FIELD NOTES      Nash Road skirts the lowland fringe at the head of Resurrection Bay and crosses several freshwater wetlands and streams that draw swans, ducks and salmon. The roadside wetland at mile 1 is a special spot for nesting trumpeter swans, ducks, swallows, sparrows, and raptors. After winding past homes and businesses, the road climbs the mountainside and then descends to the Seward Marine Industrial Center with access to the  beach at Spring Creek Campground and Fourth of July Beach. Watch for sea otters, harbor seals, and the occasional whale or sea lion offshore. Look for peregrines, merlins, and goshawks hunting. In winter, watch for loons and sea ducks.

HABITAT     Nash Road crosses low-lying forest, alder thickets and wetlands along the upper reach of Resurrection Bay and emerges at the beach across from the community of Seward. Near-shore marine waters rim a beach swept by the bay’s tides.

HISTORIC CONNECTION     Mile 2.1 marks the start of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, a historic mail and supply route through the interior of Alaska to the goldfields of Nome.

VIEWING TIP       With very few visitors during winter, your chances of spying sea ducks and loons close to the beach increase.

HELPFUL HINTS      Watch for traffic as workers commute from the industrial areas at the end of the road. Dress in layers for Resurrection Bay’s chilly wind and rain. Wear rubber boots for beach walking. Pay attention to the tides.

GETTING THERE      Turn east on Nash Road at Seward Highway milepost 3.2, just north of town. For Spring Creek Campground, turn right at mile 5 towards the beach just before the marine industrial area. Public access to Fourth of July Beach is seasonal: turn left on Jellison Avenue by the tank farm, take the first right on Olga Street, and then right on Sorrel Road to the beach parking area.