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Kenai Peninsula (page 2 of 3)

6. Twenty-Mile River
Just north of Portage, the Twenty-Mile River empties into Turnagain Arm. A roadside turnout offers a striking view up the river's long, verdant valley, where locals use long-handled nets to land smelt in May. Nestled at the valley's far end is Twenty-Mile Glacier, where the river begins its journey.

7. Portage Glacier
Linked to the Seward Highway by a five-mile paved road that begins just south of Portage, this much-visited tourist attraction offers visitors a vivid introduction to the power of glaciers. You'll see frigid blue water at lovely Portage Lake near the parking area; the imposing face of the receding glacier is a stout hike away. The Begich, Boggs visitor center offers a number of displays, including relief maps of the surrounding icefields and vials filled with ice worms—tiny black creatures that live atop and below glacial ice. Visitors cannot hike to Portage Glacier, but they can view it up close from a tour boat on Portage Lake or take the trail to nearby Byron Glacier.

8. Summit Lakes
The views of Turnagain Arm fade to the rear as the drive cuts south through Chugach National Forest. Among the many lakes dotting Chugach's millions of acres are Lower Summit Lake, on the east side of the road, and then Summit Lake, a bit to the south. Lower Summit Lake lures nature photographers seeking exemplary shots of wildflowers.

9. Kenai Lake
For five miles or so, the Seward Highway cruises along the easternmost shoreline of blue-green Kenai Lake. Its unusual color is produced by rock particles suspended in the glacial meltwater that feeds the lake. Ground by glaciers into a fine powder, the particles reflect blue-green from the spectrum of sunlight, lending a turquoise cast to the snowy peaks mirrored in the water. At the lake's south end, a lovely trail leads from Primrose Campground to Lost Lake.

10. Exit Glacier
Two miles north of Seward, turn west onto a gravel road that parallels the Resurrection River for nine miles. The road ends at the Exit Glacier Ranger Station in Kenai Fjords National Park. A three-mile-long river of ice flowing from massive Harding Icefield, Exit Glacier looms like a blue monolith over the surrounding landscape. Visitors can approach the glacier's base by walking about a half-mile on an easy trail from the ranger station. A longer, more strenuous trail leads hikers up the flank of the glacier to a spot overlooking the Harding Icefield itself. Radiating glaciers in every direction, this mantle of ice measures an imposing 35 miles by 20 miles. Buried within its frigid bulk are all but the tallest peaks to be found in the Kenai Mountains.

Side Trip: Nimble Climbers
Smaller cousins of the bighorn (or mountain) sheep of the western United States and Canada, Dall sheep are a familiar sight on Turnagain Arm near Beluga Point. Named for turn-of-the cenury naturalist William H. Dall, these agile climbers have concave, elastic hooves that give them a sure-footed edge on steep, rugged slopes, where, beyond the reach of enemies, they munch on mountain grasses. Dall sheep range from Alaska, where they are white, to British Columbia, where they are nearly black.