These Alaska Towns Have The Best Views In The State

With jaw-dropping glacier-carved fjords and home to North America's tallest peak, five Alaska towns showcase some of the state's most breathtaking views. In Homer, the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival celebrates the spring arrival of thousands of migrating birds, while near Girdwood, Turnagain Arm's bore tide sends a wall of water racing up the inlet. Seward is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park and its nearly 40 glaciers; Talkeetna offers stunning views of Denali on clear days; and in Valdez, you can watch bears fish the summer salmon runs. Glaciers, wildlife, and sweeping panoramas await at every stop.

Seward

On the southeastern coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Seward, Alaska, sits at the head of Resurrection Bay, where mountains rise straight out of the water in Southcentral Alaska. As the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward offers spectacular views. The Park contains the Harding Icefield, the source of at least 38 glaciers and numerous fjords. Cruise tours from Seward offer access to the Park via Resurrection Bay, and various companies offer tours that showcase both land and marine wildlife. Exit Glacier is a short drive from town, and Seward Lookout & Nash Road offer a high vantage point with panoramic views, plus access to local Iditarod Trail segments.

Homer

Homer, Alaska, on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula, looks across Kachemak Bay to a wall of glaciated peaks. The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is held annually in early May, when more than 100,000 shorebirds from 25 different species visit the area. Trails around the bay offer some incredible views. Diamond Creek Trail leads to Cook Inlet Beach, where at low tide, interesting creatures like sea stars, anemones, crabs, and sometimes octopuses are exposed. Watch for eagles, sea otters, and even whales. Homer is the gateway to Alaska's best bear viewing. You can take a short flight to remote bear-viewing areas where bears often gather for a safe, up-close experience.

Girdwood

Near the end of the Turnagain Arm waterway, Girdwood, Alaska, is surrounded by glaciers that feed into it. Tour companies in Girdwood offer guided glacier-hiking adventures for those who want to get up close to a glacier, or you could take a helicopter flightseeing tour. The Alyeska Resort Aerial Tramway is a seven-minute ride that lifts you more than 2,000 feet above sea level, where you will find breathtaking panoramic views of mountains, hanging glaciers, streams, spruce, and an array of wildlife. The Turnagain Arm Bore Tide is a sight to see, where rapidly rising tides are forced up, forming a raised front and creating a big wave. As one of the largest in the world, it can climb to around 6 feet (occasionally higher) and travel 10-15 miles per hour.

Talkeetna

Talkeetna, Alaska, sits where three glacial rivers meet: the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna. Its block-long Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features turn-of-the-20th-century log cabins and clapboard storefronts. At the end of Main Street is Riverfront Park, where the rivers meet, and North America's tallest peak, Mount Denali (Mount McKinley), along with Mount Foraker and Mount Hunter, rise over the riverbank. Denali Viewpoint South, a state park pullout, has one of the best roadside views of Denali in the state. For views of glaciers, icefalls, and the mountain's huge walls, consider a flightseeing trip. Some flights even land on a glacier. Jetboat tours take you into the Alaskan wilderness, and nearby Denali State Park offers guided wilderness hikes and kayaking tours.

Valdez

Valdez, Alaska, a coastal port city on the eastern side of Prince William Sound, is surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, a sheer wall of jagged, snow-capped peaks that rise steeply from the water and surrounding fjords. Experience the grandeur of Valdez's glaciers, starting with the most accessible, Worthington Glacier. You can see it from the road, but the State Recreation Site offers an up-close experience. Visit the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery, which attracts bears who fish the salmon runs and the falls beside it. A glacier and wildlife cruise or kayaking expedition will take you to some of the largest and most picturesque tidewater glaciers, including Meares Glacier. You will also see wildlife such as humpback whales, orcas, harbor seals, and sea otters. From fall through spring, you can see the breathtaking Northern Lights.

In a single day near Valdez or Seward, you can go from mossy coastal rainforest to a glacier's blue ice face to a fjord where sea otters float past icebergs. Bears fish the same rivers they always have, eagles line the shores, and glaciers still carve the land. Each season reshapes the scenery, from summer's near-endless daylight to fall's golden tundra to winter's northern lights. Visit these five towns, and you'll find that Alaska is one of the few places where you feel like a guest in nature rather than the other way around.