Our second-to-last Alaska family vacation recap is coming your way today but if you’re catching up, here are the first two blog posts I shared about our trip:
Alaska Family Vacation: Day One (Fishing and fjording boat day, Kenai Fjords Visitor’s Center, Sea Life Center, exploring Seward)
Alaska Family Vacation: Day Two (Fishing on the Kenai River, Exit Glacier hike, exploring Seward)
Alaska Family Vacation: Day Three
Our third day in Alaska was another day of fantastic weather — highs in the upper 60s with sun all day — and even the local people we spoke with told us how fortunate we were to have so much sunshine during our stay. We were told multiple times how unpredictable Alaska weather can be as it’s the largest temperate rainforest in the United States and certainly felt lucky to have so much sun and warmth during our visit. We definitely maximized our luck and spent as much of our time in Alaska outside as possible.
Morning: Resurrect Art Coffee House + Tonsina Creek Hike (Seward, Alaska)
Day three marked our final day in Seward, Alaska. We loved this charming coastal town and were very sad to leave. (For anyone planning a trip to Alaska who might be curious, if we were to do this trip over, we would’ve stayed another night in Seward or ventured down to Homer for a night or and spent more time out on the water because our fishing and fjording day was so incredible. One day of boating wasn’t quite enough for us!)
Thankfully we left Seward on a very high note following one of the most picturesque hikes of my life.
But first: Coffee and cinnamon rolls!
While Ryan stayed back with a sleeping Rhett on our third morning in Alaska, the big kids and I made our way to Resurrect Art Coffee House, a local coffee shop with the coziest, most welcoming feel. As we waited for our order (a latte for me, chai tea latte to-go for Ryan and cinnamon rolls for all that were baked that morning), Chase and Ryder were thrilled to find a large chess set in the upstairs loft. I sipped my coffee and browsed the local art on the walls while the boys played and loved the slow start to our otherwise rather full day!
Once Rhett was up, we spent an hour or so re-packing our bags and loading up the car before making our way to Lowell Point Road to park our car and head out on the most stunning hike.
Ryan and I were determined to do a little hiking during our time in Alaska but wanted to be mindful of what would be enjoyable for our three boys. They love the outdoors and exploring but long walks to check out beautiful views aren’t quite as exciting for them. When I read about the hike out to Tonsina Beach – a hike that included a bridge over a creek flowing with salmon – it sounded like something they would enjoy. We were also counting on the beach at the turnaround point providing them with plenty of entertainment in the tide pools, rocks and sand.
The hike was absolutely stunning and ended up being one of my favorite things we did during our time in Alaska.
We covered 5 miles which was more than we anticipated (there’s a 3-mile option but somehow we ended up on longer route). Thankfully our boys were troopers and Rhett (our almost 5-year-old) only needed to be carried a few times. (He majorly impressed us on this hike!) The hike itself is rated “moderate” and had some hills and switchbacks but it wasn’t anything our boys couldn’t handle. They absolutely loved snacking on the wild blueberries along the trail (there were tons!) and the stream with the salmon battling their way up the current was clear and so beautiful.
(Chase was dying to get into the stream and thoroughly explore but we didn’t see anyone else doing this and there were “no fishing” signs posted so we assumed this was a no-no.)
When the trees opened up as we walked out onto Tonsina Beach, the view took our breath away.
This little beach is only accessible to hikers and boaters and it felt like we were experiencing something truly special. The boys took off running on the beach and quickly found crab claws, mussels, a mermaid’s purse (the pouch that stores stingray eggs) and crazy-smooth rocks, perfect for skipping.
The hike back to our car passed by oddly fast and before we knew it we were on our way to Anchorage (via Girdwood) after a brief pit-stop at Weenie’s hot dog and burger truck in Seward for reindeer Chicago-style hot dogs (shockingly good).
Afternoon: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Girdwood, Alaska)
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