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What can I do on the drive to Seward? |
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Driving non-stop from Anchorage to Seward takes a good 2.5 hours. However, you'll find plenty of reasons to pull over on the drive south: Wildlife often appears along the roadside. Pullouts offer photo opportunities of whales, waves, and volcanoes. Trailheads lead to fabulous alpine and ocean views. Restaurants offer lunch breaks beyond the usual fast-food fare. Enjoying all the scenery and activities along the way could easily stretch this trip into a daylong adventure. Here's our highly selective list of highlights, from north to south: |
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Mile 117: Potter's Marsh |
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Photograph waterfowl from the boardwalk, read the wildlife displays, search for spawning salmon, or just soak in the sights and sounds of this peaceful marsh. Thousands of migrating birds rest here, including trumpeter swans, rednecked grebes, golden eyes, and pintails. |
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Mile 110: Beluga Point |
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Beluga Point juts into the Cook Inlet, offering a sweeping panorama. Step up to the viewing scope to spot beluga whales chasing salmon that come in with the tide, or killer whales hunting belugas. The best time to see these white whales is during high tide from mid-July through August, when salmon make their spawning runs. At low tide, you can walk the rocky beach. Displays explain whales, tides, and the cycles of life in the silty waters below. |
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Mile 106: Windy Point |
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Mountain goats and Dall sheep roam to the road's edge to feed on plants and lick salt residues. Or look for them high above on the craggy cliffs where their surefootedness protects them from wolves and bears. You might mistake them for specks of snow until you see them move. Out on the arm, watch for windsurfers braving the freezing waters and extreme tides. |
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Mile 102: Bird Ridge Trail |
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Stop here for a lung-burning climb-3,000 feet in little more than a mile-through birch trees. Your reward? Breathtaking views of the fjord-like Turnagain Arm. This is also a great place to take in a springtime wildflower bloom-due to its southern exposure, Bird Ridge blossoms earlier than the normal (i.e. late June and early August). |
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Mile 99: Bird Point |
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A short boardwalk leads to the water to view the bore tide, a rushing wall of water up to 6 feet high. Turnagain and Knik Arms are the only U.S. locations where they occur regularly. Look for the bore 2-2.25 hours after low tide in Anchorage (1.5 hours after at Beluga Point, 3 hours at Girdwood, and 4 hours at Portage). Bore tides are created by the wide range between high and low tides (more than 35 feet in Cook Inlet) and the narrow, shallow, and gentle sloping of the arm. Check Bird Point's interpretive signs for further explanation of this phenomenon and a (possible) schedule. |
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Mile 75-69: Turnagain Pass |
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Heading south onto the Kenai Peninsula, you'll climb almost 1,000 feet up from sea level to Turnagain Pass. Watch for cars pulled off and people bent over-a good sign of berry picking. Join them to gather highbush cranberries, rose hips, raspberries, service and watermelon berries in season. Late summer is primetime for blueberries. The pass offers pull-offs aplenty for panoramic photos and gorgeous views. The setting is alpine, with 1,000 feet of elevation, and you'll see sub-alpine wildflowers as well. |
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Mile 45.5: Summit Lake Lodge |
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Surrounded by mountains, Summit Lake Lodge offers a scenic, high-country stop for a mid-drive luncheon. This log roadhouse, hand built in the 1950s, includes a gift shop, rooms for rent, and a restaurant. The fare isn't fancy-tuck into good burgers and excellent salads. From a table in the atrium, you may be able to see the lake. |
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Mile 37: Tern Lake (Sterling Highway Junction) |
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Descend from the trees to Tern Lake, where Arctic terns share the area with loons, bald eagles, beavers, and other wildlife. The best views are from the bird-watching platform, where you'll find helpful interpretive signs. |
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Mile 32.5: Moose Creek Salmon Viewing Platform |
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A short trail leads visitors to a viewing platform overlooking Moose Creek. The creek is packed with spawning sockeye salmon during their annual run. Traveling hundreds of miles, the salmon return to this stream to spawn, lay their eggs, and die. Occasionally bald eagles and black bear are spotted feeding on the spawning fish. |
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Mile 32.1: Trail Lake Fish Hatchery |
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The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association raises sockeye and coho salmon at this facility. A display room and interpretive signs explain the life cycle of salmon. Hatchery tours may be available. |
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Mile 23: Alaska Nellie Lawing Homestead |
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Alaska Nellie arrived in Alaska in 1915, carving out a life as a camp cook and big-game hunter and guide. A Kenai Peninsula legend, she transformed a roadhouse into a museum for her trophies and collection. Follow the short access road to visit Alaska Nellie's homestead, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. |
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Mile 22.9: Kenai Lake Viewpoint |
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For 24 miles, the spectacular Kenai Lake stretches from the head of the Kenai River to the west to the mouth of the Snow River to the east. Glacial silt in the water reflects light in a striking way-producing a milky-blue color. |
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Mile 5.1: Lost Lake Trail |
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This more difficult 7-mile trail rises 1,820 feet from the trailhead to the lake, which is surrounded by chasms and small tarns. It is a scenic trail with spectacular views of the surrounding area-including three glaciers and a creek running through a deep stone chasm. |
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Mile 3.7: Exit Glacier Road Turnoff |
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A 9-mile road leads to one of the most-accessible glaciers in Alaska. At Exit Glacier you can walk along flat, easy trails to get wonderful views of this small glacier. A strenuous, 3.5-mile hike leads to the Harding Icefield. The area is part of the 600,000-acre Kenai Fjords National Park, a showcase of glacial activity and marine wildlife. |
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Mile 0: Seward |
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Welcome to Seward, a charming seaside town offering a variety of activities both on and off the water. Highlights include cruising into Kenai Fjords for glaciers and marine life, paddling a sea kayak in Resurrection Bay, and fishing for salmon and halibut. |
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Transportation option coming soon!
