Alaska Sea Lion Haulouts

This rocky, mountainous and remote island is Alaska’s best place for observing and photographing Pacific walruses as they rest on the rocky shorelines in the hundreds or even thousands during summer.  Visiting is only for the adventuresome as it involves travel in small planes and boats, and overnight stays on the island involve camping in a remote setting; but for those willing, it is an unparalleled wildlife and wilderness experience.

Whales, dolphins, sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions are all visible in Kenai Fjords National Park. While you might see some of these animals from shore, the best option is a day cruise out of Seward. A number of companies offer these services and you will not be disappointed. Glaciers and birds top the list.

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Jutting half a mile into the center of Unalaska Bay, the Dutch Harbor Spit offers a short, sea-level hike for all ages, with beach access, wildlife viewing and birding. The trail follows an old roadbed, which makes for an ideal hiking surface. You’ll want to stop frequently with a ready camera for close-up views of marine mammals on either side of the spit.

In the water, there is a triangularly shaped large rock with a smaller triangular rock in the water to its right. Atop this smaller rock we hope to find a group of the Steller sea lions. If we do not spot hem here they will be a little further south on the beach. Look for various sizes and colors of animals. Dark grey animals have just left the water, brown or tan animals have  More...

Sea lions come and go in the Homer area but one spot to check out is the fish processing plant at the south end of the small boat harbor. When commercial fishermen unload their catch, some fish and crabs are thrown overboard. Sea lions love this easy meal. Watch the harbor entrance as sea lions sometimes like to swim just outside this congested dock area.  More...

Around milepost 24 on Glacier Highway, take a left onto Almaga Harbor Road to enter Ernest Gruening State Park, named after a territorial governor and one of the state’s first senators. In his summer home here, he wrote his 1953 manifesto, “The State of Alaska,” which articulated why Alaska should be a state. (Statehood became official in January, 1959). From the boat  More...