Turnagain Arm Tour from Anchorage: Wildlife & Seward Highway

See bears, moose and beluga whales without driving the Seward Highway yourself

A 5-hour guided tour of Turnagain Arm from Anchorage follows the Seward Highway to Beluga Point for wildlife spotting, then visits the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to observe injured and orphaned animals in spacious habitats across 200 acres. The tour includes bottled water and snacks, a live English-speaking guide, and small-group travel with hotel pickup and drop-off in Anchorage. Children are welcome from age 6.

Step-by-step itinerary

Scenic tour of Turnagain Arm

• Drive Seward Highway
• Stop at Beluga Point for wildlife viewing
• Visit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Observe animals like caribou, bison, elk
• Drive through Chugach Mountains
• Return to Anchorage

The experience

The tour departs Anchorage and heads south on the Seward Highway, one of America's most scenic roads, with the Chugach Mountains rising behind you and Turnagain Arm opening to your left. The route follows a narrow branch of the Cook Inlet where the landscape shifts between water, rock and forest: the kind of drive most visitors rent a car to do, except here someone else handles the road while you watch for movement in the terrain.

Beluga Point is the first real stop, a viewing area with spotting scopes and interpretive signs that stretch across 180 degrees of Turnagain Arm. This is where the bore tide comes through. An incoming wave that can reach six feet high and stretch the entire width of the inlet, sometimes with kayakers and surfers riding it for miles. Beluga whales roll in the surf starting in September. The scopes and the signage tell you what to look for. The guide tells you when to look.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center sits on over 200 acres of spacious habitats where injured and orphaned animals live year-round. You'll see brown bears cooling off in the water, a bull moose in full display, wood bison roaming pastures, caribou and elk moving through their enclosures. The Center takes in animals that cannot return to the wild and keeps them in conditions where they can behave naturally instead of pacing behind bars. Lunch is available for purchase here if you want to eat on-site, though it's not part of the tour package. After the Center, the route loops back through the Chugach Mountains before returning to Anchorage.

The tour runs 5 hours total and keeps to easy terrain: short walks on paved and uneven natural ground, with the ability to get in and out of the vehicle with minimal assistance. Bottled water and snacks travel with you. A live guide in English narrates the stops and the route, and the group stays small enough that you're not competing for scope time or window seats.

What’s included

• Bottled water and snacks throughout the tour.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Anchorage.
• live English-speaking guide.
• small-group travel on the Seward Highway with stops at Beluga Point and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 15 May 2027

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (6 to 11 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

GroupUp to 11

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availableInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Planet Earth Adventures, LLC

Is this one for you?At 5 hours, the tour leaves most of your day free for other Anchorage activities. It's a half-day commitment, not a full one. If you want to see the Seward Highway and the wildlife center without renting a car or navigating the road yourself, the guide and the small group make that possible in a single morning or afternoon.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 11 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What animals will I actually see at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center?

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is home to brown bears, moose, wood bison, caribou, and elk living in spacious habitats across 200 acres. Most of the animals arrived injured or orphaned and now live permanently at the Center. You'll see them in conditions where they display natural behavior: bears in water, moose in open pasture, bison roaming the grounds.

Can I see beluga whales on the Turnagain Arm part of the tour?

Beluga whales roll in the surf at Beluga Point starting in September. The tour stops at Beluga Point with spotting scopes and interpretive signs to help you scan the landscape, though whale sightings depend on the season and timing of your visit.

How long is the drive on the Seward Highway?

The entire tour runs 5 hours from Anchorage pickup to drop-off, which includes the Seward Highway drive, stops at Beluga Point and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and the return route through the Chugach Mountains. The Seward Highway itself is the scenic spine of the day.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

Lunch is not included, but the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center has food available for purchase if you want to eat there during the visit. Bottled water and snacks are provided as part of the tour.

What should I wear for this tour?

The tour includes short walks on paved and uneven natural ground, with stops at an outdoor viewing area and an open-air wildlife center. Dress for Alaska weather: layers are typical even in summer, and waterproof jackets are useful year-round.