We’re more than a group of kayakers, we’re a group of people who deeply care about our hometown, our wild places, and the people who have given us the privilege of sharing their Alaska experiences. At Sunny Cove Kayaking, and to our owner, Stephanie Millane, it’s not just about making money, but it is about thriving, and, it’s also about contributing to our community, protecting our natural environment, and educating the people who join us in our wild places. It’s also about providing our staff with a high-quality, fulfilling place where they can have a voice in their workplace, community, and playground year after year.
C.A.R.E.S Philosophy
Commitment - We will promote, and create safe, and inclusive opportunities, infused with empathy and kindness, for our staff, our guests, and our community.
Adventure - We will make Alaska’s wild places accessible to our guests while creating moments of educational opportunities to facilitate protecting these fragile spaces.
Responsibility - We acknowledge the impact we have on our community and commit to sharing in our successes by supporting local community programs.
Excellence - We will set the highest standards of operations to create an exceptional experience for both our staff and our guests.
Stewardship - We will support the quality of life in our community by promoting regenerative and sustainable tourism practices.
Sunny Cove’s Values
For Us, It’s About So Much More Than the Bottom Line
Sunny Cove Values
Mission Statement
We will strive to create connections between all people and the natural world we’re honored to inhabit, through safe, informative, and adventurous experiences into Alaska’s Wild Places.
Vision Statement
We will work to create opportunities, through education and adventure, for all people to understand the value of wild places.
Inclusivity Statement
Our strength is our culture, built by adventurers’ spirits and unique identities, to form a coalition of educators. We invite people of all backgrounds and identities to share in our enthusiastic exploration of Coastal Alaska.
Paddle for a Purpose
Join our Paddle for a Purpose Program when you make a reservation directly through Sunny Cove Kayaking! We love our little town, and we know you will too! Help us support Seward's non-profit community through a small contribution and we will match your donations! Our Paddle for a Purpose Program is supporting the Seward Community Foundation Fund, helping our local non-profits, from sports teams to animal shelter support, elder care to local music festivals, and beyond!
Your donation could help a kid get the equipment they need to be on a local sports team, buy food for local families in need, support local artists and so much more! For every dollar you choose to give, we'll match it up to $2000 annually! Additionally, we’ll donate one dollar for each seat booked through us directly.
The earnings from this endowment are used to award grants through a competitive grant cycle to local qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits. This flexible endowment meets the current needs of our community as they arise. These needs may address any number of issues, such as social services, hunger, education, arts, and humanities, environment, and youth services. As this endowment grows, so does our ability to support causes that Alaskans care about.
Our Pursuit of Excellence
We’ve been connecting people with wild places in Resurrection Bay, Fox Island, and Kenai Fjords National Park since 1996! Many of our outdoor leaders have been with us for years and are experts when it comes to showing you our amazing backyard.
Our staff members are kindhearted, yet detail-oriented people who love to share an enthusiasm for exploration, natural places, and the wilds of Alaska. They genuinely love to make real connections with each other and their guests, ensuring a high-quality experience from start to finish.
Our knowledgeable reservation staff is ready to answer any of your questions. They are also local, experienced outdoor enthusiasts who are very familiar with Alaska. Our goal is to make it easy for you to explore and appreciate this dynamic place.
All of our guides start our season with an intensive 3-week training program, led by our senior staff members who are American Canoe Association Certified Instructors. We begin by getting to know each other, and learning each other’s personality types and learning styles. The program then continues into in-and-on-the-water training, where our entire staff is trained in American Canoe Association Level Three Coastal Kayaking, Day Trip Leading, and Coastal Kayaking Camping Training.
On-water training is followed up by honing interpretation and education skills on subjects such as Alaskan natural history, ecology, geology, glaciology, and native history. We also train for Leave No Trace, our ethical practices, weather and navigational skills and so much more.
Furthermore, our staff operates under an umbrella of consistent organization, planning, innovation, and oversight throughout the summer. In short, we make sure the entire company exceeds, the highest standards of safety, education, interpretation, and connection, from the ground up, to provide you with an unforgettable engaging experience.
