Alaska whale watching

Beluga whales hunt salmon in Cook Inlet year-round. Best viewpoints, tide timing, and wildlife cruise options for whale watching near Anchorage.

Kenai Fjords glacier cruises from Seward offer tidewater glaciers calving into the sea, humpback whales, puffins, and sea lions in one spectacular day.

Alaska offers world-class whale watching from multiple accessible points near Anchorage — beluga whales along Turnagain Arm, humpbacks in Kenai Fjords, orca pods in Prince William Sound. Here's where to go and how to plan.

Cook Inlet's ~280 endangered belugas hunt salmon within sight of Anchorage. Best pullouts, tides, and tips for spotting them from the Seward Highway in 2026.