The Beautiful, Deadly Seward Highway
In Anchorage you are always 20 minutes from the most beautiful views of a lifetime. The Seward Highway connects Anchorage to Seward, Alaska with stops including Girdwood, Alaska on the way.
Unlike most Ski towns, Girdwood is only 45 minutes away from the city, Anchorage. Girdwood and Anchorage residents commute quite frequently between the two locations. However, the drive is quite risky, especially in the Winter. Conditions of the Highway during the winter make the Highway one of the most dangerous in the State, and even the country. Regaurdless, some Girdwood residents travel the icy sheet every day. Interviewee Responses to the Seward HighwayMacMac, according to a Nat Geo article, the Seward Highway is one of the nation’s “Drives of a Lifetime”. Since you drive it so often, do you take it for granted?
“I’m still like amazed by it pretty much every single time.” “Really?!” “Yeah! Especially on really nice days because usually when I’m driving back to Anchorage the sun is setting. Everything works out nicely that way. But also, if there’s like a snowstorm… that highway gets pretty damn scary. Like I’ve almost died multiple times.” I wasn’t even surprised. My parents don’t trust me to drive on the highway myself. It’s known for it’s frequent fatal accidents. Yeah it is really scary to drive in bad conditions. And it gets icy because that middle stretch is warmer than both Anchorage and Girdwood so everything just gets icy sometimes. “Really? I had no idea; that makes sense!” “One time, I was driving with my brother Sam, and he threw the truck into two wheel drive and tried to pass someone and we were literally sliding sideways on the highway. “WHAT?” “It was horrible..” “Oh, Sam!” Hannah"Hannah,the Seward Highway is in National Geographic for being one of the Nation’s “Drives of a Lifetime”
“Yeah its really pretty.” “So you agree with that?” “Oh definitely, but I’m pretty sure it’s also one of the most dangerous highways in the Nation. It’s so pretty though. I’ll pull over to take pictures sometimes. I’m really used to it. It’s right on the [Turnagain] Arm and there are mountains across the way. You can see the Sleeping Lady when you’re driving in and the sunsets are really pretty. It’s my favorite drive I’ve ever been on. It’s not like other highways; they’re all so busy and boring.” “Even though it’s so dangerous?” “Mhmm. it’s so pretty, but so dangerous. When youre driving at night and you’re finally starting to see Girdwood and you just see the mountain all lit up…” She is smiling and sighs. “That’s my favorite.” |
WillAccording to the Nat Geo, the Seward Highway is one of the “Drives of a Lifetime. What do you think about the Seward Highway?”
“I think the Seward Highway is crazy beautiful. I’ve driven that road more than anything else, except for the street I live on.” “Yeah, wow.” “It’s crazy beautiful because you get mountains on both sides, you’ve got the tide coming in and out, snow builds up and it freezes, and you can see how the tide carves into the snow, you know how it gets. And then you’ve got the high rock walls on one side, that’s really cool.” “Beautiful. What about the dangers of the road?” “Yeah, it’s incredibly dangerous. That’s they crazy thing about it. People literally die on that road every two weeks.” “Really? I thought it was just like a couple people a year!” “You didn’t know that? No, like every winter people die on that road.” |