Best trails in Seward, Alaska

Start at Exit Glacier Nature Center parking lot. and following the accessible, Glacier View Loop Trail through the cottonwood forest to the Glacier View, a panoramic vista of Exit Glacier spilling down from the Harding Icefield. This one-mile trail loops back to the parking area, or you can turn left at the trail-side kiosk and continue 0.6 miles on to the Exit Glacier Overlook via the Glacier Overlook Trail. The Exit Glacier Area is open year-round. Upon the arrival of snow, usually in mid-November, the road to Exit Glacier is inaccessible to cars, due to a state road closure, but open to winter recreation, including snowmobiles, dogsleds, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat bikes. The road often remains closed through early May, so be sure to check current conditions if you are visiting during the off season (fall through spring). Due to the multiple steep sections on this trail with a very steep grade above 12%, it has not been marked as stroller or wheelchair/mobility equipment friendly, although some users with motorized or all-terrain equipment may be able to do sections of it. Users have reported that some of the inclines are too difficult to do with manual wheelchairs or strollers as the gravel is too slippery.Show more

If you park at the upper trailhead parking area, there's a $5 parking fee. This is a year-round trail, so lots of people will usually be out when the weather is nice. It's also a fairly easy trail and is popular with out-of-towners who have to stick to easier trails. Might need spikes in winter. To hike just to Tonsina Beach, you don't need low tide like you do if you continue to Caines Head.Show more

SAFETY NOTE: It is important to time your trip around the tides. The three mile stretch of beach between Tonsina Point and North Beach can be hiked only during a tide of +3 or lower. Leave the trail head at two hours before a +3 tide to avoid becoming stranded along the way. Show more

Beautiful views of the surrounding area. Also known as 'The Bowl'.Show more

This trail leads you through spruce trees along the Resurrection River Valley. It is narrow in some places, maybe twelve inches wide. There is lots of up and down, but nothing too difficult. In addition, there are lots of protruding rocks and tree roots that could be hazardous. The trail is lightly maintained- just enough to keep it passable. It is beautiful, old-growth forest with lots of blueberries and Devil's Club.Show more