Kenai Fjords National Park seeks to expand winter access to the Exit Glacier Area. Year-round access would better enable the park to accomplish its mission objectives related to visitor experience, education, and research. The Exit Glacier Area is located north of Seward, AK, and 7.3 miles northeast of the Seward Highway at the end of Herman Leirer Road. The road is inaccessible to cars November through April because of snow and ice conditions.

This report documents a feasibility study for over-the-snow (OTS) transportation service on Herman Leirer Road to the Exit Glacier Area. Such a service would carry passengers in a vehicle with treads instead of wheels up the snow-covered road. Through a site visit, interviews, and independent analysis, the study team examined existing conditions, comparable services, vehicle options, market demand, owner-operator models, and business models. It presents an analysis of indirect costs to the park, business model options that seek to limit liability to NPS, ideas for partnerships with the local business community, and recommendations regarding vehicles, schedules, and potential markets.

Final Report, February 2012 
Over-the-Snow Transportation Feasibility Study (PDF, 2.4MB)