- Self Guided
Thumb cove is only accessible by water taxi and a popular spot for all outdoors activities!
Miller’s Landing is located just south of Seward on Lowell Point. From the edge of Exit Glacier to the race point of Mount Marathon, these hikes are a great way to experience the wilderness and majesty of our home!
You can walk to the face of the glacier or up to an overview of the glacier, a 2 to 4 mile round trip. The trails meander by the glacier run-off streams. Seward Highway Mile 3, then 8 miles up the road to the parking lot.
The 8.2-mile round trip Harding Icefield Trail is a spectacular day hike. The trailhead is off of Exit Glacier Trail and shares a parking lot. The top of the trail is a window to past ice ages – a horizon of ice and snow that stretches as far as the eye can see, broken only by an occasional nunatak, or lonely peak.
The trail is strenuous! Hikers gain approximately 1,000 feet of elevation with every mile. Allow at least 6-8 hours for the hike. Although the view from the top is well worth the effort, you need not hike all the way to the top to experience the wonders of this trail. A short hike up the trail affords impressive views of the valley floor and Exit Glacier’s terminus. Seward Highway Mile 3, then 8 miles up the road to the parking lot.
First Lake is located behind AVTEC on 2nd Ave, access is thru the school parking lot. There is a trail around the lake that meanders to another Lake up higher then down the other side of First Lake, a fun hike. This is a salmon spawning lake, during the runs you can watch the salmon fighting up the creek to the lake. There’s a picnic area with tables (bring lunch) and a creek that feeds the lake.
Founder’s Park – on east end of Railroad – is the start of this waterfront trail. The trail meanders from downtown thru the harbor area, around the Lagoon. This part of the trail is paved & you’ll share it with the bike traffic. You can continue (not well marked) north 1½ miles on Seward Hiway to Nash Road & the original Iditarod Trail.
The Iditarod Trail (original serum run) starts on north side of mile 2 Nash Road (look to the north of the road: there’s a monument at the trailhead). This goes 4 miles to Bear Lake, from there it’s being re-established – will eventually go to Girdwood!
The Lost Lake Trail: An excellent hike with beautiful scenery. Fish in the backcountry or camp off the trail near Lost Lake. In the winter the alpine area is an excellent place to ski, snowboard, or snowmobile.
Seward Highway Mile 5 at Lost Lake subdivision – up gravel road, follow signs to parking. The other end of this trail is the Primrose Trail, access at Seward Highway Mile 17 – campground is 1.5 miles in. 5 to 7 hours hour traverse.
The Race trail starts at the west end of Jefferson Street, loops up and around at the 3,000 foot level and joins the trail to end where you started. Very steep, don’t stray off the trail; the pay-off is a stunning view of Resurrection Bay. The Jeep trail is a slightly easier hike with access to alpine meadows & waterfalls up the northwest flank of Mount Marathon. The trail starts from 2nd Ave at Monroe and climbs up and around the mountain through some thick vegetation, then above tree-line for fantastic vistas.
Please note: Miller’s Landing encourages only guaranteed prepaid reservations. Unlike many other states, Alaska has a very short tourist season which can make it difficult for us to rebook when we have cancellations without ample notice.
If you are booking a charter and lodging and your charter , water taxi or kayaking is cancelled due to weather you are still responsible for the lodging or camping reservations and the normal cancellation policy applies. All of our activities are possible during rain, so rain does not constitute a cancellation. Miller’s Landing is not responsible for vehicle break downs, personal emergencies, flight delays, health issues or other unforeseen hardships. We will try very hard to work with you but the cancellation policy will need to be applied if we cannot issue a raincheck or find an alternative solution that appeals to both parties.
Please understand that Miller’s Landing also incurs a hefty financial merchant fee from our bank for the cost of charging your credit card and again for the cost of refunding it, and there is also a cost involved for the time involved in processing and refunding your reservation in employee costs. Our goal when taking your reservation is to have a solid, guaranteed prepaid reservation. We strongly discourage the practice of making reservations without having an airline ticket or making tentative reservations. Thank you for your understanding.
Thumb cove is only accessible by water taxi and a popular spot for all outdoors activities!
Hike what Backpacker Magazine has ranked one of the top ten costal hiking trails in North America.
Hiking To Tonsina Beach is an easy hike from Miller’s Landing and well worth it!