Independence Day fireworks in Seward shortly after midnight PHOTO BY LOREN HOLMES
YOUR GUIDE TO AN EPIC SEWARD HIGHWAY ROAD TRIP
By K A T I E P E S Z N E C K E R
A
nchorage visitors feeling wanderlust can escape the city for a road trip on the scenic Seward Highway, a spectacular experience that offers surprising diversions, culminating in the historic harbor town of Seward. This renowned 125-mile roadway goes south from Anchorage, sailing alongside a slender slip of water called Turnagain Arm. Ascending into the dramatic Chugach and Kenai Mountains, ancient glaciers wink through summertime greenery. Passing bedroom communities, ramshackle roadhouses and pristine alpine lakes, the highway arrives at last in Seward, on the edge of Resurrection Bay. The time-pressed traveler could make it to Seward and back in one long, full day, logging five-plus hours of road travel alone. Don’t rush it: this memorable trip is better enjoyed across two or more days and nights, allowing for lingering stops to appreciate the Alaska scenery and character, history and dining offered by small towns along the way.
For hikers, the user-friendly Winner Creek Trail begins just behind the picturesque Hotel Alyeska. For a challenge, tackle the south end of the 21-mile Crow Pass Trail, which connects Girdwood to Eagle River’s outskirts north of Anchorage. The first few miles of the Girdwood end of this storied trail wind upward from Girdwood, with breathtaking views of glaciers, remnants of long-gone gold mining and jagged mountaintops. Girdwood’s dining options are impressively aplenty. Begin at a local icon, The Bake Shop (194 Olympic Mountain Loop), open as of press time Thursday through Monday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. A morning-time staple for 40-plus years, the Bake Shop features home-style favorites like sourdough pancakes and sweet rolls. For lunch, the shop switches gears to scratch homemade soups and sandwiches on fresh-baked bread.
Located at 535 Second Ave. in the Historic Empress Theater Upstairs in the Co-Op Plaza.
GIRDWOOD About 45 minutes south of Anchorage, Girdwood is a laid-back ski town that relocated inland a few miles from the highway after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. For Alaskans and visitors alike, Girdwood is a recreation mecca. Winter slopes and ski lifts are transformed to host downhill mountain biking come summer. Paved paths thread throughout town, offering an opportunity to take in scenery at slow pace. It’s a charming collection of memorable restaurants, art galleries, ski chalets and condos.
Dog Mushing
museum
Summer, Daily: 11– 5pm Winter, Daily: 11– 3pm
ADMISSION FREE(907) 457-3669
Exhibits: Exhi bits:
Winter in Fairbanks • The Great Flood • Klondike Gold Rush Early Fairbanks • The Driving Spirit (Dog Mushing) • Monthly Art Show
VISITORS’ GUIDE •
2022 —
ALASKA
61
