During our two months in Alaska, we were lucky enough to call Anchorage our home base for a month with a short-term lease! There are so many things to do in this city, as well as in the surrounding areas. It is also such an easy place to get to and from other areas, such as Denali National Park, Seward, Homer, and more.
About Anchorage
As the most populous city and largest city in Alaska, itās the perfect spot as our home base. Itās the good balance of urban with its restaurants and breweries to its rugged wilderness with easy access to nature through hiking, wildlife, and more. You can even spot the Northern Lights here during summer and winter months!
What to Know Before You Go
How to Get to Anchorage
By Flight
The city is served by the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Anchorage is connected to many major US Cities and with nonstop flights through Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest airlines, WestJet Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, and Condor for both domestic and international flights.
By Car
To get to Alaska, it’s likely that you would drive on the Alaska Highway that runs between Alaska, Canada, and British Columbia. Traveling by car allows you to go at your own pace and see more remote parts of Alaska and the surrounding areas.
It can be extremely hard to rent a car or RV in Anchorage due to its popularity and demand. Since all rental vehicles were sold out many months in advance or super expensive, we opted to drive our own car from Chicago to Anchorage down the Alaska Highway! You can read more about that here.
By Rail
Another common way that people arrive to Anchorage is on the Alaska Railroad. Though this railroad isn’t connected to the other states in the US or Canada, this provides transit to Anchorage from other parts for Alaska. Not only this, but it offers some of Alaska’s most spectacular scenery. This runs from Seward to Anchorage, Whittier, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks and has daily departures from mid-May to mid-September. In the winter, there is a weekend service between Anchorage and Fairbanks. However, this is definitely the priciest way to get to Anchorage.
By Boat
While there is no port in Anchorage for cruise ships, a majority of one-way cruises depart between Vancouver and British Columbia to either Seward or Whittier, the closest port towns to Anchorage. There are many cruises that offer a land component to their tour or time to travel independently.
When to Visit
Alaska is best visited in the summer months (June through August) to get longer daylight hours and warmer weather. This is the best season if you want to hike, bike, fish, and view wildlife. I also love a shoulder season (May and September) which has less crowds, fall foliage, and cheaper prices. Though the winter months gives you the best chance to see Northern Lights with the long, dark nights, you can still see these in the summer! However, winter is great for activities like skiing, dog sledding, and snowshoeing.
Downtown Anchorage
The central business district and historic heart of Alaska that is the downtown is home to numerous restaurants, bars, shops, museums, parks, trails, and more. It is easily walkable to get around and has some gorgeous views of the Cook Inlet. While we didn’t eat out too much to save some money, here are some of our favorite places we frequented!
49th Street Brewing
We were definitely frequent visitors of 49th Street Brewing during our time in Alaska–both at the Anchorage location and the Healy location near Denali! They have a second floor in Anchorage, as well as a rooftop patio that has views of the Cook Inlet and Alaska Range.
I loved their Spruceplosion hazy IPA, I wish I could’ve taken more home with me! We also really liked the Solstice IPA (as you can tell, I’m an IPA girl). We tried so many things from their menu, like the King Crabby Grilled Cheese, seafood chowder, and halibut tacos at the Anchorage location. There are some foods that I sadly don’t see on their menu anymore since our visit in 2023, such as the lager loaf in Anchorage (we were eating on a budget lol) and the currywurst at the Denali location. Also, we got a complimentary small bowl of their homemade smok lager and jalapeno beer popcorn to try when we ordered!
Mooseās Tooth Pub & Pizzeria
Moose’s Tooth is a legendary local spot for creative signature pizzas, house-brewed beers, and psychedelic art. It’s widely recognized as a top-ranked, independent pizzeria in the US. We got the diablo bread sticks (cheddar, pepper jack cheese, and chili flakes with their Diablo sauce), a half-and-half pizza with their Buffalo Chicken and Mac ‘N’ Cheese that has reindeer sausage on it, and some local beers. They do not take reservations, so expect a wait during peak hours!
F Street Station
This is a historic, lively dive bar that’s known for its fresh seafood and local atmosphere and is today the oldest downtown Anchorage bar still in its original location as well as the second oldest in the city. It was originally established in 1944 as the Mur-Mac Lounge as an Irish pub that was frequented by the aviators in the bush community and federal employees from the old Federal Building across the street. When the Good Friday earthquake happened in March 1964, the Mur-Mac Lounge was torn down and replaced with the current 4th and F Building. In 1983, it changed its name to F Street Station and in 1988, they expanded to add a grill.
We had already eaten when we visited, so we only had a beer and some fries, but it was so cool to see the walls covered in stickers from aviation groups, aircraft companies, and more.
Darwin’s Theory
A friendly, snug dive bar that is a local hangout. With reasonably priced drinks and free popcorn (my favorite), what’s not to like?
Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse
A casual, neighborhood alehouse that has live local music, food, and draught craft beer. This was our main spot for live music!
Hiking
There are definitely an endless number of hikes that you can do around Anchorage and in Chugach State Park. Since we were bouncing around from town to town in Alaska, there was only so many hikes we could do during our time in Anchorage, but here are some that we did do!
Flattop Mountain
Distance from Anchorage: 15 miles (~30 minutes)
Located in the Chugach Mountains, Flattop Mountain Trail is the most climbed mountain in the state. It is a 2.9 mile loop trail with 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Leaving from the Glen Alps parking area, the trail climbs pretty steadily up until a series of rock scrambling near the summit. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy and foggy this day, so our views weren’t the best. However, we at least saw a slight peak of the mountains surrounding us!
