Kern

Kern is a ghost town situated along Turnagain Arm in Alaska's Anchorage Borough, positioned roughly 71 miles north of Seward. The settlement grew up near Kern Creek and holds a modest but genuine place in Alaska's transportation history: by 1914 it marked the end of the line for the Alaska Northern Railroad, a distinction that ended when the United States government purchased the railroad and pushed construction further.

Today Kern exists as a flagstop on the Alaska Railroad, meaning trains will stop here on request rather than on a regular schedule. Visitors should expect a remote, undeveloped setting with little to no infrastructure — the historical footprint is minimal, and the main draw is the wild Turnagain Arm landscape surrounding the site.