From Anchorage: Alaska Wildlife Center & Turnagain Arm Tour by Alaska’s Finest Tours and Adventures

After a brisk walk from The Wildbirch Hotel - JDV by Hyatt to the offices of Alaska’s Finest, we settled in with coffee from Urban Wilderness Alaskan Fare Coffee & Tea before boarding our comfortable minibus at 11:00am. Our guide, Ben, a member of the Tlingit culture, immediately enriched the trip with local wisdom - including a vital safety tip to use Turo for rental cars with snow studs, as standard rental agencies often provide inadequate all-season tires for Alaska’s harsh winters.

As we merged onto the Seward Highway toward Beluga Point, Ben balanced storytelling with science. He detailed the history of Alaska Natives and the power of Village Corporations, who remain the state’s largest landowners after the federal government.

 

Turnagain Arm

It was absolutely incredible to see the slushy blocks of ice and snow float in the arm. The Glacier Slit was fascinating.

Driving from here to our stop in Girdwood, Ben taught us about the village corporations and how powerful they are. Behind the US government, the Village Corporations own the most amount of land in Alaska.

Unfortunately, the cold weather wouldn’t be able to illuminate the uniqueness of the bore tide. However, the basic science of it is that fresh water and saltwater meet within the arm.

Ben also pointed out the dead trees on the way to Girdwood, as the lasting effects of the Anchorage earthquake and the land shift that happened. This part of the tour provided a diverse look at the region’s landscape and wildlife.

Lunch in Girdwood

We stopped at a strip mall for Subway, a bathroom break and to walk around.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

After stopping in Girdwood, Ben drove us to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The Center is a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and providing a permanent home for orphaned and injured animals. Located at the southern tip of Turnagain Arm, the 200 acre facility allowed us to observe iconic Alaskan species in large, naturalistic enclosures.

The center is renowned for its success in wildlife conservation, most notably its role in the wood bison restoration project. Despite the rain, we saw moose, lynx, and coyotes in their natural habitats. The animals were healthy and well-cared for, offering a great opportunity for photography even while the bears remained tucked away.

Because the animals are well-cared for and comfortable in their surroundings, it is one of the most reliable places in the state for photographers and nature lovers to see these creatures without the unpredictability of a backcountry trek.

Portage Glacier Road: Glacier Drive By

 Portage Glacier Road is a six-mile scenic corridor that carves through the Portage Valley, connecting the Seward Highway to the gateway of Prince William Sound. As you drive through this dramatic landscape, you are traveling over ground that was covered by massive sheets of ice just a century ago. Today, the road is lined with stunning viewpoints of “hanging” glaciers – such as Explorer, Middle, and Byron – which cling to the steep mountain walls.

Driving toward the Whittier Tunnel, I caught glimpses of brilliant blue ice peeking through the snow. It was a beautiful “glacier drive-by” that reminded me of my time in Banff and Jasper.

Whittier Tunnel

We learned about the unique town of Whittier, where the entire population lives in one building, and noted the $12 toll required to traverse the two-mile tunnel through the mountain.

Whittier, Alaska, is one of the most unique municipalities in the United States, famously known as the “town under one roof.” Nearly all of its approximately 270 residents live within the Begich Towers, a 14-story former military barracks completed in 1957. This vertical neighborhood allows the community to bypass the town’s notoriously harsh weather, which can see upwards of 250 inches of snow and 80-mph winds annually.

The Begich Towers functions as a self-contained ecosystem, housing far more than just private apartments. Within the walls of this single structure, residents have access to a post office, a grocery store, a small health clinic, a laundromat, and the city government offices. Even the local school is connected to the towers via an underground tunnel, ensuring that children can attend classes safely without ever having to step out into the freezing Alaskan elements.

Accessing this secluded community is an adventure in itself, as the town is reachable by land only through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. At 2.5 miles long, it is the longest combined vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America, featuring a single lane that alternates directions every half hour. This logistical bottleneck, combined with the town’s history as a secret World War II military port, preserves Whittier’s status as a fascinating, isolated outpost at the edge of the Prince William Sound.

Alyeska Resort

We returned to Girdwood and turned up for a stop at Alyeska Resort. Located about 40 miles south of Anchorage, Alyeska Resort is a mountain destination, renowned for its steep terrain. It’s known for the “North Face,” North America’s longest continuous double-black diamond run. While the resort is a major draw for those on the Ikon Pass, I’d considered but ultimately decided to skip snowboarding on this particular trip. It was still a “cute” and worthwhile stop just an hour outside the city.

If the weather hadn’t been so mixed, our group would have opted for taking the Alyeska Aerial Tram, which takes you 2,300 feet up to the summit for panoramic views of seven different glaciers and the Turnagain Arm.

Alaska Wild Berry Products

Our last stop was at the Alaska Wild Berry Products store. This was a cute stop – with the world’s largest chocolate waterfall, a 20-foot-tall fountain. It was – a vision to see. Plus, the store was a great location to pick up some memento gifts.

Overall

Overall, the Alaska Wildlife Center & Turnagain Arm Tour by Alaska’s Finest Tours and Adventures was a solid choice of something to do for a day long activity in Anchorage. It was comfortable, I met new and interesting people and didn’t have to worry about driving.

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