Beluga Point

The feel

Beluga Point is a rocky outpost jutting into Turnagain Arm at milepost 110.5 on the Seward Highway, 6.5 miles south of the Anchorage city limits. The view is 180 degrees over the Arm. Interpretive signs and sculpted belugas mark the spot, and spotting scopes are set up for watching the water.

Short pathways cross the stony crag. White whales are often spotted from here, and from mid-July through August, when salmon are running in Cook Inlet, sightings are most common. Black fins of orcas are occasionally seen pursuing them.

What to expect

What it is

A paved turnout and rocky promontory over Turnagain Arm with interpretive panels, spotting scopes and short pathways.

Crowds and best time

Belugas are often seen from mid-July through August. The bore tide comes in after extreme minus low tides at the full or new moon, with the best chances in the five-day window around them.

Parking

Paved parking at the turnout.

Hazards

Stay on the designated parking areas and pathways. The mudflats near the inlet are dangerous, and people have died stuck in the glacial silt and drowned by the incoming tide.

Season and access

Open to visitors on the Seward Highway, a 20-minute drive south from Anchorage. The spotting scopes and panels are accessible.

Mingo says

Plan your bore tide visit around a new or full moon and arrive 20 to 30 minutes early. The bore is lower here than at Bird Point or Girdwood.

Before you go

• Check the Anchorage tide table for extreme minus low tides before you drive out for the bore.
• Keep to the paved parking and the pathways; do not step onto the mudflats.
• Call Chugach State Park at (907) 345-5014 with questions.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.