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Seward Highway: Portage to Seward, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Photo: steve lyon from los angeles, ca, usa · CC BY-SA 2.0

Drives Alaska Anchorage, the Kenai and Southcentral Alaska

Seward Highway: Portage to Seward

Seward Highway, AK 1, AK 9 · Portage → Seward

Leisurely77 mi1 hr 20 min3,800 ft climbHigh point ≈ 1,400 ftOne way
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The drive

This is the southern part of the Seward Highway, 125 miles in all between Anchorage and Seward, completed in 1951. The drive runs from Portage over Turnagain Pass and past Moose Pass to Seward, on a road that is AK-9 for its first 37 miles from Seward.

The highway has been an All-American Road since 2000, and U.S. Bicycle Route 97 runs alongside it. Life magazine listed it among the most scenic drives in the world in 2012. The Sterling Highway leaves it at Tern Lake.

Along the way

  1. Portage
  2. Turnagain Pass
  3. Moose Pass
  4. Seward
Elevation
3,800 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 1,400 ft
PortageSeward
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
PortageSeward
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Cyclists use the road, as US Bicycle Route 97 runs alongside it.
  • Check Alaska 511 for conditions, especially in winter.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Alaska 511 road conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Seward Highway from Portage to Seward take?

The Seward Highway from Portage to Seward is 76.7 miles and takes about 1 hr 20 min.

Is the Seward Highway a scenic byway?

Yes. It has been a National Forest Scenic Byway and, since 2000, an All-American Road.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

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More drives near here

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Seward Highway: Portage to Seward, from Portage to Seward