USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers

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Alaska Region Viewing Area

LOCATION and PHOTOS

A portion of Turnagain Pass seen from a parking area off of the Seward Highway.

Chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis) and Narcissus-flowered anemone (Anemone narcissiflora) in the meadows of Turnagain Pass.

Turnagain Pass Viewing Area

Forest: Chugach National Forest

District: Glacier Ranger District

Description: The Turnagain Pass area features a rich mixture of plant communities in road accessible subalpine setting. The Seward Highway crosses Turnagain Pass and large, frequently used, parking areas are located on each side of the highway. Trails radiate out from these parking areas into the surrounding herb-rich meadows. These meadows are graced with numerous species of beautiful wildflowers including tall fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis), northern geranium (Geranium erianthum), Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis), and Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis).

Safety First: Brown bears (grizzlies) occur in the area.

Directions: From Anchorage, take the Seward Highway south to the Turnagain Pass parking areas at milepost 68.

Ownership and Management: Lands in the area are managed by the Chugach National Forest, U.S. Forest Service.

Closest Town: Turnagain Pass is about 60 miles from Anchorage and 70 miles from Seward, Alaska.

For More Information:

Seward Highway on America's Byways

What's Flowering at Turnagain Pass?

by Robert L. DeVelice, Ph.D.
Vegetation Ecologist
U.S. Forest Service, Chugach National Forest

Updated: July 8, 2011
Location: Turnagain Pass
60.78122° -149.21599° NAD83
Approximate elevation 920 feet.

Description: The following 32 species were found flowering at Turnagain Pass on July 8, 2011:

Scientific Name	Common Name
Aconitum delphiniifolium	monkshood
Angelica lucida	seacoast angelica
Artemisia arctica	boreal sagebrush
Calamagrostis canadensis	bluejoint reedgrass
Carex macrochaeta	longawn sedge
Castilleja unalaschcensis	Alaska Indian paintbrush
Chamerion angustifolium	tall fireweed
Erigeron peregrinus	subalpine fleabane
Festuca altaica	Altai fescue
Fritillaria camschatcensis	chocolate lily
Geranium erianthum	northern geranium
Heracleum lanatum	cow parsnip
Hierochloe odorata	sweetgrass
Lupinus nootkatensis	Nootka lupine
Luzula parviflora	smallflowered woodrush
Phleum commutatum	mountain timothy
Polemonium acutiflorum	tall Jacob’s-ladder
Potentilla drummondii	Drummond's cinquefoil
Ranunculus occidentalis	western buttercup
Rhinanthus minor	yellow rattle
Rubus arcticus	nagoonberry
Sanguisorba stipulata	Sitka burnet
Senecio triangularis	arrowleaf groundsel
Spiraea beauverdiana	Beauverd spiraea
Streptopus amplexifolius	twistedstalk
Trientalis europaea	starflower
Vaccinium caespitosum	dwarf blueberry
Vahlodea atropurpurea	mountain hairgrass
Valeriana sitchensis	Sitka valerian
Veratrum viride	false hellebore
Viburnum edule	highbush cranberry
Viola langsdorfii	Alaska violet

Of interesting note is that Drummond’s cinquefoil is rare in Alaska. Despite this rarity state-wide, this showy species is quite common in the meadows of Turnagain Pass.

For current weather conditions:

Gallery:

Nootka lupine. Photo by R.L. DeVelice.

Turngain Pass meadows with Nooka lupine, Sitka valerian, and Alaska Indian paintbrush visible. Photo by R.L. DeVelice.

Sitka valerian. Photo by R.L. DeVelice.

Drummond’s cinquefoil. Photo by R.L. DeVelice.

Nagoonberry. Photo by R.L. DeVelice.

U.S. Forest Service
Rangeland Management
Botany Program
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop Code: 1103
Washington DC 20250-1103

Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/alaska/Turnagain/index.shtml
Last modified: Wednesday, 12-Oct-2011 15:50:16 EDT