Drive 308.5 miles • 7 hours, 13 minutes

Don’t take a trip to this popular Alaska playground unless you’re ready to marvel at towering glaciers, jumping salmon and colorful remnants of Russian culture. Keep the camera handy for jaw-dropping sightings of the wildlife that flourish in the area. 

1. Anchorage

Starting Point • Entertainment, History, Shopping

Alaska’s rich cultural heritage finds expression at Anchorage’s revered cultural institutions. Boasting more than 600 Native objects including art, tools, masks and household implements, the Anchorage Museum traces 10,000 years of human settlement from early subsistence villages to exploration, Russian settlement, gold-rush frenzy, statehood in 1959 and modern oil dependency. Facing the Chugach Mountains, the Alaska Native Heritage Center connects visitors to Native cultures through well-conceived exhibits. While in town, enjoy all the amenities that a major city can offer.

RECOMMENDED STOPOVERS

Anchorage Ship Creek RV Park – Anchorage, AK – (907) 277-0877

2. Portage Glacier

55.8 miles, 1 hour, 17 minutes • Nature, Outdoor Recreation

The two-lane Seward Highway hugs the Turnagain Arm as it funnels south on the way to Portage Glacier. This stunning journey brings visitors face-to-face with an ethereal landscape brimming with wildlife. To see Portage Glacier, head toward Whittier, where you can view the glacier at a pullout just beyond the first tunnel. Or, for the optimal experience, take a half-day boat cruise operated by Gray Line of Alaska, the only operator on beautiful Portage Lake.

3. Seward

83.5 miles, 1 hour, 50 minutes • History, Nature

The small town of Seward has long lured travelers to its atmospheric tangle of streets lined with wood-frame houses and historic storefronts emblazoned with murals. Located by the broad fjord of Resurrection Bay, life here still pivots around the atmospheric dock. Seward’s main attraction is the Alaska SeaLife Center, a research institution, and aquarium where you can view seabirds, harbor seals, octopuses and sea lions in three spectacular exhibits. Check out the exhibits dedicated to the 1964 Good Friday earthquake at the Seward Museum.

4. Sterling

81.3 miles, 1 hour, 53 minutes • Outdoor Recreation, Sports

The Sterling Highway region is one of the nation’s top spots for sport fishing. The mouth of the Kenai River, an 82-mile body of water renowned for its salmon fishing, begins at Skilak Lake, just 10 miles southeast of Sterling. King and sockeye salmon are abundant during June and July; pink salmon is at its most prolific in August; and coho salmon is on the menu from August to October. Many experienced outfitters offer boat charters and day/overnight camping-canoe fishing trips focused on rainbow trout and red or silver salmon catches.

5. Ninilchik

50.5 miles, 1 hour, 15 minutes • History, Outdoor Recreation, Sports

Ninilchik was settled in the early 1800s by Russian colonists. Many of the settlers remained when Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. (for the bargain price of two cents per acre), and their descendants still congregate at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Church. The main attraction is fishing (halibut or salmon), and the impassioned pursuit of razor clams at Clam Gulch. If you want to partake in the digging ritual, you’ll need to obtain a sport fishing license.

6. Homer

37.4 miles, 58 minutes • Outdoor Recreation, Sports

Homer, an eccentric town with a stunning backdrop, is where you can catch a halibut as heavy as an NFL lineman—up to a whopping 300 pounds. Of course, you’ll need to use thick lines that look like they could hoist a Chevy truck from the ocean depths; you’ll also need help from a friendly charter crew. The halibut fishing season runs from late April until mid-September. The small boat harbor is the hub of all Homer activity and, as one of the best facilities in Southcentral Alaska, it’s chock full of charter boats that take you out to various fishing spots.