We always get asked by those visiting Alaska, “We are visiting Anchorage and want to drive, but which way do we go?” Visitors can’t decide whether to drive to Denali or Seward. This post takes a look at driving from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska. SO if your into sea life and want to see glaciers and Whales. This trip is right for you. Come with us on a journey as we drive to Seward and see all the sights Alaska has to offer.
The journey from Anchorage is about 160 miles long and will take 3 hours if you drive straight there. But I would suggest making it an all day trip. There is so much to see and so many places to stop that it will take you all day to take it all in.
Driving south from Anchorage, the first part is Turnagain arm. This part of the highway can be the most dangerous so please keep an eye out. It’s a one lane highway and being awestuck can keep your eyes off the road so please stay aware while driving. But there are plenty of pull offs to stop and take wonderful pictures.
After driving for about 30 or 40 minutes, you will come up on Girdwood. This is a stop that I make all the time on my way to Seward. It’s a Gas Station, with a small strip mall on the side. You can grab a bite to eat and a sweet treat, and a souvenir. We will touch on Girdwood in a later post. Girdwood has so much to do that a second trip will need to be planned just to get all what Girdwood has to offer.
After getting gas and something to eat, It’s time to get back on the road. But not too far down the road is the way to Whitter and the Portage Glacier. I really love driving to Whitter, It has the Famous mile long, one way tunnel. A tunnel that also allows the Alaska Railroad to go through. But we will talk more about Whitter in a late post too. As it has tons of stuff and history that goes along with it.
The road to Seward has camp sites all along the road allowing for you to stop and spend the night and look at the scenery along the way. And even though the road is only 160 miles to Seward, make it a day trip.
Once you enter Seward you will notice the port with all the boats. It’s a wonderful site to see. This is where you are going to catch a fjord tours, these tours are worth their weight in gold! These tours are where you are going to see alot of wildlife, from sea lions to whales. And if your lucky you may even catch a Killer Whale sighting.
If your looking for more to do in Seward might I suggest the Alaska Sealife Center. It’s packed full of Alaska’s Sealife and there’s even a place to get really up close and personal with some of Alaska’s Birds. They even have packages where you can get REALLY close to Otters and Sealions. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to touch Alaska’s wildlife. You can visit Here, and learn more about those experiences at the Alaska Sealife Center.
While in Seward, you’re gonna wanna grab a bite to eat and relax. There are really great places to eat, but there isn’t enough time to eat at all of them. There is one spot that I always stop by, and that’s the Seward Brewing Company. There is alot of history in the build alone. (You can read all about it here.) At the Seward Brewing Co. you can grab a pizza and beer (Great Beer) and just chat with others about their adventures.
It was a fun and exciting day for me as I drove a wonderful, beautiful highway thinking to myself, “How did I get so lucky to live in a state that so much dream of coming to?”. I really don’t know! But I do know that I live every day excited to be in Alaska.