One of the World's Great Drives

The Drive Along Turnagain Arm

The 45-minute drive from Anchorage to Girdwood along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the world's great drives, ranking right up there with Italy's Amalfi Drive and the highway along the Rhine south of Coblenz. The Seward Highway linking Anchorage and Seward is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of 15 roads in the United States that has been designated as an "All-American Road."

From beginning to end there are dramatic views of mountain scenery and the inlet.  There's the possibility, too, of seeing the tide come in. Turnagain Arm's bore tide is the second highest in North America, second only to the tide in Canada's Bay of Fundy.

There are additional pullouts as the highway nears Girdwood, including a new one with a short trail from the parking lot along a headland. These last pullouts offer an opportunity to catch a first glimpse of Portage Glacier in the mountains at the far end of the Inlet.

The best spots for eagle watching are near the creeks when the salmon are running and in the dead trees between the highway and the Inlet at the turnoff into Girdwood.

The return trip to Anchorage late in the day offers an equally dramatic and very different drive. On a clear day, the distant Alaska Range may be visible in the fading daylight. On a misty day, the ranks of mountains surrounding the inlet may fade away into the distance.

All photo's taken by Nancy Stull-Stewart