Our Sustainability Practices
We love our home!! Sunny Cove wants to share the same quality experience of Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjord with your children and grandkids as you do today. To help make that happen Sunny Cove operates in an environmentally sustainable fashion and advocates for others to do the same.
We limit our footprint to select areas within Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. We do not need to go to the most remote or least visited areas of the park to provide our clients with an authentic wilderness experience. We have chosen areas that are best able to absorb our passing and provide a few amenities (such as bear-proof food storage boxes) with minimal impact on flora, fauna, and wildlife.
Sunny Cove practices Leave No Trace ethics and we do not store equipment in the field or build semi-permanent camps on public lands.
We advocate preserving and protecting the natural environment and have taken an active role in advocating for conservation efforts for wild lands to be left wild. This includes supporting local conservation organizations with donations and volunteer work.
We follow Marine Mammal viewing guidelines and educate our guests about the potentially negative impact humans can have on plants and animals. It is our goal to observe wildlife without altering their normal behavior patterns and to experience our wild places without leaving a trace.
We support our local charities, non-profits and volunteer organizations. We donate more than $15,000 annually through cash and in-kind donations.
Several of our staff members are board members for local non-profits and they donate hundreds of volunteer hours toward their respective causes.
We hold gold-level certification from Adventure Green Alaska. AGA is a certification program for tourism businesses operating in Alaska that meet specific standards of economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
Vision for Our Future
When I think about the future of Sunny Cove, I think about the plans I’m hoping to fulfill, about the quality of work, pay, and living I’m offering to my staff, and most of all, I think of Delilah, aka Dilly, aka Ms. Pickle, my young, beautifully curious niece, and the quality of her future (the pic is of her kayaking for the first time.)
Sunny Cove has been working diligently toward preserving the quality of our tours, and the preservation of our wild places since 1996. We’ve always had the philosophy of Leave No Trace and having a minimum impact on our wild lands, and our wildlife while having a maximum impact on the quality of life in our community.
Each year we further develop our pursuit of excellence, and sustainability practices and the years to come will be no exception. As we move into more travelers and interest in Alaska than ever, and changing sea and climate conditions we’re planning for a more sustainable infrastructure. We’re also considering what regenerative tourism means to us and our community.
For our future plans, we hope to implement sustainable building practices as we update our facilities, update our fleet with electric vehicles as they need to be replaced, and make as many purchases as possible from Alaska-based businesses. We’re also looking at expanding our volunteerism and regenerative sustainability opportunities. More importantly, we plan to stay educated and continue to educate travelers about the importance of protecting wild places, and wildlife habitats.
~ Stephanie, Owner, of Sunny Cove Kayaking
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Waterfall Beach
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![Caines Head WWII Artifacts]()
Caines Head WWII Artifacts
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High Tide Seastack
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![Secret Waterfall]()
Secret Waterfall
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![Caines Head Trail]()
Caines Head Trail
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![Cloudy Resurrection Bay]()
Cloudy Resurrection Bay
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![Fox Island Spit]()
Fox Island Spit
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![Holgate Glacier]()
Holgate Glacier
Looking for Something Else?
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Kenai Fjords Full Day Tour
If glaciers are a must, this is the trip. This tour includes a wildlife cruise on our private catamaran, Ascension, combined with kayaking near a tidewater glacier. This popular tour is limited to 12 seats daily and tends to sell out early.
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Fox Island Half & Full Day Tours
Beloved by our guides, Fox Island boats a mix of sheer cliffs, turquoise waters, and wildlife viewing. These tours are combined with a wildlife cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours and a hearty Alaska salmon meal at the Kenai Fjords Day Lodge.
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Resurrection Bay Half & Full Day Tours
Resurrection Bay is a staple in our offerings, boasting a mix of mountain & ocean vistas, and viewing of smaller marine mammals. Choose from kayaking-only tours or tours mixed with beach combing, rainforest walking, or trail hiking.