About Observation Post #17 Nelson Lagoon, Alaska Some gray whales like to spend the summer in bays along the Alaska Peninsula. Some stay in Nelson Lagoon, feeding in a narrow channel. Nelson Lagoon is located on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula, 580 miles southwest of Anchorage. It sits on a narrow sand spit that separates the coastal areas of Western Alaska from the Bering Sea. Nelson Lagoon is accessible only by air and sea. The population of the community consists mainly of Alaska Native or part Native. It's still a long swim before the whales reach the prime feeding areas in the Chirikof Basin, south of the Bering Strait. Nelson Lagoon, Alaska (55.92N, -161.35W)