Alaska Recommendations: Anchorage & Surrounding Areas
Alaska had everything we look for in a destination: good food, so much wildlife, beautiful art and great weather (which, in my case, often means cold and snow!) We are on a quest to make Alaska a bigger part of our lives in the coming years; but until then, we fondly remember our Summer spent in this gorgeous state.
To cover our time spent in Alaska, we’re breaking it up into four blogposts: this one encompasses Anchorage and surrounding areas. You’ll be reading about all of the things we did in Anchorage, as well as the day trips to surrounding towns and parks that we would recommend.
Soon we’ll be posting a ‘Alaska Road Trip Itinerary’ that will include the 5 additional towns we visited as far as 7 hours away from Anchorage, followed by an ‘Alaska Eats’ blog that will outline all of our favorite restaurants we experienced, and then a blogpost dedicated to our day spent at Katmai National Park. (Because that incredible experience definitely deserves a post of its own.)
Anchorage is a small city sandwiched between Alaska’s breathtaking scenery. Even when visiting something as typical as Walmart, the view beyond Walmart’s logo was of Alaska’s snow-capped mountains hugged by lacy clouds. Despite the city of Anchorage being somewhat unexceptional (by that we mean the architecture and general layout of the city was quite sterile - America isn’t as good at making charming towns as Europe is), but all that was hidden inside and around its city limits was what made us fall in love.
Turnagain Arm:
Perhaps the most picturesque drive in the USA - prepare to stop at any of the various turn-offs to snap pics. You’ll find yourself driving beside by an endless stretch of calm, blue water, glistening mudflats and snow-capped mountains; and you might find yourself surrounded by wildlife as well. Alaska is teeming with wildlife, so be sure to pack your binoculars. During our various drives around (and flight over) Turnagain Arm, we saw mountain goats, a black bear and beluga whales! Sometimes when I need to calm myself, I picture the drives we took around Turnagain Arm and it always puts me in a better headspace.
Alyeska Summit:
This ski resort is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason! Take their tram 3,939 feet up to the summit and spend some time at the top, breathing in the mountain air. If you visit on a chilly day, spend some time propping your feet up at the various campfires lit around the resort, and make sure to pose next to the ‘what to do in case of an avalanche’ signs! Note: a round-trip ticket on the Alyeska Tram is $38.
Whittier, Alaska:
The tunnel to Whittier only opens to cars at certain times of the day. It is a one-way, 2.5-mile tunnel that goes through a mountain and is shared with Alaska’s railroad system; at specific times during the day, it is opened to car traffic, so prepare to research the times and wait on line with the other cars preparing to make the journey. With a population of just-under 300 citizens – most of whom live in one residential building – Whittier has been nicknamed ‘a town under one roof.’ Whittier gets its history from its beginnings as an American military encampment, it is now a tourist town with a harbor where cruises, glacier tours and other outdoor activities such as kayaking, jet-skiing and hiking leave from. When visiting Anchorage, I highly recommend a day trip to this unique and rustic Alaskan town!
26 Glacier Tour:
This was one of the highlights of our trip to Alaska! The 26 Glacier Tour is just as it sounds: we boarded a big boat in Whittier and then took off into the sound to see up to 26 glaciers. Taking any boat through an area of the world as picturesque as the Alaskan coast is going to be fun no matter what, but Phillip’s Cruises made their tour an experience. Throughout the 5 hour tour, they fed us complimentary salmon chowder and hot chocolate, and they had other food available at their snack bar. We helped ourselves to a reindeer hot dog and a coke with 400-year-old glacier ice in it. When we weren’t eating, we were braving the cold outside to see the sights! That day we got to see some incredible glaciers and waterfalls; we listened to the glaciers caving, and watched the harbor seals resting at the foot of them. But the highlight of the entire day came when our captain announced that we were en route to a pod of orca whales that had just been spotted. It was my first time seeing orcas in person – I literally have an orca tattooed onto my arm, that’s how much I love them – and seeing them in real life was a spiritual experience. There were three whales that we followed for nearly forty minutes. We watched them glide over the water amidst a curtain of rainfall. I cried. It was a day well spent!
