In 1787, the British explorer Captain James Cook lost the anchor of a ship to the powerful currents of Cook Inlet.

He named a bump on the nearby coastline after his lost anchor, and today the town that grew on the bump is known as Anchor Point. A more recent claim to notability is that Anchor Point inhabits the western-most point of the North American highway
system.

From its coast, visitors can take in cross-inlet views of the snow-capped volcanoes Iliamna,
Redoubt and Augustine.

During the summer months, anglers congregate on the banks of the nearby Anchor River. Festivals, including an Independence Day celebration, a three-day mid-winter event known as the Snow Rondi, and regular bazaars and fishing derbies — also draw visitors to town.

Inland from Anchor Point on the scenic North Fork Loop Road is the village of Nikolaevsk. Many of this settlement’s approximately 300 residents are Old Believers — members of a sect of Russian Orthodox Christianity.