Seward Highway
Anchorage → Seward, AK · ~125 miles · full day (more with stops)
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
One of the most scenic drives in America hugs Turnagain Arm out of Anchorage, then climbs through the Kenai Mountains to the fjord town of Seward — glaciers, hanging valleys, and tidewater the whole way.
Updated July 2026.
Anchorage to the sea, past glaciers and beluga water.
Watch for beluga whales and Dall sheep on Turnagain Arm, ride the tram at Alyeska, and detour to Exit Glacier near the end. Summer light stretches the day for hours.
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the Seward Highway are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Beluga Point, Girdwood / Alyeska, Portage Glacier, Exit Glacier, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Beluga Pointtidal overlook on Turnagain Arm — whales and bore tides — open the stop guideAK
02Girdwood / Alyeskaski-town detour with a tram to alpine views — open the stop guideAK
03Portage Glaciera short spur to a glacier-fed lake and wildlife center — open the stop guideAK
04Exit Glaciera walk-up glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park — open the stop guideAK
05Sewardthe fjord harbor town at the end of the road — open the stop guideAK
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the Seward Highway are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with Double Musky Inn, Jack Sprat, Seven Glaciers Restaurant, The Bake Shop.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- Double Musky Inn
A storied Girdwood dinner stop on the Seward Highway, especially good when the drive becomes a celebratory Alaska night.
- Jack Sprat
A lively Girdwood pick for seasonal Alaska plates before or after the Turnagain Arm run.
- Seven Glaciers Restaurant
AAA Four Diamond restaurant perched at 2,300 feet atop Alyeska, reached by aerial tram with panoramic glacier views.
- The Bake Shop
Ski-town breakfast staple famous for hearty morning plates, sourdough pancakes, and enormous fresh-baked sticky buns.
- Summit Lake Lodge Restaurant
A lakeside Seward Highway meal between Turnagain Arm and the Kenai, useful when the drive becomes a full-day scenic itinerary.
- Chinooks Waterfront
A harborfront Seward meal for the Kenai Fjords side of the highway, easy to pair with a cruise or Exit Glacier day.
- Lone Chicharron Taqueria
Small Seward taqueria serving house-made corn tortillas with chicken, carne asada, carnitas, rockfish, or roasted-corn fillings after a Kenai Fjords day.
- Ray's Waterfront
A harbor-view Seward seafood room that makes the end of the highway feel like an arrival.
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Stay & experience
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Things to do near Seward Highway
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