John Muir once said that you should never go to Alaska as a young man, because you’ll never be satisfied with any other place as long as you live. I fear he was right.
After I quit my corporate job to make the most out of my life, my boyfriend and I planned to travel the world. As huge mountain and hiking-lovers, naturally, our first stop would be the great state of Alaska. Before we were to leave the country during our gap year(s), we spent two unforgettable months in the 49th state and truthfully think about it every day.
Things to Know Before You Go
When to Visit?
There are two peak seasons to visit Alaska and it depends on what you’re trying to get out of your trip: summer vs. winter.
Summer (May through September) is the best for 24 hours of daylight or longer days, hiking, fishing, cruises, seeing wildlife, and more. However, it’s the busiest season, so things book out fast.
Winter is the best for the aurora borealis (late August through early April). For dog sledding and snow sports, visiting February through March is recommended.
How to Get There?
Alaska can be accessed in all modes of transport: by road, by rail, by flight, and by boat.
By Air
Major hubs to fly into include Anchorage (ANC), Fairbanks (FAI), and Junaeu (JNU).
By Road
You can access Alaska by the Alaska Highway (Alcan) or Stewart-Cassiar Highway.
By Boat
If you’re coming from Bellingham, Washington or Prince Rupert, British Columbia, you can take a state-owned ferry with the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Otherwise, cruise ships depart on one-way or round-trip between Vancouver, BC or Seattle, WA and Seward or Whittier, AK. There are also some that depart from San Francisco or Los Angeles, CA, but these are much less common.
How to Get Around?
We drove our personal car to Alaska so that we didn’t have to rent a car, but I know that’s not feasible for most. Car rentals allows you the liberty to go to places like Denali National Park or other more remote areas. However, renting a car can be difficult as they sell out very quickly for peak tourist summer months (June, July, August) or can be very expensive, so be sure to book as soon as possible.
Otherwise, you can experience the scenery of Alaska with the Alaska Railroad from Fairbanks to Seward and in between.
How Long to Spend?
Any time at all is great, but 7-10 days is the most common length of stay for visitors. Obviously as you stay longer, you’ll be able to explore more. We stayed for 2 months and still didn’t even come close to seeing all that Alaska has to offer!
Alaska Highway
To visit all the locations we wanted to go to in Alaska, we needed a car. Rental cars and vans are crazy expensive during the summer in Alaska and sold out so far in advance, it was not a likely option for us. Thus came our 6 day road trip driving from Chicago through Canada and the Alaska Highway!
Along the way, we had our typical “road trip stops” such as the Mile 0 Alaska Highway sign, Sign Post Forest, Haines Junction, Kluane National Park, and more. It’s not an easy feat to drive 60 hours in remote and empty roads, but it is an unforgettable memory.
Read more about the Alaska Highway HERE!
Juneau
From Skagway, Alaska, we took our car onto a public transit ferry for six hours to reach Alaska’s capital city.
In Juneau, we hiked Mendenhall Glacier, explored the historic downtown, ate some delicious fresh seafood, and watched massive cruise ship depart and arrive in this state capital city (fun fact: it’s the only U.S. capital city that can’t be reached by car or road!).
Read more about Juneau HERE!
Glacier Bay National Park
As one of the most remote national parks in the country, you can only get to Glacier Bay National Park by plane or boat as there are no roads connecting to it.
We flew from Juneau to Gustavus on a quick 30-minute flight and spent two nights here: one for our arrival and the second after our boat tour into the park. We saw our first tidewater glacier flowing into the ocean, and saw puffins and sea otters swimming by!
It’s one of the most remote parks you can visit, so if you’re looking to get off the grid and visit a lesser-visited national park, then Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is a must!
Read more about Glacier Bay National Park HERE!
Anchorage
Ahhh, Anchorage — our home base! We were extremely lucky to find a one month lease, so we could live and explore near Anchorage while also car camping at various other towns nearby, such as Seward, Homer, Denali, and Valdez. Not only as our home base, but we also loved getting a feel of the local culture, exploring the nearby bars and restaurants, hiking in nearby Chugach State Park, and even seeing the Northern Lights!
Read more about Anchorage HERE!
Denali National Park
During our time in Alaska, we had the amazing opportunities to see Denali National Park in two seasons: summer and fall. It is insane how quickly a few weeks can change the colors of the trees. We had some amazing luck with wildlife here and saw all of the Alaska Big 5: moose, bear, Dall sheep, gray wolves, and caribou!
You can read more about Denali with our comprehensive guide HERE or read about some tips with visiting in the fall season HERE!
Not only can you explore Denali by land, you can also take a flightseeing tour into the Talkeetna range to see the mountain peak up close!
Read more about Denali flightseeing HERE!
