatures. To prevent any seasickness (the waves were sometimes really rough), there were various chewy candies at check-in or on board.

Expect to pay $5 for parking in this trailhead lot. From here, you can make the relatively easy hike out to Tonsina Point, or you can hike all the way to Caines Head (sometimes known as North Beach, because you arrive at the north beach of Caines Head). If you plan to hike all the way to Caines Head, please be aware that some parts of the trail are underwater at high tide. Alaska has some of the most extreme tidal differentials in the world, and the water is cold and fast-moving. Alaska State Parks recommends leaving Seward at least two hours before low tide to make sure you don't get stranded, but you'll also need to make sure the tide is sufficiently low for you to cross those areas; get more information here: https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/cainesheadsra.htm It's too far to hike out to Caines Head and back in a single tide, so if you do go, either arrange for a water taxi to meet you at the beach and bring you back, or be prepared to wait until the next low tide (about 12 hours). This is also a very popular backpacking destination; people sometimes hike there with tents and other camping gear, then camp out overnight as they wait for another tide. If you plan to do this, be aware that the shale beach can make it challenging to properly stake out a tent, so you might need to employ some creative solutions (like tying guy lines to driftwood, if there is any available).

Although it's called both North Beach and Caines Head, this is more properly known as the north beach of Caines Head. If you hiked all the way here from the Seward-area trailhead, you crossed several areas that were tide-limited (they will vanish entirely as the cold, fast-moving tide comes roaring in), so you would need to wait about 12 hours for the tide to start going down before you retrace your steps — and be aware that not all low tides are low enough to safely cross those tide-limited areas. Because of this, many people will either camp here overnight, or take a water taxi one way and hike the other way. Signs on the trail that passes by the beach explain the details of timing your hike with the tides, and cell phone service here ranges from limited to non-existent— so if you want a water taxi, you should arrange that before leaving Seward. If you're reading this before your trip, you can get more information about timing your hike with the tides here: https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/cainesheadsra.htm

The path ends at the cape, giving you the impressive views that will take your breath away. High snowy mountains and bathed by the sea. Here you also have a bench and an old military fortress.

End of the paved road, south of Seward. A dirt foot trail continues a few more mile along the water into the park to Caines Head.

The trailhead is a great starting point for hikes on the Caines Head Trail to North and South Beach. Parts of the trail are only accessible at low tide, see http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/lowellptsrs.htm

From here you can watch for sea lions, whales and seabirds in their natural environment.