Stop At: Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska
City Tour of Anchorage:
Starting downtown where the city began in the Ship Creek area and now also occupied by Alaska Railroad Depot. Take a quick look at the salmon in the creek and watch the fish running up the stream. Watch the locals trying to catch the salmon.
Next see the Earthquake Park, which now stands on the land liquefied – swallowing the coast line when the “Good Friday” earthquake rocked Anchorage in March of 1964.
Next you will get to see Lake Hood, which is the largest and busiest floatplane base in the world. Lake Hood is a great place to relax and watch the many landings and takeoffs of floatplanes. Then back to downtown where you get to see a whole downtown area. While enjoying the ride make sure to notice Anchorage’s famous flowers and great shopping areas! We will drop off anywhere in Anchorage after the tour ends.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: 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.
Duration: 2 hours
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.
Duration: 1 hour
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. Be sure to check tide schedules for the best times to view this natural phenomena.
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: Girdwood, Girdwood, Alaska
Girdwood is “One of the 10 Most Beautiful Towns in Alaska” and located just 25 miles south of Anchorage. A very active community offering biking, skiing, rafting, fishing, hiking, gold panning and sightseeing in a beautiful, northern rainforest setting. Glacier Valley is home to Alaska’s only major ski resort, Alyeska Resort.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Alyeska Ski Area, 1000 Arlberg Dr, Girdwood, Alaska 99587
Take a three to seven-minute scenic ride from Alyeska Resort to the top of Mt. Alyeska. At an elevation of 2300 feet, witness frosty views of the Turnagain Arm, up to seven “hanging” glaciers and endless peaks deep into the Chugach Mountain range.
A hot lunch is included which you can order from the menu of the Boretide Deli.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: The Roundhouse at Alyeska, 1000 Arlberg Avenue, Girdwood, Alaska 99587
Only mountain top museum in the state of Alaska. The Roundhouse sits 2,280 feet above sea level. It's distinctive octagonal shape first served as a warming hut, later as a popular gathering place. Over 50 years ago, 11 Girdwood residents passed the hat, raised enough money to purchase what became the land base for a major ski area. They formed the Alyeska Ski Corporation and developed a ski area that was small in assets but big in promise. They did it because they understood that the Valley’s future lay in its golden slopes. They found a French Baron who shared their dream. Francois de Gunzburg installed a poma lift, built ski trails, a day lodge and ordered Chair 1, a 5,700-foot double chairlift that rose 2,000 vertical feet. The upper terminus of the chairlift became known as the Roundhouse.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Portage Valley, Portage Valley, Alaska, USA
This scenic road parallels the route that Native Alaskans and gold-rush prospectors once traveled between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm before the glacier retreated.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Portage Lake, Portage Lake, Alaska 99519, 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
