Anchorage is Alaska’s most populous city, with almost 40% of the state’s population living within its footprint. As you might imagine for a city in the Last Frontier, Anchorage offers way more than just the typical metropolitan hustle and bustle, with its location nestled along the Cook Inlet and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains.
Accordingly, there are TON of options for taking in Alaska’s raw wilderness and beauty, as well as enjoying some more cosmopolitan activities, if you’re basing yourself here while you’re exploring this stunning state. Here are awesome 18 things to do in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Things to do in Anchorage
1. Watch the bore tide
Anchorage is home to one of the largest bore tides in the world! If you’re not familiar with a bore tide, it’s basically a daily natural phenomenon when the incoming tide surges into the narrow opening of the Cook Inlet, resulting in a wave that’s up to 10 feet tall. You can check out the bore tide schedule here.
There are tons of locals that actually surf on the wave, which is SO fun to watch. Plus, it’s an excellent time to spot beluga whales in the inlet’s waters, as they try to take advantage of the fish stirred up by the wave. The best months to see belugas here are August and September.
There are several viewpoints along the Seward Highway, where you can camp out to watch the surfers do their thing and try to spot some belugas, like the aptly named Beluga Point or this viewpoint. While we didn’t spot any belugas, we had a very fun evening, watching the local surfers and chatting with them afterwards (they even invited us out the following day to try it for ourselves!).
2. Visit the Potter Marsh Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk
If you’re looking to experience some of Alaska’s famed wildlife, this wooden boardwalk winds 1,500 feet over a marsh and several water channels, with spectacular views of the surrounding Turnagain Arm and excellent opportunities to see some of the creatures that call Anchorage home.
The most common wildlife to see here are birds, like Arctic terns, red-necked phalaropes, and bald eagles, but you can also get lucky and see larger wildlife, like moose and even bears! The best time to spot bears here is from May through August, when salmon spawn in Rabbit Creek, which flows about halfway down the boardwalk.
Justin and I made a quick stop here on our way to explore some of the towns along the eastern edge of the Turnagain Arm, like Whittier and Hope. We didn’t see any large wildlife, but there were TONS of birds here and it felt very peaceful, especially considering how close it’s located to the Seward Highway.
3. Explore the Knik Glacier
Located outside of the neighboring town of Palmer, the Knik Glacier is one of the most easily accessible glaciers from Anchorage. It also measures over 25 miles long and 5 miles wide, making it one of the largest glaciers in southcentral Alaska.
There are several different tours that you can take from Anchorage to explore the Knik Glacier:
- Glacier paddleboarding: One of the most bucket list things to do in Anchorage is to take a helicopter to the glacier, put on a drysuit, and then paddleboard around (and even jump into!) the rivers and pools of electric blue glacial meltwater. We decided we didn’t have room in our budget for this during our summer in Alaska and I kick myself for not doing it at least once a week!
- Glacier hiking and dogsledding: For a different type of adventure, you can fly over the Knik Glacier and icebergs in the glacial lake that it feeds. You’ll land on the glacier and have an opportunity to go on a dogsledding ride, as well as short hike directly on the ice, to admire the glacier’s formations, crevices, and pools.
- Helicopter tour (3 landings): If you’re looking for a slightly more chill activity, this helicopter tour serves as mostly a flightseeing tour over the spectacular mountains and tundra that surround Anchorage, with opportunities to see wildlife, like moose, Dall’s sheep, and bears. But it’s not totally chill—you’ll also land three different time, including once on alpine terrain, once on an ice wall, and once in the middle of Knik Glacier, so that you can more fully immerse yourself in these incredible landscapes.
We camped next to the Knik Glacier at a STUNNING campsite in our RV for about two weeks, so I have a HUGE soft spot in my heart for this magical place. Definitely worth a visit during your time in Anchorage!
4. Take an Anchorage city tour
I know that most of the things that I’ve highlighted so far focus on the incredible landscape and wildlife in and around Anchorage (as that’s what most people come to Alaska to experience!), but it’s still a proper city, with close to 300,000 residents and all of the shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots that they frequent.
So, if you want to get to know the city a bit better, consider going on a guided tour with a local!
For example, this city and food tour, guided by an Anchorageite, offers the perfect mix of learning about the unique history of the city, which was first settled by non-native people in 1915 due to the construction of a railroad here, with getting to try some of the very best eats in the city.
Alternatively, this tour stops at several landmarks around the city, which range from viewpoints over the city’s skyline and a salmon observation platform to Alaska Wild Berry Products, where you’ll get to see the world’s largest chocolate fountain (pretty wild that’s in Anchorage, right?!). Along the way, you’ll get to try local treats, like smoked salmon and cloudberry jam.
5. Check out the brewery scene
Justin and I always try to hit up microbreweries when we’re exploring a new place and our three months using Anchorage as a basecamp to explore Alaska was no exception.
There are a whopping 18 breweries in the Anchorage area, which source their water from the nearby glacially fed Eklutna Lake and often use local ingredients, like berries or spruce tips, to give their beer a true Alaskan flavor.
Some of our favorite breweries around Anchorage are:
- Girdwood Brewing: A lively, ski-themed brewery with cozy firepits, a rotating roster of food trucks parked in its lot, and funky beers
- 49th State Brewing: Of the breweries we ate at in Alaska, this was by FAR my favorite—their housemade vegan burger is INSANE!
There’s also a stretch around 59th Street that offers Ship Creek Brewing Company, Hive Mind Meadery, Brewerks, and Double Shovel Cider Company in just two blocks, if you want to go on a mini Anchorage bar crawl!
6. Take a hike in Kincaid Park
Kincaid Park is a municipal park in Anchorage with 1,400 acres of rolling hills, located along the city’s western tip.