Palmer
Only an hour outside of Anchorage, we ventured to Palmer for the Palmer Reindeer Farm, Alaska State Fair, the Musk Ox Farm, and to drive Hatcher Pass. Palmer is a historic agricultural city that lays in the Matanuska Valley. Its proximity to Anchorage made this city an easy visit numerous times from Anchorage.
Seward
We also visited Seward twice during our time in Alaska and there were so many things to do in this town. A must do when visiting Seward is going on a boat cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park. This gives you the opportunity to see not only massive tidewater glaciers, but also a high chance of viewing wildlife: from orca whales, sea lions, seals, sea otters, porpoises, and more!
When visiting Kenai Fjords on land, you can still see glaciers and icefields here as well. The top two hikes are Exit Glacier Overlook (a pretty easy hike to the glacier overlook) and Harding Icefield. If you’re in for a challenging hike with an expansive, stunning view of a glacier icefield, Harding Icefield can’t be missed!
Read more about Kenai Fjords HERE!
You can also take a dog sledding tour at Ididaride Dog Sled Tours, where you can go on a dog sled ride (whether it be on the ground or on a glacier), learn more about the history of dog sledding and mushing in Alaska, and meet the dogs that are training for the Iditarod. We even met some super young and adorable puppies!
Read more about Seward HERE!
Valdez
We had a quick stay in Valdez, but it was nonetheless unforgettable! Valdez is a coastal city sitting on Prince William Sound and is an ideal destination for glacier cruises to Columbia Glacier. You can kayak through Valdez Glacier Lake and Prince William Sound and hike scenic trails as well.
However, the main thing we remember is the incredible scenic drive between Anchorage and Valdez. The last few miles into Valdez is by far the best as it is filled with waterfalls on waterfalls within a few minutes as you drive into town.
Watch our Valdez drive HERE!
Homer
Known as the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World,” this quaint seaside town . The most notable area is the Homer Spit, which is a thin stretch of land that has cute boutiques, restaurants, and bars (including the iconic Salty Dawg Saloon!). The book, The Great Alone, is also based on Homer and Halibut Cove in Kachemak Bay!
We also went on a sea kayaking tour in Kachemak Bay where we kayaked next to sea otters and hiked to yet another beautiful glacier!
Read more about Homer HERE!
Whittier
I first heard about Whittier as the town where everyone lives in the same building. What makes Whittier even more remote, to enter to the town (by car/rail at least), everyone needs to enter and exit through the same tunnel. So, unless you’re docking from a cruise ship or boat, there’s really only one way in and out of Whittier!
Read more about Whittier HERE!
Fairbanks
As a global premiere aurora-viewing destination, Fairbanks is THE place for seeing the Northern Lights. Our last stop on our Alaska roadtrip was to Fairbanks at the end of September to coincide with peak aurora viewing season.
We also visited Chena Hot Springs Resort for a relaxing soak in the geothermal springs and a martini in an ice bar and museum!
Read more about Fairbanks HERE!
Matanuska Glacier
Who doesn’t want to hike on a glacier? Matanuska Glacier is most accessible glaciers in Alaska that allows you to hike directly on top of it! This takes you across crevasses, to a glacial lake, drink some refreshing ice-cold glacier water direct from the source, and take in some panoramic mountain view’s around you.
The pictures never do this glacier justice. You just have to be on top of this glacier to see it!
Read more about Matanuska Glacier HERE!
Hatcher Pass
Only a 90 minute drive from Anchorage is the scenic drive of Hatcher Pass that runs through the Talkeetna Mountains from Willow to Palmer. It is mostly paved and is generally open from July through September.
Once at the summit, you’ll find a the beautiful blue Summit Lake as well as stunning views of the winding road below you. There is also the Independence Mine State Historical Park where you can learn more about the natural history of Hatcher Pass and cultural history of this gold mining camp.
Watch our Hatcher Pass drive HERE!
Portage Valley
Right next to Whittier and shaped by Portage Glacier is Portage Valley Recreation Area, an alpine valley within the Chugach National Forest. Here, you can hike to Byron Glacier and see an abundance of wildlife from bears along the river to the salmon run at Williwaw Creek Fish Viewing Platform!
Watch our Portage Valley video HERE!
Places We Missed
As always, we will never have enough time to visit every single place when we only have a (somewhat) short stay. Here are some places that we didn’t have time for this trip and would love to visit next time we’re in Alaska!
- Ketchikan
- Katmai National Park
- Sitka
- Arctic Circle/Dalton Highway
- and much, much more! 🙂
Where to Next?
Next on our list — we’re heading out of the country to Iceland! We’ll be spending the two weeks driving around the country, seeing even more waterfalls and glaciers, and having an Icelandic hotdog or two! (Definitely more than two).
Thanks for reading my little blog! 🙂 Have you been to Alaska 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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