Seward City Waterfront Park Camping

 Most of the shoreline along the east side of Sewart is parking lot/campground – large gravel lots filled with RVs. The section pictured has electricity plus it’s right on the water and the bike path so it’s very popular. The north end of this lot is a good place to camp if you don’t want electricity and if your RV is short. It’s quiet because no one is running a generator and the sites run parallel to the water for a good view. The tent only areas are pretty nice with grass, trees, tables and fire rings.

The bike path which is wide and smooth goes from the marina north of town down to the aquarium at the south end –about  1 1/4  miles. 

A few of the sites in the middle lot have blue painted stripes probably because they’re next to the bike path and close to town. Not all of the sites have tables. None of the tables I saw have a overhang.  Campgrounds
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Exit Glacier - Kenia Fjords National Park

   This view point is midway along a one mile accessible loop. If you’re able to do some rock scrambling the trail continues for another half of a mile to a point closer to the glacier toe.

   The trail starts out paved. Follow the arrows on the sign posts for the accessible trail which is made of hard packed crushed rock. The trail leads through the forest and then along the melt stream with good views of the glacier. It continues past the view point and rejoins the paved trail to finish the loop.

  The parking lot has a section for RVs.   Trail
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Byron Glacier Trail

   This is a fairly short trail, .8 miles one way, that  leads to large banks of avalanche snow and good views of the glacier.

    It’s not accessible due to a few steep sections and loose gravel but with an energetic helper it’s possible to take this trail. The trail is wide with a slight uphill grade so the return trip is easier. There are no major obstacles and the two stream crossings have wide bridges. Trail
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Begich,Boggs Visitor Center

     The toe of Portage Glacier is no longer visible from the visitor center ,having retreated behind a bend in the mountains,but the view is still magnificent. A commercial boat tour goes to the base where you may be lucky enough to see pieces fall off of the glacier. A few icebergs are usually floating near the visitor center. The visitor center has a movie and exhibits about the natural and human history of the area.

   Everything is accessible but if you go out the double doors at the end of the exhibits you’ll be stuck outside with only a very rutted path to get back to the parking lot. The ranger told us that the doors were for emergencies but they are not marked as such and are not alarmed.

The parking lot has a section for RVs.  Center
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Trail of Blue Ice

    We did just a short portion of this trail but that section was excellent. The boardwalk is well made and smooth. The ground level parts are covered with crushed rock and fairly easy to push along. The trail is five miles one way and goes past the campgrounds, fish viewing station and to the front door of the Boggs Visitor Center.  Trail
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Williwaw Campground

    Many of the sites in this campground have a good view of  Middle Glacier. The parking pads are paved and level. There’s  a lot of room and shrubbery between the sites making them very private. Some sites are pull through –large enough for any RV. A very nice campground.

  None of the sites have a handicapped designation on their number posts but some are marked as handicapped on the map at the pay station. I could not see any difference between the marked and unmarked sites except for the distance to the toilets.  All  of the sites are good – level paving , crushed packed stone around the table and fire ring, and room to pull a wheelchair up to the table. The tables have the bench cut out on one side. They also have a long overhang on one end. The vault toilets are accessible with good paved paths leading to them.  Campground
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Anchorage Museum

    This is a really good museum. It covers Alaskan history from the first inhabitants up to the construction of the pipeline. There’s also a large gallery of native artifacts from the Smithsonian Museum, several art galleries, changing exhibits galleries, and even a hands-on science center.

   Everything is accessible.

  There’s a parking lot directly across from the main entrance that is large enough for vans or small RVs but it’s expensive.  On the street parking, limited to two hours, is cheaper. Check the museum website for other parking options.  Museum
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Alaska Native Heritage Center Museum

    The center interprets the traditional and contemporary lifestyles of the eleven major Native American groups living in Alaska. To get a better understanding join a guided tour through the six separate buildings representing the different types of housing. There are also continuously running films, a stage with dance and athletic demonstrations, artisans at work and a small museum section, all in the main building.  Admission is kind of high so give yourself enough time to see everything and buy a combination ticket if you’re planning to go to the Anchorage Museum too.

   The main building is accessible. Viewing for the stage and the theater are good. The Territorial Guard exhibit in the museum is too high to see easily. The path outside through the village houses is surfaced with small river rock, loose and deep in spots. Many of the houses have small lips or steps at the entrances. Most wheelchair uses will need to have some help.

    The parking lot is large enough for all RVs.  Cultural Center
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Centennial Campground

   The sites are pretty close together in this city park which shouldn’t matter since it doesn’t look like it ever gets very busy. Most of the spaces are short with a lot of trees but a few of them are large enough for big RVs.

   None of the sites are handicapped accessible. The tables don’t have any overhang. The ground is hard packed dirt and uneven around most of the tables and fire rings. Campground
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Independence Mine State Historical Park

   Built in the late 1930s, this mining town had a very short life. Gold mining was considered nonessential during WWII and then after the war it wasn’t very profitable. The mine closed completely in 1951. The mine manager’s house is a museum and visitor center. A paved trail with interpretive signs winds past bunkhouses, the mess hall, shop buildings, and then up the hill to the mine complex.

  The site is partially accessible. There are a few handicapped parking spaces close to the visitor center which are long enough for vans or small RVs. The visitor center has a couple of steps down to the museum section– no ramp. The trail around most of the site is fairly level and the signs are easy to read. The hill leading to the mine complex is very steep.

  The main parking lot is large enough for any RV but the road to the mine is steep and windy so people with large RVs may wish to leave them in Palmer.  Mine
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