Seward, AK is about 2 1/2 hrs by RV or car and 4 hrs by train from Anchorage. Whatever transportation you choose, your journey out of Anchorage will include a ride along Turnagain Arm. This beautiful stretch of roadway or track offers wildlife viewing opportunities and majestic scenery. The luxury of driving the road to Seward in an RV is that you can stop or pass many sites along the way.
Just on the outskirts of Anchorage is Potters Marsh http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewinglocations.pottermarsh . For you bird watchers out there, this is a must stop as it is habitat for a rich variety of birds, some only found in Alaska. There is ample parking in the lot which can accommodate RVs. Once parked you will find the entrance to the wooden boardwalk which spans 1,550 feet from the parking area through the marsh.
As you continue on your way to Seward, you will enter the 3rd largest state park in the US, Chugach National Park. Shortly thereafter you will pass a weigh station and then you will see a sign for McHugh Creek (MP 110.9). McHugh Creek is a nice stop that offers views of the Turnagain Arm, a beautiful waterfall, a picnic area and several hiking trails. I recommend a quick stop here to take pictures, eat lunch and a short hike. There is a short hike with an excellent vista that begins near the picnic pavilion. Head up this trailhead and you quickly come to a bridge over a waterfall.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
After crossing the bridge the hike becomes steep, but it a short hike (probably only half a mile or so) up the hill til you notice a path off to the right. I believe there are more than one now, so it’s probably the 2nd or 3rd trail off the beaten path that you want to take. This short path will lead you out to the rocky (but safe) edge where you will find a magnificent view. Snap some photos before you head back down the trail.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
Depart McHugh creek and continue south on the highway. You will pass many pull offs including beluga point (MP 109.4), bird point (MP 95.3), and many other unmarked stopping areas. As you are heading South, most of the rest areas on the right side will accommodate RVs. Most of the ones on the left, will not. Take your time on this drive. If you see a lot of cars pulled over, someone has probably spotted some wildlife. In these areas you can see beluga whales in Turnagain Arm (especially if there is a run of red salmon in), dall sheep on the rocky cliffs ( even on the road) or near beluga point, eagles, possibly a bear (if you have binoculars) or a bore tide. http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/14boretidesched.pdf
All Rights Reserved by the author.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
Approximately 30 miles south of Anchorage at approximately MP 90, is the road to turn off to the town of Girdwood. There is a huge gas station at this intersection so it’s hard to miss. If you have time, turn off here to see Anchorage’s ski resort in the town of Girdwood. Drive towards the mountain and then to the left and back to the hotel. There are nice hiking trails there. Girdwood isn’t much of a town, but it has a few things I like. The Double Musky http://www.doublemuskyinn.com is my favorite restaurant in alaska and is located just off the main road at 3 Crow Creek Rd. If it’s dinner time, stop here! If you get there when it opens you won’t have to wait, but go later and the wait times can be as long as 2 hrs. They do not take reservations. After dinner, take a quick ride up Crow Creek Rd to the campground and back. Here you can possibly see bear and moose.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
All Rights Reserved by the author.
Now head back out to the hwy and head South again. You will begin to pass through an area which has many scrawny, dead trees in a low lying marsh. This is a result to the 1964 earthquake. The land here rose and fell and the salt water then penetrated these trees through their roots and killed them. You can see moose in this area at times.
At MP 79 is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center http://www.alaskawildlife.org , hereafter referred to as AWCC. AWCC is a non-profit group which takes in and cares for injured and orphaned alaskan wildlife. Here you can most always see Bears, Moose, Elk, Musk Ox, Eagle, and Wood Bison. At times they also have Sitka Black-tailed Deer, Caribou, Linx and other animals. They charge $12 per adult, $9 for seniors, active military and children (4-12) with a limit of $35 per vehicle. There are BOGO coupons offered in the Northern Lights Coupon Book and the Alaska Toursaver.
Just beyond the conservation center is the Whittier/Portage Glacier Access Road. Turn off here and head to the Portage Glacier area (bear right at the split of the road because left goes to the tunnel to Whittier). Spend some time visiting the Begich Boggs Visitor Center http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/chugach/home/?cid=stelprdb5251094 located at the end of Portage Lake. The BB Visitors center is filled with exhibits about glaciers and the chugach national forrest, a movie theater and offers daily, free informative walks and educational programs hosted by park rangers. At one time Portage Glacier was visible from the visitors center, but it since receded and cannot be viewed there.
There are several other things to do in this area. There is a Portage Glacier Cruise http://www.portageglaciercruises.com which charges $34 adult/$17.00 child (there are also discount coupons in the 2 above mentioned coupon books) to ride an hour long cruise aboard the MV Ptarmigan to base of Portage Glacier. In my opinion, you should skip this cruise if you have the time, money and ability to take the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier or a Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward. Instead, park at the Byron Glacier trail head and get up close and personal with a valley glacier. Or take a walk on the Trail of Blue Ice. I love this trail! It’s and easy trail which walks you past several hanging glaciers, by a stream with red salmon (in season mid July – early Sept), and through some beautiful scenery.
Along the Whittier/Portage Glacier Access Road there are also some campgrounds. Williwaw campground is a favorite with RVers because there are several pull throughs and many wide, open campsites which will accommodate RVs. Black Bear campground is a very small campground, probably better suited to tent camping, but it’s personally my choice when I camp in the area. It is heavily wooded with a small number of primitive campsites. There is also a private campground called Portage Valley Cabins and RV Park which offers RV spots with hookups and a private dump station.
You can read more about both Portage and Byron glaciers in my prior post:
Lastly, if you were to veer to the left where this road splits, you will reach the entrance for the tunnel to Whittier. Whittier is the entrance to Prince William Sound. The only way to get there is through this tunnel (whether by car, RV or train). There is a fee and schedule http://www.dot.state.ak.us/creg/whittiertunnel/schedule.shtml for this tunnel. Some cruises leave out of the Whittier port and really, a cruise tour, ocean cruise or fishing charter is the only reason to go to Whittier. It is only really a sight seeing destination if you are on the water.
RVing Alaska 