Stop At: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Mile 79 Seward Highway, Girdwood, Alaska 99587
View Alaska's most famous animals up close in a natural setting. During this visit you'll get great pictures of real live Bears, Moose, Muskox, Caribou, Bison, and more. Your guide will give you a tour through the park and then give you time to explore on your own.
Duration: 1 hour
Pass By: Turnagain Arm Drive, Seward Highway, Anchorage, Alaska
Just south of Anchorage, the Seward Highway hugs the dramatic shorelines of Turnagain Arm, arguably one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in America. Chugach State Park's 3000-foot mountains jut up on your left.
On the right, the sprawling, sometimes four-mile-wide flats of Turnagain Arm seem to stretch like a plain to the opposite shores of Cook Inlet, where mammoth sloping mountains abruptly stop their flat expanse. Each turn reveals another scenic wonder.
Pass By: Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary, 154th Ave, Anchorage, Alaska 99587
Potter Marsh is a 0.5-mile wooden boardwalk trail that parallels the Seward Highway in Anchorage and is known for it’s incredible wildlife viewing, especially for bird watching.
It’s part of the 16-mile Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, and it makes a great addition to any Anchorage itinerary.
Stop At: Beluga Point, Mile 110, Seward Hwy, Mile 110 Seward Hwy, Anchorage, Alaska 99516
This is a popular stop as you travel the Seward Highway. Here you'll find 180 degree views of Turnagain Arm. There's an extensive viewing area with spotting scopes and interpretive signs. This is an excellent spot to watch the bore tide. The incoming tide stretched the entire width of Turnagain Arm and can be six feet high as it rushes in. Watch for kayakers and surfers riding the wave for several miles. Look for beluga whales rolling in the surf.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Bird Point, Bird Point, Anchorage, AK 99540, USA
Here's another great stop to take in the scenic beauty of the mountains and the Turnagain Arm.
And don't forget to look for Beluga whales a few hours before high tide (as they come in with the tide to feed on the salmon). The best chance to see a Beluga is if the salmon or hooligan are running, but even if you miss them, the amazing views make Bird Point a perfect stop.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Portage Lake, Portage Lake, Anchorage, AK 99587, USA
Deep enough to submerge an 80-story building, the lake was carved out over thousands of years of glacial advances. While Salmon make their way into the lake, you may not see them due to the immense deposits of glacial silt. The silt also protects them from predators such as birds and larger fish. However, they eventually make their way to clearer waters. Look for dense blue icebergs from Portage Glacier blown to shore.
Duration: 10 minutes
