Sterling Highway: Anchorage to Homer Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

What your day looks like

Begin at Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary, a prime spot for birds, boardwalk strolls, and mountain-backed wetlands. The highway hugs the shoreline beside Chugach State Park, with quick pullouts at McHugh Creek Recreation Area and Beluga Point, where you may spot beluga whales in season. Continue through Indian Valley and the Indian Valley Mine area, then pass Bird Valley Trailhead, Bird Creek Trailhead, and Bird Point for short walks and classic Turnagain Arm views. Roll into Girdwood for a mountain-town break, with time for Alyeska Resort, Winner Creek Trail, and the Crow Pass Trailhead. As the landscape opens into Chugach National Forest, enter Portage Valley for glaciers, rivers, and big peaks. Stop at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, then visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for close-up views of Alaska wildlife. Nearby, stretch your legs on the Moose Flats Wetland Trail, look for the Explorer Glacier Waterfall, and continue to Portage Lake, Portage Glacier, and the Byron Glacier Trail for an up-close taste of ice and alpine scenery. Pause at the Williwaw Creek Fish Viewing Platform, then continue to Hope for a small-town stop with gold rush roots. Climb to Summit Lake and glide past Tern Lake, then follow the shoreline of Kenai Lake toward Cooper Landing. The K’Beq’ Cultural Heritage Interpretive Site adds context to the region’s people and traditions, while nearby Russian River Falls offers a rewarding hike. The Kenai River stays close as you continue, and a detour along Skilak Lake Road leads to Skilak Lake for wide-open wilderness scenes. Pass through Sterling and Soldotna, with optional stops at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and A.R.C. Lake Park. Continue south to the broad waters of Tustumena Lake, then pass Kasilof and the Kasilof River. The road turns coastal through Clam Gulch, Ninilchik, and Deep Creek, then continues through Anchor Point and the Russian Old Believer community of Nikolaevsk. Make time for Anchor River State Recreation Area for river views and a scenic leg stretch. Finally, arrive in Homer, pause at Baycrest Overlook Park, and cap the route with the iconic Homer Spit, where the sea, mountains, and harbor energy make a perfect finish. With offline access and flexible pacing, this tour blends wildlife pullouts, glacier valleys, fishing rivers, and Kenai communities into one easy-to-follow road trip.