This trailhead into the Chugach State Park offers the best place to view Dall sheep in the Anchorage-Kenai region. A short climb reaches a sweeping view of Turn-again Arm and a taste of life on steep slopes.

Golden-crowned sparrow Dall

Dall Sheep

NOTABLE SPECIES
Beluga Whale
Dall Sheep
Bald Eagle
Black-billed magpie
Golden-crowned sparrow

FIELD NOTES Dall sheep perch on the cliffs overlooking the Seward Highway all summer long. Scientists believe the sheep began visiting this site in the early 1980s, attracted to minerals exposed in the soil by blasting for highway reconstruction. The slope greens up in April and the brush may offer the animals some protection from predators. Although ewes and their offspring pioneered the area, rams have been seen in recent years, possibly after learning to use the site as youngsters. The sheep usually see human visitors first and will often be watching intently when first noticed. The trail climbs steeply from the gravel turnout, but levels on a series of benches and hollows. Watch and listen for forest birds. Black-billed magpies and golden-crowned sparrows chatter in the trees, and bald eagles ride thermals. Beluga whales might be spotted on Turnagain Arm during rising tides.

HABITAT The dry, south-west facing slopes harbor a microclimate that encourages early green-up. Stands of white spruce and birch mix with alders to dominate protected hollows. Exposed slopes get scoured by Turn-again Arm’s strong winds, creating scrub and grass habitats.

VIEWING TIP The sheep don’t always stand in clear view of the highway shoulder. Try walking slowly up the trail and then scan cliffs above you from different angles. More ambitious hikers can climb higher in the forest and may even find themselves eye-to-eye with sheep.

HISTORIC CONNECTION Windy Corner marks the southern terminus of the Turnagain Arm Trail, which extends two miles to Rainbow Valley and 9.4 miles to McHugh Creek. This route partly follows the Old Johnson Trail, a wagon road that dates to the early 1900s.

SAFETY Don’t stop in the driving lanes of the highway. Stop and park only in pull-outs. Watch for traffic. Do not approach or attempt to feed the sheep.

GETTING THERE Seward Highway milepost 106.7. Park in the signed pullthrough (water side) or trailhead parking (hill side). The trail starts from the mountain side parking area.