Drove this road from Anchorage to Seward and back again and the views were amazing. As we drove alongside Turnagain Arm we spotted beluga whales (north of beluga point actually). We pulled off on the side of the road and watched them for at least 20 minutes and it was freaking amazing...easily in my top 10 life experiences. I mean where else are you going to see WILD beluga whales?! Pass Turnagain arm and you drive through mountains and pass glaciers the whole way to Seward. Do yourself a favor and stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It is well worth the money and you get up close and personal with the animals there. Portage glacier and lake are near there, as well. read more

"I'm supertramp." Ok, I'm not really "Alexander Supertramp" (the alias of Chris McCandless during his ill-fated Alaska Adventure), but I found myself listening to the soundtrack to his cinematic story (Into The Wild) when driving the Seward Highway Scenic Byway. You see, I was in Anchorage for a conference and had penciled in a few extra "me" days before work, so I found myself racking my brain for cold crisp adventures around Anchorage. If I had the time and it was a month or two earlier, I would have loved to hit Denali and see the Aurora Borealis, but timing prevent that. I could have explored Anchorage and nearby areas. But as I sat in my hotel room the first night in Anchorage, I looked at a map and chose a trip to Seward. The main pull: Seward Highway Scenic Byway, and its 127-miles. The drive certainly is filled with majesty. You quickly leave the "hustle & bustle" of Anchorage and then venture along the water of the Cook Inlet's Turnagain Arm. Here you see icy cold water and are surrounded by high mountain bluffs. Once you leave the water you begin to cruise through massive glacier-cut valleys of the Kenai Pennisula. Forget Texas, everything is bigger in Alaska! The drive through these valleys and mountains was my favorite part of the drive. Even though it was cold and the mountains were lightly covered with snow and ice, they all were a blanketed beauty. You really have to be careful here to not get whiplash due to looking at all the views during this drive (oh, and don't take pictures with your phone while you're driving. Save that for the dummies *ahem, ahem*). The drive is 127miles, but for me, the drive went slower (you will find yourself looking around quite a bit). Making many stops is mandatory. The drive is also curvy, and the speed limits are certainly not 70 miles/hr! Oh, be sure to fuel up before taking this drive. There is plenty of empty miles along the way. After about 3-4hrs of driving, Seward sneaks up on ya. I approached Seward around supper time, and was going to go straight into town and look for provisions and lodging, but there was a turn out for Exit Glacier just outside of town. I had to go. It's a short 7-10miles off the Highway. When you get your first glimpses of the glacier, it certainly is impressive, BUT....the road was closed off 2miles from the Glacier. Oh well, I snapped a few far-away shots, and made my way to the end of the Seward Highway Scenic Byway. Seward is a bit anti-climatic. It's a really small sea town. There are a few hotels, restaurants, and bars. I think it must get bustling here during the summer tourist season (boats launch from here to check out the Kenai glaciers. read more

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