As a raven flies, downtown Anchorage is only a few miles from steep sheep-ridden cliffs and marshes musical with bird song. City residents often escape their urban limits for a few days or hours along Turnagain Arm, where the Seward Highway rides the narrow boundary between mountains, glacier valleys, marshes and tidal flats. At some of the pullouts it’s possible to view all these neighborhoods at once. Visitors can turn from watching trumpeter swans lead cygnets across a pond to viewing rare whales in the bay, then turn again to scan the green hills for nimble Dall sheep. A hike to the Byron Glacier will reveal miniscule ice worms.

This is just the gateway. Further down the road travelers find moose, caribou and a forest choir of songbirds on the Kenai Peninsula. The scenic Seward Highway is designated as an All American Highway, recognizing it’s a road that’s a destination in itself. The road climbs to alpine lakes and follows the salmon-filled streams back down toward the shore. The mileposts count down on the northbound side of the road, from mile 127 in Anchorage to mile 0 in Seward.

Seward Highway is worth the drive, but be warned—it’s easy to become distracted by the scenery and wildlife. From mile 117 near Potter Marsh to mile 90 near Girdwood is designated as a traffic safety corridor. In this segment drive with the lights on and let passengers watch for wildlife while the driver concentrates on the road. Use designated pullouts to stop and enjoy Raven’s World.