Kenai Peninsula - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 21

7. Portage Glacier
Linked to the Seward Highway by a five-mile paved road that begins just south of Portage,
thismuch-visitedtouristattractionoffersvisitorsavividintroductiontothepowerofglaci-
ers. 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.
Did you know…
There are about 100,000 glaciers in Alaska, and the beautiful blue color associ-
ated with them is created by the density of the ice, which absorbs all the colors
of the spectrum except blue, which is reflected.
8. Summit Lakes
The views of Turnagain Arm fade to the rear as the drive cuts south through Chugach Na-
tional Forest. Among the many lakes dotting Chugach's millions of acres are Lower Sum-
mit 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.