Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, Protected natural area in the United States

The Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge is a nature reserve near Anchorage, primarily known for Potter Marsh. The refuge consists of shallow ponds, streams, and mixed woodlands of spruce, birch, and cottonwood, surrounded by areas of sedge and grass where moose, beavers, trumpeter swans, and bald eagles can be observed.

The area was originally shaped by tidal flows from Turnagain Arm until the construction of a railroad dam in 1917 blocked water movement. This change gradually transformed the land into the marsh ecosystem that now forms part of a broader coastal wildlife refuge.

The refuge lies within Dena'ina Athabascan country, and its name is often linked to the Dena'ina word Hkaditali, "drift lumber," for wood carried in by Turnagain Arm tides. Today the marsh is a seasonal viewing site: grebes, swans, Canada geese, yellowlegs and northern phalaropes stop over, and Potter Marsh draws ice skaters in winter.

Access is via the Seward Highway south of Anchorage, with marked parking areas, restrooms, and boardwalks leading directly to viewing spots. Binoculars or spotting scopes are useful, and moose are best seen in early morning or late evening hours.

At high tide, much of the glacial silt plain is submerged, and thousands of salmon cross it each year. The fish pass through areas that look lifeless at low tide, a movement most visitors never see.