Skip to main content
Alaska Event Guides/Turnagain Arm Bore Tide/Hope / Mile 13

Bore Tide · Best Vantage

Hope / Mile 13

South shore quiet — the best unobstructed bore tide view, 45 min ahead of Girdwood

Bore arrives

~1h 53min after Anc low

vs Girdwood

~45 min earlier

Drive from Anchorage

~1h 15min

Crowds

Very low

Hope/Mile 13 on the Hope Highway is the standout bore tide viewing location on Turnagain Arm. The south shore puts you away from Seward Highway traffic, facing the full width of the arm with an unobstructed look at the bore as it rolls toward you from the inlet. Because Hope is further west (down-arm) than Girdwood, the bore arrives here roughly 45 minutes earlier — a fact that makes this spot both better-timed for an early-morning visit and less crowded than the Seward Highway pullouts. You're watching the same bore from the opposite shore, but with better sightlines and almost no competition for space.

Black lab with orange collar at Hope on Turnagain Arm at golden hour, Chugach Mountains perfectly reflected in the flat water
The arm at low tide from Hope — flat as glass before the bore rolls through
Winter sunrise over a frozen Turnagain Arm from Hope, orange and gold sky reflected in ice, Chugach Mountains silhouetted
Winter bore tide from Hope — the arm partly frozen, bore pushes through the ice with an audible rumble

Featured partner

Advertise to bore tide visitors

This spot reaches people actively planning a bore tide trip to Turnagain Arm. Perfect for surf schools, wetsuit rental, Girdwood lodging, guided tours, or gear shops.

Inquire → [email protected]

Getting there

From Anchorage, drive south on the Seward Highway to the Hope Highway junction (left turn, around MP 56 of the Seward Highway, approximately 56 miles from Anchorage). Take the Hope Highway 16 miles — it's paved and well-maintained year-round. Mile 13 is 3 miles before the road ends at Hope. Park at the pullout on the arm side and walk to the shore.

What to look for

The bore arrives as a line of darker, turbulent water moving across the arm from west to east. On good days (tidal range 27+ ft) it has a distinct leading edge — a wave 1-6 feet tall depending on conditions, preceded by a rush of sound. The water behind the bore is muddy brown (glacial silt), while the arm ahead of it may still be flat or outgoing.

The 45-minute advantage

Hope sees the bore before Girdwood because it sits further west along the arm, closer to the inlet where the bore forms. This makes it ideal if you're coming early morning — the bore that Girdwood shows at 10 AM is arriving at Hope at 9:15 AM, and by the time you'd drive back to the highway, it's already there. Plan around Hope's time, not Girdwood's.

Year-round access

The Hope Highway stays open year-round. Winter bore tide viewing from Hope is spectacular when ice is forming along the shore margins — the bore pushes through broken shore ice with a sound you can hear before you see it. Bring yaktrax/microspikes for the frozen ground and dress for Turnagain Arm wind.

Pro tip

The bore tide makes noise before it arrives — a low rumble and rush of water audible from the shore. If you hear it before you see it, you're in the right spot.

More bore tide guides

Bird Point (MP 96)

The best Seward Highway pullout — wide views, parking, and minimal trail to the shore

Beluga Point (MP 110)

Closest to Anchorage — also one of the best spots to see Cook Inlet belugas

Girdwood Flats (MP 90)

The most-watched bore tide location — pullouts #4 and #5, classic Seward Highway vantage

Bore Tide Surfing Safety

What you need to know before you paddle out — gear, training, and the risks most people underestimate

← Back to Turnagain Arm Bore TideAll event guides →