Resurrection Bay, also known as Blying Sound, and Harding Gateway in its outer reaches, is a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

on the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Its main settlement is Seward, located at the head of the bay. The bay received its name from Alexandr Baranov, who was forced to retreat into the bay during a bad storm in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east ...

. When the storm settled it was

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...

, so the bay and nearby Resurrection River were named in honor of it. Harding Gateway refers to the passage between Rugged and Cheval Islands. Resurrection Bay is the location of Caines Head, at the summit of which

Fort McGilvray Fort McGilvray was a United States military fortification located on Caines Head, a cliff 650 feet above Resurrection Bay south of Seward, Alaska. The United States Army established a series of defensive positions along the coast of the bay durin ...

is situated 650 feet (198 meters) above sea level. This

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

was constructed by the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

to defend against a possible invasion by the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The bay remains ice-free even in winter, making it easily navigable. It is the central theme of the song "Resurrection Bay" by John Craigie on his album '' Montana Tale''. It is called the "gateway to the Kenai Fjords" as many water taxis, kayak tours, anglers, and recreational boaters use the bay to access nearby

Kenai Fjords National Park Kenai Fjords National Park is an American national park that maintains the Harding Icefield, its outflowing glaciers, and coastal fjords and islands. The park covers an area of on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, west of the to ...

Geography

Resurrection Bay has a maximum depth of , near the coast at Caines Head. It contains many deep coves, most notably Thumb,

Humpy A humpy, also known as a gunyah, wurley, wurly or wurlie, is a small, temporary shelter, traditionally used by Australian Aboriginal people. These impermanent dwellings, made of branches and bark, are sometimes called a lean-to, since they oft ...

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

Coves. To the west, Resurrection Bay is bordered by the

Aialik Peninsula Aialik Peninsula is a peninsula on the larger Kenai Peninsula of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies roughly 15 miles southeast of Seward. The peninsula has a peculiar Swiss cheese-like shape, making it appear partially sunken. It contains very r ...

and the adjacent Aialik Bay. To the east, the bay is bounded by the Resurrection Peninsula and Day Harbor.

Parks

Several parks are located in and around the bay.

is primarily accessed by boat from Seward. Caines Head State Recreation Area is here. Many visit it by boat, but there is a trail from Lowell Point State Recreation Site, a park with beach access and trailhead parking. Parts of the trail between the two parks are only accessible at low tide, so visitors must plan accordingly. Sandspit Point State Marine Park is a undeveloped park, popular with kayakers, with beach camping and tidepooling. Sunny Cove State Marine Park is a park on Fox Island. It is also undeveloped and has no source of fresh water. The park consists of a beach area used for camping and landing of small boats, and steep, rocky cliffs. Thumb Cove State Marine Park is one of the few developed parks in the area, featuring offshore mooring buoys for small boats, beach camping, and two public-use cabins. Visitors can view Porcupine Glacier, Spoon Glacier, and Prospect Glacier from the park.

References

{{Authority control Bays of Alaska Bodies of water of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Seward, Alaska Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area