Caines Head State Recreation Area
Alaska State Recreation Area; Fort McGilvray WWII Site · Seward, Alaska
A headland of about 6,000 acres rising some 650 feet above Resurrection Bay, about 7 miles south of Seward, protecting the ruins of Fort McGilvray and the South Beach Garrison, built in World War II to defend the port of Seward and the end of the Alaska Railroad. Hikers explore concrete gun emplacements, ammunition magazines and dark underground passages high on the cliffs, with sweeping views of the bay and Kenai Mountains. The only land access is a coastal trail of about 4.5 miles from Lowell Point, where the 3-mile beach stretch between Tonsina Point and North Beach can be walked only at a tide of +3 feet or lower; hikers should leave the trailhead about two hours before that low tide or risk being stranded. Many visitors instead arrive by water taxi or kayak from Seward and stay in public-use cabins or camp at North Beach. The Alaska State Parks trail condition report for Caines Head was updated on 30 July 2026.
Lowell Point State Recreation Site trailhead, Lowell Point Road, Seward, Alaska, 99664, United States
Open year-round; trail passable only at low tides of +3 feet or lower on the beach section. Check the Alaska State Parks trail condition report (updated 30 July 2026) at dnr.alaska.gov/parks.
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