Turnagain Arm Tidal Bore, Alaska, USA

TURNAGAIN ARM TIDAL BORE, ALASKA, USA

The Turnagain Arm, unique in the catalogue, is actually a glacial fjord from the late Holocene, infilled with intertidal sediment. Located in the lower arm of the Cook Inlet, east of Anchorage, the Arm is housed between the Kenai peninsula and Chugach mountains, making a very picturesque backdrop. The region experiences the second largest tidal range in the northern Americas, reaching twelve metres.

The tidal bore is first visible at the Arm's broadest a long way out from Beluga Point as a small surge. The bore then meanders its path through the many banks that line the Arm, eventually following a course along the Chugach side, parallel to the Seward Highway. From this point the bore is at its most impressive as far as Girdwood, and then for the remainder of its journey to Portage the bore dissipates.

It takes over five hours for the bore to travel its course, and there are many suitable stop-offs along the highway to watch the spectacle. An array of wildlife follows the bore up the Arm, including Beluga whales in late summer.

STATISTICS

LOCATION: 61º00'N, 149º40'W

MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 3.0 m

AVERAGE SPEED: 16 km h^-1

BEST TIME OF YEAR: Around equinoxes, ice in spring

TERRAINE: Glacial Fjord

FEAR FACTOR: ***

MAPS

NOTABLE INTERNET SITES

Turnagain Arm from The Bore Riders Club

The BRC pages give further information on viewing the Arm bore, some scenic photographs and information on the small crowd that actually surf in the Arm.