Dall Sheep Viewing at Sheep Mountain, Glenn Highway

This spectacular ridge dominates the Glenn Highway for almost 15 miles, climaxing one of the state’s most scenic mountain drives. The massif—about 120 road miles northeast of Anchorage—feels immense and wide open, with great vistas of its 3,000-foot slopes possible from just about any place along the highway. The terrain lives up to its name, too, especially toward the northeastern end, where the peaks top out above 6,000 feet. (High point is 6,441-foot Gunsight Mountain, a landmark.) These south-facing slopes can concentrate large numbers of sheep that are especially visible after green-up in the spring. Lodges in the area provide spotting scopes and good advice, and there are several pullouts and trailheads with safe parking. To preserve its extraordinary sheep viewing potential, the whole area has been closed to sheep hunting since before Alaska statehood.