Polar Plunge at Eklutna Lake
Take a polar plunge in a glacial lake! It’ll be one of the most gorgeous bodies of water you’ve ever dunked yourself into. It was in the middle of July and I was still the only one in the water that day - and for good reason, it’s not exactly a recreational swim. As you take the gorgeous walk to the beach, you’ll be warned of how ‘hypothermia kills’ posted on signs along the trail. These signs give advice on how to Polar Plunge safely; but don’t let them deter you! Test your limits and take the dive.
Hatcher’s Pass
Hatcher’s Pass is nestled in the Talkeetna Mountains, about a 90-minute drive from Anchorage. We went on a drizzly, gray day and was stunned by how much the weather and landscape combined reminded us of Iceland. Hatcher’s Pass has plenty of scenic drives and hiking trails; we pulled over when we found anything of interest, which led to plenty of impressive photo ops. What piqued our interest most was Independence Mine State Park - an abandoned gold mine that still stood among the mountains. We walked around the abandoned buildings, learning about Alaska’s gold rush history and the conditions of the mine workers. Given the stunning landscape and the look into Alaska’s history, we highly recommend a visit to Hatcher’s Pass.
Winner Creek Trail
Alaska is never lacking on hiking options. Another 90 minutes from Anchorage is the Chugach, America’s northernmost rainforest. Daniel loves rainforests, so they become a must-see anytime we’re nearby. We decided to hike the Winner Creek Trail, which is a part of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. It was a pleasant, moderate, 3-mile hike through lush greenery. The first two miles were on a human-constructed boardwalk that would wind through the tall trees and ferns; the last mile was a decline that led to Winner Creek Gorge. Typically, this gorge is able to be crossed via a “hand tram” – aka a metal cage that you get into and then pull yourself across the gorge using the available cables. Unfortunately for us, the hand tram was closed when we visited, but that just means that we’ll have to come back. Regardless, it was a beautiful trail we’re happy to recommend.
Iditarod Museum
Daniel and I both love the Iditarod. Daniel grew up fascinated by the race itself, and I grew up obsessed with dogs (and loved watching Balto) so this childhood fixation is something we both relate to. Because of that, we couldn’t skip the Iditarod Museum. This museum is small – it’s essentially one room and a movie; but we still enjoyed our visit. We were surprised to find that they have a taxidermied Togo on display (fun fact for those who don’t know: Togo is the dog who actually did most of the run to Nome to deliver their medications, not Balto.) And the video that they played was super interesting; it went in depth on how the Alaskan Huskies have been breed for decades and what differentiates them from the huskies most people are familiar with, like Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes. And the best part? We were lucky enough to meet some Alaskan Husky puppies! The museum may be small, but we would recommend a visit to anyone who’s interested in the Iditarod or anyone who is simply a dog-lover.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
We absolutely loved the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center – I have far-off dreams of moving to Alaska and working at this incredible place, we can’t recommend a visit enough! One hour from Anchorage lies this sanctuary with its sprawling acres and its guaranteed opportunity to catch a glimpse of your favorite Alaskan wildlife. What they have to say about about themselves on their website sums it up more than anything I could write, so: “The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care. AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round and provides them with spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Most of the animals that arrive at the AWCC become permanent residents and will always have a home here. The Center maintains over 200 acres of spacious habitats for animals to feel at home and display their natural wild behavior.” We were able to see moose, bison, brown bears, arctic foxes, wolves, porcupines, bald eagles and so much more. This is a must-see when visiting Anchorage!
Alaska is such a vast state; even after spending a month there, we still left so much of the state untouched. In addition to all of the above sights we experienced while staying in Anchorage, we were delighted to find that Anchorage has an awesome foodie-scene. We’ll be writing about our Alaska Eats next, so stay tuned!