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| Potter's Marsh (Mile 117) |
| 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. On still days, the surface of the water becomes a giant mirror that reflects the mountains and sky, making an idyllic photo. |
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| Potter Section House Railroad Museum (Mile 115) |
| National Archives photos and model railroads help you imagine the lives of railroad crews who lodged here long before the road existed. Chugach State Park offices are now here (907-345-5014). Check out the massive, 9-foot-high rotary plow out back, used to clear the snow-piled tracks. |
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| Turnagain Arm Trailhead (Mile 115) |
| Just across the road, the mostly level trail contours the mountainside with spectacular views breaking through the trees. Follow it 9.5 miles to Windy Point, or cut out after 3.5 miles at McHugh Creek. |
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| McHugh Creek Picnic Area (Mile 111) |
| A waterfall tumbles over boulders into a still pond impounded by a 70-foot cliff at this scenic spot. You'd never guess that the thundering creek is only five miles long. Hike the trail along the creek to its source at Rabbit Lake-3,000 vertical feet-or go in just a short distance to smell the lush forest. Across the highway, you may see windsurfers braving the waves of Turnagain Arm. |
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| Beluga Point (Mile 110) |
| The point juts into the Cook Inlet, offering a sweeping panorama. Step up to the viewing scope to spot belugas chasing salmon that come in with the tide, or killer whales hunting belugas. Displays explain whales, tides, and the cycles of life in the silty waters below. You can walk the rocky beach below at low tide. |
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| Windy Point (Mile 106) |
| You'll know you've reached Windy Point by the parked cars and people milling about with cameras. Other than Denali, this is one of the state's best spots to see mountain goats and magnificent Dall Sheep. They 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! |
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| Indian Valley Mine (Mile 104) |
| This well-kept secret was founded in 1910 by a 56-year-old vagabond who ran away from home at 12, joined the circus, and came to Alaska with the Gold Rush. The Cowles family will show you his 100 year-old cabin, teach you to pan for gold, and regale you with Alaska stories. Pet wild deer, pigmy goats, and exotic birds at nearby Indian Valley Meats. |
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| Bird Creek and Bird Ridge Trail (Mile 102) |
Only in Alaska can you drive down an empty highway at 11:30 at night, come around a bend, and suddenly see hundreds of people running around, camping, and fishing. This is the scene at Bird Creek from mid-July through August, when its mouth fills up with pink and silver salmon (and anglers) at high tide.
Bird Ridge Trail climbs 3,000 feet in a little more than a mile to magnificent views of the fjord-like Turnagain Arm. South-facing, it is one of the first trails to dry out in spring, even while surrounding mountains are still shrouded in white. Hike up just a few hundred vertical feet to look for flowers and see the views. |
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| Bird Point (Mile 99) |
| 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 2.25 hrs after low tide here at Bird Pt (1.5 hrs after at Beluga Pt., 3 hrs at Girdwood, and 4 hrs at Portage). The bike path across the highway leads 7 miles into Girdwood along the old highway. |
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| Girdwood Turnoff (Mile 90) |
| Just before the turnoff into Girdwood [link to Girdwood landing page], notice the ghost forest that met its doom during the 1964 earthquake when the land sunk as much as 10 feet and saltwater penetrated the soil. Girdwood began as a mining camp in the early 1900s, and today it's Alaska's premier resort town. The mall at the turnoff is your last chance for gas if you're continuing on toward Seward, another 90 miles south. |
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| Old Portage (Mile 80) |
| The Good Friday Earthquake sunk the earth 6-10 feet, submerging the former boomtown of Portage. An abandoned horse stable and cabin struggle to stand among the grassy wetlands. Photograph the standing "ghost forest," killed when saltwater flooded their roots. |
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| Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Mile 79) |
| Visit Alaska's only drive-through wildlife park, sanctuary to orphaned and injured animals. Get close-up shots of bison, elk, deer, musk ox, moose, caribou, and eagles. Meet Mike Miller who hand-built the sprawling log cabin lodge (907-783-2025, $5 per person, $20 max per vehicle). |
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| Portage Turnoff (Mile 78.9) |
| Here's your opportunity to detour down Portage Valley. This scenic drive takes you to Whittier and Prince William Sound, and on the way you can stop at Portage Lake, once filled by Portage Glacier. The glacier has receded from view, but you can put your fingertips on icebergs from the melting glacier, take a boat ride on the MV Ptarmigan to its face, and learn about glaciers at the visitor center. Continue south on the Seward Highway-next stop, Kenai Peninsula. |
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| Turnagain Pass (Mile 75-69) |
| Climb almost 1,000 feet up from sea level to Turnagain Pass, which offers pull-offs aplenty for panoramic photos and gorgeous views. The setting is alpine and you'll see sub-alpine wildflowers as well. Colorful Nootka lupine, western columbine, and shooting stars carpet the pass in summer. 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 road parallels the old trail used by gold rushers who crossed Portage Glacier. You may see black bear or wolverine dart across the road, and hoary marmots enjoy sunning on the open hilltops. |
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| Johnson Pass Trailhead (Mile 63.8) |
| This 23-mile trail follows a portion of the historic Iditarod Trail, which connected Seward to Nome. Hikers will be treated to outstanding views of mountains and lakes, along with good fishing for grayling and trout. This is the north trailhead for Johnson Pass, which ends near the Trail Lakes Fish Hatchery near Moose Pass. |
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| Canyon Creek & Sixmile River (Mile 57.6-57) |
