Alaska is full of beautiful scenery, including that around the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. The area is very accessible by the Seward Highway (on a stretch known as The Turnagain Arm Drive), and the road provides dramatic shoreline views, the water and mountains of the Kenai peninsula to the south, and Chugach State Park’s mountains to the north.
The Turnagain Arm is one of two branches of Cook Inlet. It’s a a muddy flat at low tide with quicksand-like qualities, in areas is several miles wide, and can be dangerous to walk on especially if the tide is pouring in. The Arm is known for its high tides and a bore tide — a series of waves reaching as high as ten feet as they travel at 15 mph from the bay to the shallower inlet.
There are many stops you can make along this stretch of road, some to see the sound, some to visit small towns, go for a hike or to explore glaciers.
Some more scenes from our drive along Turnagain Arm:
