Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is the longest (2.5 miles) highway tunnel in North America, and the first designed for -40 Fahrenheit temperatures and 150 mph winds! The one-lane tunnel must be shared by cars and trains traveling in both directions, and it usually needs to be aired out in between trips (with jet turbine ventilation, another first!). This unique design that enables a single lane of traffic to travel directly over the railroad track saved tens of millions of dollars over the cost of constructing a new tunnel.

Scenic View of Portage Lake

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation, research, education, and animal care. The center is located on about 200 acres at the head of Turnagain Arm and the entrance to Portage Valley.

On this private full-day tour, your guide will show you the special things that make Whittier, Anchorage and the Turnagain Arm unique.

Beluga Point Site is an archaeological location along Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1978. Artifacts of the area are evidence of early human habitation. Beluga Point North 1 (BPN1) artifacts are 8,000–10,000 years old and believed to be evidence of the oldest habitation in Anchorage municipality. Beluga Point is also a wildlife viewing area. Beluga whales can be sighted seasonally July through August as hundreds of the cetaceans visit Cook Inlet to feed on the Pacific salmon run.

Girdwood is a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage. Located near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers feeding into a number of creeks, which either converge within the valley or empty directly into the arm.

Potter Marsh, at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, is an ideal break from Anchorage for birders and other wildlife viewers. From the Seward Highway just before the left turn into the Potter Marsh parking lot, you are treated to a stunning view of Turnagain Arm. A wooden boardwalk winds 1,550 feet from the parking area through the marsh and across watery openings and sedges, perfect habitat for a rich variety of birds. From late April through September, Canada geese, northern pintails, canvasback ducks, red-necked phalaropes, horned and red-necked grebes, and northern harriers use this wetland. Look for eagle nests in the cottonwoods near the base of the bluff using binoculars or a spotting scope.

On this private full-day tour, your guide will show you the special things that make Whittier, Anchorage and the Turnagain Arm unique.

On this private full-day tour, your guide will show you the special things that make Whittier, Anchorage and the Turnagain Arm unique.