Description: From Anchorage go south by train or bus to Seward then bike back to Anchorage with a tailwind along the Seward Hwy about 1/3 of which has a dedicated bike path buffered far from the road.  On a road bike a strong rider can do this in one day.  For an overnight trip it is best to rent a mountain bike and make detours and do activities.  With a mountain bike you can ride the 38 mile long Resurrection Trail from Cooper Landing to Hope. Outside of Hope you can whitewater raft on Six Mile Creek.  Further up the road closer to Anchorage is the ski resort town of Girdwood. 

Seward Highway Road Resource:  Milepost Digital Edition.

How to get from Anchorage to Seward with Your Bike: The train departs at 6:45 am from the Alaska Railroad depot on 1st Avenue and arrives in Seward at 11:05 a.m.  (It is very slow.) It costs $133.  Verify the cost for the bike as baggage before booking but it should be $20.  The bus with Anchorage Tour and Travel  departs downtown Anchorage at 7 am and arrives in Seward at 9:45 am. It costs $80.  They also have departures at 1:30 and 3:30. 

 
Another southbound option, but not all the way to Seward, is the Turnagain Arm Shuttle.  If you want a trip that is 1/3 the distance take the TAS to Girdwood or 1/2 the distance to Portage Glacier.  Their vans have bike racks.

Lodging options in Seward: Click on this link for a menu of lodging options.

Things to do in Seward:  Glacier Cruise of Ressurection Bay.  Major Marine Tours or Saltwater Safari Company or Kenai Fjords Tours.   Hike Mount Marathon. Visit the Seward Aquarium.  

The Bike Ride:  The first optional detour is 3.7 miles from town. Turn left/west at Herman Leirer Road and bike 8.4 miles where you would need to find a safe place to lock up the bike before hiking to Exit Glacier.  Seavey's Ididaride is another potential detour.  Here you can book a dogsled ride.  Cabins can also be rented here. 

If biking the Ressurection Trail, most people overnight either in Cooper Landing or in one of the cabins or campsites along the trail.  Click here for a list.  They book up far in advance.  On the other end of the trail a good place to book overnight in Hope is at Discovery Cabins.  

Whitewater rafting on Six Mile Creek with  Chugach Outdoor Center just outside of Hope is a great thing to do before resuming the ride.

Hope to Girdwood:  From Hope there is a 17.8 mile-long climb to Turnagain Pass where you reconnect with the Seward Hwy.  After turning left (north), it is 22 miles to the intersection of the Whittier/Portage Glacier Access Road.  At this intersection, decide whether to ride 5 miles east to Portage Lake or continue north to Girdwood and/or Anchorage.

Girdwood:  One of the cheaper places to stay in Girdwood is Alyeska Hostel.  Hike to the top of Mt. Alyeska and ride the tram back down for free. Or hike the Winner Creek Trail.  Or visit the Crow Creek Mine.  Or rent a full suspension downhill mountain bike from the resort and experience their lift-accessed downhill bike park. 

Girdwood to Anchorage: When biking from Girdwood on the Alyeska Hwy, about half a mile before the intersection with the Seward Hwy, exit right into the parking lot of the Chugach National Forrest Ranger Station. This is where the 7-mile-long Bird-to-Gird Trail  starts.  The trail ends in Indian, just north of Bird.
From Indian it is about 10 miles along the scenic (but busy) Seward Hwy to the Potter Section House.  Exit right to Potter Valley Road then quick left onto the Old Seward Hwy which unlike the Seward Hwy is not busy. Where the Old Seward intersects with Rabbit Creek Road, stay left on the Old Seward to Klatt Road where you take a left.  Ride about one mile to another roundabout stay to the right then go straight through two more roundabouts taking C St back to downtown Anchorage.  Another longer but more scenic way to return downtown is to ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail from Kincaid Park.