I returned to the train for a brief ride to Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop. AWCC also provided a two-mile loop to view rescued musk ox, moose, elk, caribou and adult bears in a new 21-acre enclosure. Thanks to this historic conservation effort, in spring 2015 up to 100 wood bison will be released into Alaska's Lower Innoko wilderness 300 miles west of Anchorage. In cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, AWCC obtained 13 bison from Canada's Yukon Territory for breeding. ![]() A subspecies of the North American bison, the wood bison - larger and taller than the plains bison - roamed Alaska for centuries before extinction due to overhunting and ecological changes. AWCC was staging the greatest comeback of the wood bison. I disembarked at Portage to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, one of several Alaska organizations that protect and preserve wildlife. Conductor Davy Registe ensured passengers' comfort as we traversed a lush green landscape where water cascaded down jagged mountains and an occasional moose turned to say hello. The Alaska Range towered in the distance. We passed Cook Inlet, where white beluga whales shimmered in the sunlight. Our train snaked south toward Seward, the gateway community to Kenai Fjords National Park. Considered one of the most scenic train routes in the world, its large windows offered nature and wildlife viewing. My journey to the puffins started at the historic Downtown Anchorage Depot, where I boarded Alaska Railroad's Glacier Discovery Train. Indigenous to the Pacific Ocean, tufted and horned puffins mate for life, breed in large colonies, and, in my mind, chirp, "Welcome to Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park." But what about an area closer to home? I asked my personal assistant: "Siri, are puffins in the Pacific Ocean?" She responded that puffins are in the North Pacific Ocean. I had read articles about the photogenic orange-billed, web-footed Atlantic puffin that lured me to European shores. Emerald Cove: this tiny, beautiful cove is a busy spot for puffins.I wanted to see an exotic puffin up close and personal.Resurrection Peninsula: just south of the Fox Island spit on the east side of the bay, puffins gather near the Eldorado Narrows.Caines Head: a small group nests here in a little cove at the south end of the headland.Chiswell Islands: usually the heaviest concentration of nesting puffins in the park happens here on the edge of the Gulf of Alaska.Beehive Island: named for the constantly busy scene as puffins go about their mating here.Want to see puffins up close and personal? Along the majestic coastline of Kenai Fjords National Park, there are a few key areas known to host seasonal puffin congregations that are part of Kenai Fjords Tours' trajectory. They'll often stick with the same mate for 20 years! That's practically their entire lifespan. For puffins, finding a mate is a long-term decision. Read on for some of the best places to spot them. In Kenai Fjords, there are a number of seasonal colonies where puffins return year after year. Puffins hang out in coastal colonies in the spring and summer to breed. Scientists say they're actually better at swimming than flying. ![]() As they dive, they use their wings to flap underwater, giving them superb propulsion. With strong webbed feet for rudders, puffins can dive almost 200 feet (60m).
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