| Rafters and anglers alike treasure these rushing rivers. Sixmile, a world-class rafting river, offers an intense adrenaline rush for the adventurous [link to Raft Sixmile River in Girdwood folder]. Both waterways support runs of sockeye and king salmon in summer. Gold discovered in 1895 near this site set off a stampede that brought 3,500 people to Turnagain Arm in 1896. Pullouts near the bridge have interpretive signs describing the area's mining history. |
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| Hope Highway Junction (Mile 56.6) |
| The 17.7-mile paved Hope Highway leads north to the old gold-rush town of Hope. Tucked away on the southern shores of Turnagain Arm, Hope retains much of its gold-rush flavor. A campground, salmon fishing, a mining museum, and gold panning lure visitors. |
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| Scenic viewpoint (Mile 52.7) |
| Beyond the Hope Highway junction, the highway twists and turns through steep mountains and thick forests. A number of scenic viewpoints and paved turnouts are located along this stretch of highway. Notice the line of vegetation along the mountainside across the valley-it's an old ditch built in the early 1900s to provide water to sluice gold. |
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| Scenic viewpoint (Mile 47.2) |
| Carpeted in lush wildflowers during the summer, this paved turnout is a favorite photography stop with highway travelers. It overlooks Lower Summit Lake. |
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| Summit Lake Lodge (Mile 45.5) |
| 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. Upper and Lower Summit Lakes provide good summer and fall fishing for Dolly Varden char. (www.summitlakelodge.com) |
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| Quartz Creek Bridge (Mile 42.2) |
| Do the forests along this stretch of the highway look healthy? These rust-red trees have been killed by spruce bark beetles-along with 1.1 million acres of spruce forests on the Kenai Peninsula. |
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| Devil's Pass Trailhead (Mile 39.5) |
| This 9.5-mile hike climbs 1,400 feet from the Seward Highway over Devil's Pass to connect with the Resurrection Pass Trail. Hikers are treated to magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and good fishing for Dolly Varden at Devil's Pass Lake. |
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| Jerome Lake turnout (Mile 38.3) |
| Try your luck for Dolly Varden or rainbow trout. Interpretive signs are provided at the turnout. |
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| Sterling Highway junctions and Tern Lake (Mile 37.7 & Mile 37) |
| Turn on to the Sterling Highway to head toward the Kenai River, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai, and Homer. At mile 37, you'll 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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| Sackett's Kenai Grill (Mile 47.4) |
| Located on the shore of Kenai Lake in Cooper Landing, Sackett's Kenai Grill (907-595-1827) is another good place to stop for food about halfway to Homer. Dinner is their strong suit, with awesome pasta, smoked prime rib, and great soups. |
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| Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge (Mile 47.7) |
| Located about two miles off the highway, this gorgeous lodge's dining room and deck overlook the Kenai River. While the food is on the upscale side of the spectrum-pecan-encrusted halibut, for example-you don't need to dress up to fit in. One Homer local recommends the panzanella salad with blackened halibut, if you spot it on the menu. |
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| Russian River Campground (Mile 52.75) |
| If you're ready to catch your own dinner, just past Cooper Landing is the Russian River, with its famous runs of red salmon. Spend a few hours here (along with all the other combat anglers). |
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| Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (Mile 55) |
| After filling up, you may need a little exercise to aid digestion. If you have your own canoe or kayak, stop for a paddle on Skilak Lake, located in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. For a quick hike with good views, go down Skilak Lake Road, past Hidden Lake campground, to Skilak Lake Overlook Trail. Get a glimpse of Skilak Glacier and look out over the lake. You can be up and back in 1-1.5 hours. Up for something longer? Here are two good day hikes: |
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Depending on time, tackle the Skyline Trail. Right off the Sterling Highway, you'll see a sign on the side of the road at a pullout, about 2-2.5 miles past the Skilak Loop Road turnout. Though just two miles roundtrip, the trail's elevation gain (1,800 feet) pushes your hike to a good five hours. Still, the views of Skilak Lake and the Kenai Mountains are spectacular. |
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Right past Cooper Landing, cross two bridges (the second above the Kenai River) to get to the Resurrection Pass Trail. It's about four miles in to beautiful Juneau Falls. There's some elevation gain in beginning, but switchbacks keep the difficulty down. |
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| Soldotna (Mile 96) |
| Just blow through "Slowdotna" as fast as you can, unless you need to stop and do a little shopping at Fred Meyer. |
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| Clam Gulch (Mile 117) |
| Whenever Cook Inlet tides are -1 or lower, you can harvest razor clams from Clam Gulch beaches. Check with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game for bag limits; you'll need a non-resident fishing license to dig. For a fee, a local lady will clean them for you. |
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| Volcanoes (Mile 157) |
| The town of Anchor Point marks the westernmost point to which you can drive in North America. On a clear day, you'll be able to see five volcanoes-four active and one dormant-from scenic pullouts. These peaks mark the beginning of the Aleutian Chain and are part of the "Ring of Fire," a string of volcanic and seismic hot spots circling the Pacific. The last eruption from these five volcanoes occurred in 1992, when Mt. Spurr dumped a dark cloud of ash over Anchorage. |
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| Homer (Mile 172.8) |
| You've arrived at the end-of-the-road town of Homer, where you'll find world-class halibut fishing, a thriving arts community, and a scenic setting. Another few miles down the road (mile 179.5) takes you to the Spit, a long, narrow finger of land jutting 4.5 miles into beautiful Kachemak Bay-the end of the Sterling Highway. |
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