Seward Highway Scenic Drive Round Trip Anchorage to Seward

It's known for its excellent birding, with about 130 different species found here. You might see bald eagles, northern pintails, Canada geese, canvasback ducks, northern harriers, Arctic terns, and trumpeter swans here, and that's just scratching the surface.

The largest state parks in the entire country, Chugach State Park. We're talking half a million acres large. It's a gorgeous park, full of lakes, tundra, and a variety of different forest ecosystems.

The Turnagain Arm is that body of water right there. It's a narrow channel coming off of the Gulf of Alaska, and more specifically, one of two offshoots of the Cook Inlet.

From this trailhead, it's only a short walk to a 20-foot waterfall. If we're looking for just a short stop, we can be in and out in 10 minutes--though I must mention that there is a small parking fee.

The name comes from the fact that, yes, it can be a lucky spot to see beluga whales. These white whales are much smaller than some other whales, reaching only 12 to 16 feet in length.

We're now approaching the Indian Valley Mine. A prospector named Peter Strong came to Alaska in 1898, and his mine is one of only a few that operated for any significant amount of time.

You'll find a few sculptures of beluga whales, some interpretive signs, telescopes for wildlife-watching, and an access point for the Bird to Gird Trail.

If you're a skier, you may know Girdwood as the home of Alyeska, Alaska's largest ski resort. But there's more to do here than just shred the pow.

In the winter, this is ground zero for excellent alpine skiing. In the summer, you can hike on some of the ski trails or explore the trail network on a mountain bike.

In its four round-trip miles, this moderate trail travels through a temperate rainforest ecosystem and a gorge, and has lovely views of icy blue creeks.

It gets its name from the Chugach Native Alaskans, though that's the name white settlers gave them. They call themselves the Sugpiaq, which comes from the phrase "real people" in their language. They're also sometimes called the Alutiiq, which is just fine, too. The Chugach is the second-largest of all the country's national forests at more than 5 million acres.

This is a classic glacially carved valley, but unlike in so many other such valleys, the glacier that carved it is still here--and wow, is it a sight.

They can just wander anywhere they want! So there's never a guarantee that you're going to spot that moose, or bear, or ruby-crowned kinglet you're so excited to see.

Byron Glacier occupies the valley just west of Portage, and it makes for a gorgeous hike. It's an easy 3 miles round trip, flat, and takes about an hour and a half to hike.

It's a nice spot to stop and do some wildlife watching, if anyone's in the mood. It's a wet area, so that means you might spot moose or beavers.

The Inuit people of Alaska's Arctic tell legends about the Qalupalik, terrifying monsters with long hair, long fingernails, and green, scaly skin. They lurk in the Arctic Ocean, where open water meets the ice, waiting to snatch kids who wander too far from their parents.

If anyone needs a snack or a bathroom break, this is a great place for it. Word is that the name of the town comes from an incident in 1903 between a dogsled-driving mailman and a moose, in which the moose caused a significant delivery delay.

Fed by glaciers and surrounded by mountains, it sure is pretty in its own right. But the lake has another claim to fame: It's the headwaters of the Kenai River, one of the world's most beloved fishing destinations.

Well, the first 4.5 miles aren't so bad--they're pretty flat, and wind through a spruce-hemlock forest. But after that, things get wild. It's not even really a trail, as hikers have to slog through mud, climb downed trees, cross big streams, and crash through thick bushes to follow it.