If all the billboards along Alaska's Seward Highway were laid end to end, they'd reach—nowhere. There are no billboards here, no tollbooths, few towns, and fewer gas stations. But if you're looking for whales and waterfalls, blue glaciers and sharp-toothed mountains, calm trout ponds and stormy ocean fjords, there's enough visual overload here to fill a hard drive with digital pictures.

Overview
Starting in Anchorage, the route meanders generally south 127 miles (204 kilometers) from sea to mountains to sea across the Kenai Peninsula, ending in the harbor town of Seward on Resurrection Bay. The U.S. government has named the Seward Highway an All-American Road, suggesting it's a destination unto itself. You could rush through the drive in under three hours, but don't. Devote at least a long weekend to the round-trip to give yourself ample time to explore some of the most appealing and accessible sites in south-central Alaska.

Begin in Anchorage
The old joke is that Anchorage, population 283,000, is just 15 minutes from Alaska. Sure enough, when the Seward Highway drops its busy commuter load, it shrinks to two lanes and glides alongside Potter Marsh (mile 117.4). This almost urban wilderness, tucked in a curve between the ocean and the Chugach foothills, is a favorite stop for migratory birds. Eagles soar overhead while waterfowl nest amid vividly green grasses. Two boardwalks (including an 1,100-foot/335-meter addition completed in July 2008) get you closer to the bird-life as well as spawning salmon and wandering moose.

Chugach State Park
Beyond the marsh, the road squeezes between cliffs and ocean. On one side, gray rock reaches up into Chugach State Park. On the other, silty Turnagain Arm stretches across to the sharp angles of the Kenai Mountains. Stop at the Turnagain House (mile 103.1; 653-7500) to admire the view and sample fresh Kachemak Bay oysters.