Seward Highway
127 miles from Anchorage to Seward: first along Turnagain Arm under the Chugach Mountains, then up through lakes and passes of the Kenai Peninsula.
Photo: Enrico Blasutto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Length127 miles[1]
- Drive timeAbout five hours of driving, or two days to enjoy the whole byway[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
- RoadsNot verified
- Start and endAnchorage to Seward[1]
- Fees and passesNo fee for the highway; some attractions charge.[1]
- Best seasonNot verified
- SurfaceNot verified
- Vehicle notesNot verified
- Seasonal closuresNot verified
Before you go
Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.
About the drive
The Seward Highway is Alaska's All-American Road. For its first 50 miles it runs between the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm, where the Alaska DOT says beluga whales, Dall sheep, waterfalls and eagles are common sights. Watch for the arm's bore tides, too.
Past Girdwood the road turns inland and climbs through the mountains of the Kenai Peninsula, past Summit Lake, Tern Lake and Moose Pass, before dropping to Seward on Resurrection Bay.
Allow about five hours of driving, or two days if you want to hike, stop in Hope or Girdwood, or visit Exit Glacier at the Seward end.
Stops along the way
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Potter Marsh
Wetland boardwalk just south of Anchorage.
Official information · 61.05611, -149.79725 · about 0.1 mi from the route line
-
Girdwood
Mountain town off the highway along Turnagain Arm.
Official information · 60.9425, -149.16641 · about 0.2 mi from the route line
-
Summit Lake
Alpine lake where swans stop on spring and fall migrations.
Official information · 60.63134, -149.50768 · about 0.2 mi from the route line
-
Tern Lake
At the Seward and Sterling Highway junction; nesting terns and trumpeter swans in May and June.
Official information · 60.53148, -149.5457 · about 0.2 mi from the route line
-
Moose Pass
Small town beside Trail Lakes.
Official information · 60.51639, -149.47919 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Food along the way
Farmers markets within about 25 miles
- Anchorage Midtown MarketAnchorage, AK · about 0.1 mi from the route
- O'Malley Castle MarketAnchorage, AK · about 0.1 mi from the route
- Seward Farmers MarketSeward, AK · about 0.2 mi from the route
- South Anchorage Farmers' MarketAnchorage, AK · about 0.2 mi from the route
- The Center MarketAnchorage, AK · about 0.2 mi from the route
Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.
Sources
- America's Byways: Seward Highway (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Seward Highway, Alaska's Scenic Byways (Alaska DOT&PF) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Tern Lake (USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.
Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).