Rendezvous Peak
Distance from Anchorage: 18 miles (~40 minutes)
A tougher hike at 3.3 mile loop with 1,400 feet of elevation, Rendezvous Peak follows beneath the ski lifts at Arctic Valley Ski Area. However, the 360 degree views at the top are absolutely amazing and has views of Anchorage, Eagle River, the surrounding mountain peaks, and the coast.
The trail is completely unshaded and we didn’t run into anyone other than a few squirrels and groundhogs!
We actually had initially tried to do a different hike right next to it (Mount Gordon Lyons Trail), but accidentally followed the wrong trail. No regrets though, because Rendezvous Peak ended up being one of my favorites near Anchorage!
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
In Anchorage
Along the shore of the Cook Inlet from downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Itās great for walking, running, biking, and even wildlife viewing. The paved path is 11 miles and we spent a day just walking along the coast here. We even spotted a moose along the trail!
Portage Valley
Byron Glacier
Distance from Anchorage: 55 miles (~1 hour)
This easy, 2 mile out-and-back trail is a great way to stretch your legs when you’re around the Portage area near Whittier and located in Chugach National Forest. It is before the tunnel into Whittier, so you don’t have to worry about waiting to go through this long 2.5 mile tunnel to access this glacier.
With barely any elevation gain (about 350 feet), this trail allows you to get right up to the base of the glacier and features a beautiful river that flows from the ice caves. I wouldn’t recommend going into the ice caves though, because it can be pretty unstable.
Williwaw Creek Salmon Viewing Area
Distance from Anchorage: 53 miles (~1 hour)
We visited Alaska in August and September, we were on the tail-end of the salmon run season. The annual migration of the salmon run usually is from late May through September, where millions of salmon swim upstream and jump up rivers to spawn their offspring. We were at Williwaw Creek in the last week of August and didn’t expect to see as many salmon, but were still lucky enough to see a decent amount! I’m not an fish expert, but we definitely saw some sockeye salmon and either chum or coho salmon.
Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis
Distance from Anchorage: 15 miles (~30 minutes)
Our main spot to wait out for the Northern Lights was at Glen Alps. The trailhead parking lot offers a high viewpoint above the city, so there are minimal trees blocking your view of the sky.
Seeing the Northern Lights is all a waiting game, so we sat in our car watching a show and occasionally waking out to the lookout to see if our eyes could see any color in the sky. Eventually around 1 am, the lights appeared dancing in the sky!
Aurora Viewing Tips
The best time to go Northern Lights chasing it from mid-August to April in Alaska. The skies have to be dark enough, as well as be cloudless and moonless for best visibility. We typically tracked the night sky forecast to make sure there would be minimal clouds and also utilized the aurora forecasts provided by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Seward Highway
Starting in Anchorage, we drove the Seward Highway so many times, whether we were heading to Seward, Homer, Whittier, and more. The scenery of the mountains, glaciers, and coasts never disappoint on this drive!
Cook Inlet Belugas
Along the highway, there are various viewpoints that allow you to spot the beluga whales that live in Cook Inlet if youāre lucky. We followed these belugas at Turnagain Arms and Bird Point to watch them swim along the coast.
We were able to see their heads and a little fin sticking out!
Hatcher Pass
This is absolutely stunning scenic drive that also has alpine hiking (such as Reed Lakes and April Bowl trails). Only a 90 minute drive from Anchorage, Hatcher Pass Road (aka Fishhook Road) runs through the Talkeetna mountains from Willow to Palmer. Depending on your starting point, this road is about 50 to 60 miles long. While most of the road is paved, a good section of the road (about 15-20 miles) closer to Willow is unpaved and is generally only open from July through September when weather permits. While we only had time to drive the road, I would love to go back for some hiking there!
There is a day-use $5 parking fee per vehicle at the trailheads and parking areas.
We drove up to the top at the summit, where there was the beautiful blue Summit Lake overlooking the winding roads. Since we didn’t want to drive the gravel road with our car, we drove a little past the summit to see the unpaved portion for a bit and then turned back to head back the same way we came.
Along the way is also Independence Mine State Historical Park. Inside the visitor center is displays about the natural history of Hatcher Pass and the cultural history of he Independence mine, which was one of Alaska’s largest gold mining camps. Between the years of 1936 to 1943, over 150,000 ounces of gold were recovered from the Independence mine. Here, you can take a self-guided interpretive tour around the mine camp, take a guided tour inside the historic buildings, and pan for gold with a pan and shovel.
Other Things We Missed
Of course, even we are here for over a month, it’s impossible to see everything and prioritize other things! Here are some other popular attractions that we missed:
- Anchorage Museum: Alaska’s largest museum that features regional art, history, and science exhibits
- Alaska Native Heritage Center: A cultural center to experience traditional dancing, storytelling, and authentic dwellings that represent Alaska’s major native groups
Gallery
As always, Iām better with pictures than I am words!
Where to Next?
Once our one month lease was up in Anchorage, it was time for us to move onto Fairbanks! Along the way to Fairbanks, we were stopping by Denali National Park for our second time to see the vibrant fall colors, as well as just visiting park in one of the last few weeks of the season.
Thanks for reading my little blog! š Have you been to Anchorage or planning a trip there? Send me your thoughts about what you loved the most or are most excited about! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
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