The Seward Highway in Alaska is a picturesque drive that stretches for about 125 miles from Anchorage through Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to Seward. This scenic route is studded with jaw-dropping vistas, unique geological formations, and ample opportunities to witness wildlife. With the Turnagain Arm on one side and the Chugach National Forest on the other, this highway is my favorite in Alaska. Here are, in my opinion, the best 10 stops. Most of them are dog friendly.
The Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier in the United States that is accessible by car. It is a testament to the raw, unspoiled grandeur of Alaska. Stretching over 27 miles in length and 4 miles in width, this titan of ice sparkles in brilliant shades of blue, directly visible from the Glenn Highway of Alaska. Through a guided, dog friendly hiking tour, you will be able to walk on this natural wonder, immerse into a world of ice, history, and profound beauty, and make a memory with your fur baby.
Few experiences in Alaska are as awe-inspiring as a bear-watching tour at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. Have you seen a photo of bears standing at the top of a waterfall waiting for salmons to jump into their mouths? That’s what this tour is all about. To get this unforgettable experience, you will have to pay a great amount of effort and money for limited time being close to Alaska’s iconic brown bears. Was it worth it? Absolutely, if watching wildlife is on your bucket list for your Alaska trip.
Most people who travel to Alaska fly to Anchorage first and then hop on different tours from there. They treat Anchorage like a transit hub and do not plan enough time to explore the city and its surroundings. Ariel and I spent a few days around Anchorage during our Alaska roadtrip and had a wonderful summer time there. Here’s a list of places we liked within about 1 hour drive from Anchorage.
Columbia Glacier at Columbia Bay of Prince William Sound, Alaska, is one of the fastest retreating glaciers in the world due to climate changes. The hope is, now that the glacier has almost retreated to land, it will stop retreating and start approaching again at some time. The tour of kayaking to the face of Columbia Glacier starts from Valdez, Alaska and is a popular one. Although not dog friendly, I highly recommend this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Stewart-Cassiar Highway is British Columbia Highway 37 that goes from Kitimat, BC all the way to the Yukon Territory border. As part of my roadtrip to Alaska, I drove the northernmost section from the Yellowhead Highway junction in BC to the Alaska Highway junction in Yukon Territory. A two-lane road in the middle of complete wilderness, Stewart-Cassiar Highway has become my favorite highway so far even though I drove in gloomy weather.
Yellowhead Highway is the nickname of a major highway in West Canada – Highway 16. I drove the section from Prince George, BC (east) to Kitwanga, BC (west) as part of my roadtrip to Alaska. I didn’t expect all the highways on this roadtrip to be scenic and special. Yellowhead Highway was one of those routes for which my expectation was low. However, it proved me wrong.
The famous Sea to Sky Highway is the most scenic section of Highway 99 in British Columbia, Canada that runs from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton. As the name suggests, you will get incredible views from the ocean to mountains on the highway. In addition, this scenic route gets you to many beautiful provincial parks along the way.
I don’t understand why North Cascades National Park doesn’t get as much hype as other national parks. It has spectacular views, dog friendly hiking trails, and an epic main driveway. So far, it is my favorite national park mainly because it’s much more dog friendly than others.
Although national parks are not very dog friendly, we were able to find some spots for Ariel to enjoy Olympic National Park. This’s our easy-to-follow two-day itinerary.