Scenic view of alaska s coastal mountains
Anchorage · United States

Best Things to Do in Anchorage

Glacier cruises, walk-on ice fields, coastal bike trails with wild moose, glass-domed trains and seaplane flightseeing.

Anchorage is the ultimate base camp for Southcentral Alaska, letting you sleep in a comfortable downtown hotel with top-tier seafood while stepping onto glaciers, fjords and alpine tundra within an hour's drive. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

  1. Rent a bicycle to ride the 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail from Downtown to Kincaid Park. Pedal a flat, paved oceanfront path past Earthquake Park and Point Woronzof while spotting resident moose and bald eagles.
  2. Drive the cliffside Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm to Beluga Point & the Alyeska Aerial Tram. Scan the inlet for white beluga whales, spot Dall sheep on the cliffs right above your car, and ride the tram 700 metres up Mount Alyeska in Girdwood.
  3. Visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, cruise Portage Glacier & drive the 2.5-Mile Whittier Tunnel. Meet rescued grizzly bears, moose and muskoxen up close, then take a 1-hour boat to the face of Portage Glacier or a 26-Glacier Cruise in Whittier.
  4. Walk directly onto solid ice at Matanuska Glacier & explore Gold-Rush Hatcher Pass. Drive two hours northeast along the Glenn Highway to strap on crampons and walk across a 27-mile valley glacier year-round.
  1. Hike Flattop Mountain ('Glen Alps') & kayak turquoise Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park. Take the Flattop Shuttle 20 minutes from downtown to Anchorage's favourite panoramic mountain trailhead.
  2. Ride the glass-domed Alaska Railroad to Seward (Kenai Fjords) or Spencer Glacier. Board the GoldStar Dome car at the Downtown Anchorage Depot for a day trip to Kenai Fjords National Park.
  3. Explore the Anchorage Museum (Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center) & Alaska Native Heritage Center. Connect between both cultural flagships via a free summer shuttle.
  4. Take a floatplane from Lake Hood for Denali Flightseeing or Katmai Bear Viewing.
  1. Watch King Salmon leap at Ship Creek & stroll the Potter Marsh Boardwalk, or see winter Northern Lights and the Iditarod.
  2. Feast on Steamed Alaska Red King Crab Legs, Wild Sockeye Salmon & Moose's Tooth Pizza.

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