Anchorage: Wildlife Center & Turnagain Arm Winter Tour

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/8

Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Moose, bears, and frozen waterfalls along Alaska's most dramatic drive

You drive the Seward Highway south from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm, stop at Beluga Point for inlet views, spend time walking the 140-acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see moose, bears, bison and musk oxen in winter light, then continue to Portage Valley to view five glaciers. The tour includes all fees, and the guide handles the route and timing so you're just watching the landscape change.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Wildlife and scenic Turnagain Arm tour

Visit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Explore natural habitats and see wildlife
Stop at Beluga Point viewpoint
Drive along Seward Highway
View glaciers at Portage Valley

The Experience

The guide was running about ten minutes behind when we met at the hotel, which turned out to be perfect timing—it meant we caught the light hitting the Seward Highway just right as we headed south toward Turnagain Arm. That's the thing about winter in Alaska: the sun sits low and gold for most of the day, and if you're moving at the right pace, you're always driving into it. The road itself is one of those routes people actually plan trips around. We stopped at Beluga Point, a rocky outcrop that juts into the water, and the guide pointed out where white whales move through the inlet during summer, though we were there in winter when the arm was quieter. The mountains on either side of the drive are the kind of thing that makes you understand why people move to Alaska and stay.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center sits 140 acres outside Anchorage, and it's not a typical zoo setup—the animals here are orphaned, injured, or can't survive in the wild anymore, so the whole place has a different feel. We walked through natural habitats and saw moose standing in the snow, bison moving across open ground, musk oxen with their thick coats, and bears that seemed entirely unbothered by the cold. The winter light was sharp and clean, which made the photography part of the day actually work—no haze, no glare bouncing off summer foliage. A lot of people come for the animals, but the guide's stories about what each animal was doing there, how they'd been rescued, and what the center does with conservation made it less like watching and more like understanding something.

After the center, we drove into Portage Valley, a 14-mile stretch of land that connects the Kenai Peninsula to mainland Alaska. The glaciers there—Explorer, Middle, Byron, Burns, Shakespeare—are smaller now than they used to be, but they're still massive, and seeing them from the road gives you a sense of scale that photographs don't quite capture. The whole drive from Anchorage to Portage and back takes the better part of a day, and there's no rushing it. All entry fees are included, so there's no stopping at a ticket booth or figuring out what costs extra.

What’s included

Your tour includes entry to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, access to all viewpoints along Turnagain Arm and the Seward Highway (including Beluga Point), views of Portage Glacier and the surrounding valley, and a guide who shares local stories and wildlife facts throughout the day. All fees and taxes are covered in the price.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Alaska's Finest Tours & Cruises

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Alaskan wildlife and the Turnagain Arm's glaciers and mountains in one outing without arranging your own transport or paying separate entry fees—the fixed itinerary and included costs let you focus on the scenery and animals.