Day Trips South Of Anchorage

Head South For Oceans and Mountains Slideshow Places

The Kenai has it all – scenery, adventure, beauty, fish and hiking trails. The Seward Highway starts in downtown Anchorage as "Gambell Street." It soon turns into a multi-lane highway going through South Anchorage – with the southbound lane called "Seward Highway" and the northbound lane called "Ingra."

Be careful as you head down the Seward Highway into the Kenai Peninsula, because this is a busy road with hurried drivers. Pull over often to catch the views and let others pass.

Adventure awaits when you head south of Anchorage

Turnagain Whale Watching

Downtown Girdwood

Resurrection Bay View In Seward

Turnagain Whale Watching

1/8

Day Trips South Into The Kenai Peninsula

South On The Seward Highway

Turnagain Arm

South Of Anchorage, Seward Highway

This is a beautiful drive south of Anchorage, on the Seward Highway. The first stop is Potter Marsh, but you can keep going and the scenery is beautiful. There are spectacular views of the inlet, mountains and wildlife on nearby cliffs. Many people go down here in the evening.

Girdwood

Mile 99 Seward Highway

Girdwood is part of the Anchorage Municipality, but it has a mind of its own. This is Alaska's skiing center, and the town was built around Mt. Alyeska. Crow Creek Mine, off the access road to Girdwood, is one of the best roadside locations in Alaska where you can pan for gold and poke around old mine cabins.

Portage

Mile 79 Seward Highway, Mile 5 Portage Valley Road

The Begich-Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Glacier is a Chugach National Forest facility. It’s located on the shores of Portage Lake, which not long ago was filled with ice from nearby Portage Glacier. The glacier has receded, and you can learn about it at the center. The Forest Service Visitor Center has all-new displays. There are several campgrounds and trails along the entrance road.

Whittier

Mile 79 Seward Highway, Mile x Portage Valley Road

The town of Whittier is accessible through a unique tunnel that's shared by motorists and the Alaska Railroad, on a rotating basis every half hour. Call 1-877-611-2586 for the schedule. Fees for tunnel use are based on the size and class of the vehicle.

Online information is available from the Alaska Department of Transportation.

Hope

Mile 56 Seward Highway, Mile 17 Hope Road

Raft the famous Six-Mile River
Fishing at Resurrection Creek
Hope’s historic buildings
Hiking the Resurrection Trail
Looking for beluga whales
Hope’s trails: Gull Rock, Wagon Road, Hope Point, & Twin Lakes

Ask at the Hope Museum for directions.

Moose Pass

Mile 30 Seward Highway

A very scenic area with many recreational opportunities. You can camp on Kenai Lake and hike on Forest Service trails. This is a photo of the working waterwheel in Moose Pass. There's even a grindstone connected to this historic device.

Seward

Mile 1 Seward Highway

Seward is a fishing town that’s wildly popular with Anchorage residents, who can drive here in three hours for the weekend. Kenai Fjords National Park headquarters are in Seward, as is the SeaLife Center. Tour boats will take you into the national park.

The Kenai Fjords National Park is based in Seward. Much of the park is accessible by boat or kayak. Near Seward, Exit Glacier emerges from the Harding Icefield and there are trails up to the ice.

Cooper Landing

Mile 37 Seward Highway, Mile 49 Sterling Highway

The fishing here is world famous – and continues through late fall, when you can catch massive rainbow trout. The famous Russian River is a great place to learn how to fish with streamers.

In the Cooper Landing area, the Kenai River is restricted to boats and rafts without motors. This makes Cooper Landing an excellent location for serious fishermen, and their families.