Kayaking Northwestern Fjord (lower fjord)

"excerpts from Exploring Alaska's Kenai Fjords: Chapter 17 Northwestern Fjord"

• Northwest Passage

"Dangerously swift tidal currents and rough seas can converge on the Harris Bay side of Northwest Passage. These conditions can be treacherous for small boats and kayaks during spring tides when strong tidal currents can suck a kayak or an underpowered boat into the passage and possibly into dangerous waterfalls and swirls. To insure safe passage through Northwest Passage, try to time your passage around slack tide. Check out the sea conditions in the passage before proceeding. Do not attempt to travel, into or out of the Northwestern Fjord during the middle or bottom stage of an ebbing spring tide, especially when a significant swell from the gulf and a southerly breeze is present."

• Otter Cove

"A one-quarter mile long, shallow tidal lagoon, which goes dry at low water, lies on the south shore of Otter Cove adjacent to the moraine bar. Only at higher stages of the tide does the tidal lagoon offer a good beach haulout area. Hike along the tidelands only. The lands inland from mean high water are private property owned by the PORT GRAHAM CORPORATION (PGC) . A hike along the tidal beachfront leads to the spit area, moraine bar, and Rampart Beach, a 2-mile long beach at the western head of Harris Bay. Rafts of sea otters are often seen feeding in Otter Cove and along the moraine bar.

• Ribbonfall Cove

"Vessels should avoid the entire northern portion of Ribbonfall Cove. Boulders and shallow mud flats dominate an extensive area around the low-lying island to Monolith Point. In the cove’s east corner, a conspicuous, ribbon-thin waterfall cascades over a sheer rock wall. The inviting Ribbonfall Cove beachfront is unique in the Kenai Fjords National Park. The beach is comprised of a cream-colored, gritty, granite flour. Behind the beachfront is a spacious valley that has been claimed by thick stands of alder, willow, and beach rye. An extensive lagoon and swampy lowlands fill the gouged-out valley floor. A number of vertical hanging cliffs flank the valley. The powdery shoreline of Ribbonfall Cove is a terrific place to explore on foot. Groups of shorebirds flit about the tidal zone."