We were one week into our Adventure Road Trip and had made it from Fairbanks to Seward. Make sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of our trip! Our visitors still had a few days to spend in Alaska and we were headed back up towards Anchorage. This bonus entry starts with us leaving Seward and catching a few more activities we had passed on the way down.
Activity #20: Bear Creek Weir
Bear Creek Weir is just on the outskirts of Seward. Being that our trip was at the end of May, the salmon run was just starting so we thought we’d go check it out and spot some salmon!
The weir is an important element in maintaining salmon levels in Resurrection Bay, specifically sockeye and coho salmon. Salmon are released at various locations along the Cook Inlet and when they return to spawn, they are stopped with weirs like this to encourage population growth in the specific area rather than traveling further upstream. Annual returns are estimated to be around 400,000. This weir is easy to get to, as it’s just on the side of the road when driving to Bear Lake. There is no fishing allowed, unless you’re a bear…We didn’t happen on bears this visit but it’s always important to be bear aware! Activity #21: Portage Glacier Tour
After continuing on our drive back north, we stopped to take a glacier tour of Portage Glacier. If you read about the beginning and middle of our trip, you’ll remember that we lucked out on some great weather previously, but this day was rainy, wet, and cold! The boat we were on had giant windows and it was warm for those of us that opted to view from indoors, but there was also an option to go out to view the glacier and scenery from outside as well. The scenery was spectacular with waterfalls and steep mountain peaks! This is a popular glacier for viewing glacier calving, though we didn’t get to experience that this time. Though privately run, the tour was narrated by a state park ranger who gave fascinating information on the formation and history of glaciers. We highly recommend this tour!
Activity #22: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
No, we didn’t see any bears in the wild during this trip - much to the disappointment of our visitors…so we got our wildlife fix in at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
The AWCC is dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care. The center takes in injured or orphaned animals - most of whom become permanent residents - and provides them a safe home with quality care. You can tour the 1.5 mile loop by car or on foot and learn about Alaska’s wildlife in over 200 acres of enclosures. Activity #23: Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour
Our next stop was to check into our next lodging facility at Knik River Lodge. After a scenic drive past Anchorage and into Palmer, We rented a few of their lovely cabins for a few nights. It was from the lodge that we caught our glacier helicopter tour!
Knik Glacier averages 25 miles long and 5 miles across, and 200 feet thick(!) making it one of the largest glaciers in south central Alaska. Our tour through Alaskan Helicopter Tours included three landings. Our first stop was at Lake George, a glacially fed alpine lake with massive icebergs. Our second stop was at the peak of the mountain overlooking the spectacular view of the Knik and Colony Glaciers. Our last stop was truly the most incredible, when we landed on Knik Glacier. We were given cramp-ons to fit over our shoes to prevent sliding as we explored the hundreds year old ice and even drank from the blue glacier pool we landed next too. With no better way of putting it, the entire experience gave us a high that will stay with us in our memories forever. We only wish we had remembered our water bottles to bring back some delicious Glacier water to those in our group who hadn’t joined us. If you ever get the chance to get up close and personal with a glacier, do it!! Safely, of course.
Activity #24: Reindeer Farm
After our tour, we drove over to one of our favorite places, the Williams Reindeer Farm. You might’ve thought we had our fill of reindeer in the first part of our trip but if you did, you highly underestimated our love for these beautiful and interesting animals. This was our 4th time here and touring this petting zoo-on-steroids never gets old and the staff that run this family-owned farm are just the friendliest people. We love getting up close and personal with baby reindeer - and even older - to feed them by hand. And don’t forget Rocky, the kissing moose! We also fed alpaca, pet a yak, and got up close to elk and other resident wildlife. In the summer, they also have a great snack shack to grab a good lunch-maybe try a reindeer dog if you’re feeling adventurous! Always a good time at the reindeer farm!
Our last night ended with an extra adventure not on our list…a 6.1 earthquake with an epicenter not too far from where we were - complete with a few aftershocks! This was a first for me and Jon and had our hearts racing for a bit but it’s just Alaska doing Alaska things! And we couldn’t have planned a better farewell for our visitors ;)
We had pulled off 24 pure Alaskan activities in 9 full days and each one earned its place in a truly epic ‘Adventure’ road trip. Another facet of our trip that we enjoyed was experiencing a few different stays as well. We enjoyed staying in cabins set in the wilderness, a resort in a scenic ski town, and even an Airbnb set in downtown Seward! Don’t be afraid to mix things up and experience things in an out-of-the-box sort of way! As always, we’d love to answer your comments or questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help to plan a trip to Alaska you can view our profile on PlanwithTravl.com and check out our options! Make sure to pin this post so you can come back to it later and we'd love to have you join us on Instagram to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, make sure to get out and enjoy where YOU live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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