For The Adventure: Alaska’s Seward Highway
Anchorage, Alaska. Image Source: Alaska Homes
Sites: Anchorage – Chugach State Park – Bird Creek – Bird Point – Girdwood – Mount Alyeska – Portage Valley – Canyon Creek – Moose Pass – Seward – Resurrection Bar – Alaska SeaLife Center
If you have never thought about taking a trip to Alaska, you should. Our most northern state offers some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes and best road trips. Starting in Anchorage, the drive is about 127 miles long and meanders through nothing but natural wonders. Take your time getting there to admire and explore the sites. On your way to Seward, there are no billboards to block your view and few towns to break your stride–just spectacular landscape.
Chugach State Park, Alaska. Image Source: BOOMSbeat
After leaving Anchorage, the Seward Highway will lead your car between the cliffs of Chugach State Park and the waters of the Turnagain Arm. You’ll pass by fishermen in Bird Creek, and maybe a sea lion or two. Bird Point is a little further up the road, where you’ll have the chance to see beluga whales in the Turnagain Arm while sheep graze on the slopes above.
Chugach State Park, Alaska. Image Source: 500px
Turn off into the small town of Girdwood, which hosts a combination of cool cabins and expensive ski vacation homes. In the summer, Girdwood is full of flower gardens. Have a famous sweet roll from The Bake Shop, explore the streets and take a walk around the luxury hotel. Consider taking the ski tram up Mount Alyeska for a stunning view of glaciers and mountains.
Seward Highway, Alaska. Image Source: Alaska
Back in the car, the landscape turns from mountains to wetlands. Behind them are the glaciers of Portage Valley. Turn off at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center on Portage Lake to view a few icebergs. Continuing on, the road climbs about 900 feet into Turnagain Pass and through to Canyon Creek. At this point, everywhere you look is an amazing photo opportunity, so you may just want to resign to the ease, simplicity, and rarity of the mental picture.
Moose Pass, Alaska. Image Source: USA Pics
The harbor side town of Seward is waiting at the end of the road. It has a population of about 3,000 and fish is practically a food group. The final point of the Seward Highway is Resurrection Bay. Gaze over the fishing boats and kayaks on the water teeming with diverse fauna.
Resurrection Bay, Alaska. Image Source: Molly Sweeney Photography
