A short drive from 5th Ave, you’ll find this great display of Anchorage’s natural environment, which coexists alongside the industrial port and rail areas that supply much of southcentral Alaska. There are hardly ever any people here, making this a great place, close to downtown, to get a moment of solitude. From the grassy parkland that sits adjacent to the Ship Creek Small Boat Harbor, take in views of downtown Anchorage, the Coastal Trail, Ship Creek, Anchorage’s Harbor, and historic Government Hill, which is home to a few of the oldest homes still standing in the city. If that’s not enough, the road and parking area are elevated above the surrounding mud and sedge flats, which numerous species of shorebirds and waterfowl call home during the summer and winter. Among the birds that frequent this area, you’ll likely see the Hudsonian godwit, turnstones, surfbirds, and least sandpipers that come through during their spring and fall migrations.