In the summertime, this is an awesome place to hike or bike, with up to 40 miles of trails.
If you’re hoping to see wildlife, my favorite trail in the park is the Sisson Loop, a 6.7 mile trail that winds through the park’s dense forest—you have a GREAT chance of seeing moose here. It’s also not uncommon to see bear along the trail, so be sure to stay aware of your surroundings, know what to do if you encounter one, and have bear spray with you, in the unlikely event a bear displays aggressive behavior.
There’s also an 18 hole disc golf course, motocross course, and soccer fields—this park’s really got it all!
If you’re visiting Anchorage in the wintertime, the park transforms into a winter wonderland, with 40 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails (about a third of which is lighted so that you can ski at night). It’s definitely on my bucket list to come back and ski under the Northern Lights here someday!
7. Visit the Eagle River Nature Center
Located just east of Anchorage, the Eagle River Nature Center is an awesome stop to learn more about the area’s incredible plantlife, geology, and wildlife—and maybe even see some of its flora and fauna in action!
The visitors center has a ton of informative exhibits and hands-on artifacts, like hides, skulls, and antlers from local wildlife, plus friendly staff that are happy to answer any questions you might have about the area.
There are also several trails that depart from the center, including a short interpretive trail that takes you to observation platforms over a beaver dam and salmon run. You have a great chance of spotting wildlife along the trail, including salmon, bald eagles, moose, and even bears (especially during the salmon runs!).
8. Visit Chugach State Park
Chugach is one of the largest state parks in the entire country, sprawling a whopping 495,000 acres across south central Alaska.
While the park’s footprint encompasses everything from ice fields to rugged coastlines, its westernmost boundary, near Anchorage, lies at the foothills of the Chugach Mountains, a 250 mile long mountain range that extends along the coastline of the Gulf of Alaska.
We LOVED exploring some of the hiking trails within this area of the park, like the South Fork Valley Trail, which ends at a viewpoint overlooking two lakes of different colors, and the Crow Pass Trail, an epic 23 mile hike that passes the gorgeous Raven Glacier.
There are also some rustic cabins in the park’s campgrounds that you can reserve for an affordable rate, if you’re looking for a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Anchorage.
9. Have an adventure on the Matanuska Glacier
The Matanuska Glacier is a bit farther away from Anchorage than the Knik, located about a two hour drive away on the Glen Highway.
However, it is the largest road accessible glacier in the state, so if you’re not keen on taking a helicopter onto the ice, this is your best chance of getting to experience a glacier up close and personal.
For an incredible (and affordable!) way to enjoy the glacier, head to the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Area and hike the Edge Nature Trail, an easy hike that leads you to an observation point of the glacier. This platform offers benches and telescopes to help you get a closer look at the cracks and spires in the ice.
Alternatively, there are tons of tours that you can take you on to the ice itself, like:
- Glacier hike: For a true Alaskan adventure, you can take a hike directly on the Matanuska glacier. An expert guide will outfit you with everything you need, like a harness, helmet, and ice axe, and you’ll get to head out and hike amongst the unique formations, crevices, and pools along this sheet of ancient ice.
- Backcountry ice climbing: If you want to feel like a real badass, try your hand at ice climbing, where a knowledgeable guide will teach you how to use crampons and ice axes to scale walls of ice—how cool is that (pun obviously intended!).
Unfortunately, since 2021, you can’t access the Matanuska Glacier without going on a tour, due to safety concerns and private land ownership around it.
If you want to climb on a glacier without a guide, you can actually head out to our nation’s largest national park, near McCarthy, Alaska. One of the best things to do in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is to hike along the Root Glacier Trail, where you’re actually encouraged to walk on the surface of the ice (although there are always risks to doing so!).
10. Explore Hatcher Pass
Chugach State Park is beautiful, but if there’s one area around Anchorage that you absolutely cannot miss, it’s Hatcher Pass, an alpine wonderland of wildflower, tundra, and snowcapped peaks within the Talkeetna Mountain range.
Hatcher Pass is located in Willow and Palmer, Alaska, a little over an hour north of Anchorage, but the journey is well worth it.
There’s SO much to do within Hatcher Pass’ footprint, like:
- Take a tour of the Independence Mine State Historical Park, where you can learn what it was like to work and live at one of Alaska’s largest gold mining in the 1930s through 1950s
- Drive along Hatcher Pass Road, one of the most scenic routes in Alaska, with views of the Independence Mine, Summit Lake, and the Talkeetna Mountains along the way
- Explore some of the incredible hiking trails in Hatcher Pass. We hiked a LOT in Alaska and the Reed Lakes Trail was by FAR our favorite, taking you up to two gorgeous alpine lakes that are surrounded by a bowl of impossibly tall mountains. The Gold Mint Hut Trail is also on our bucketlist, which leads up to an ADORABLE red hut, high up in the mountains, that’s owned by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska—it was unfortunately closed for training when we visited, but we definitely plan on doing this trail when we go back to Alaska!
11. Look for Northern Lights
Most of the activities that I’ve mentioned in this article so far are geared more towards the summertime, when Alaska gets most of its visitors.
During the warmer months, Alaska experiences what’s known as the Midnight Sun, where the hours of daylight are incredibly long and the sun barely sets below the horizon for a few short hours.
During the Midnight Sun, it’s impossible to see the Northern Lights in Anchorage, because the sky is simply too bright. However, from September through April, the night skies are dark and long enough to see the aurora, when a colorful light display is caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere.
Cloud coverage and light pollution from Anchorage can make it difficult to see so you’ll need to wait for a clear night and then head somewhere outside the city, like the nearby small town of Palmer, to a spot with a clear view of the sky to the north. I’d also recommend using a Northern Lights forecasting tool, like this one, to figure out which nights of your visit offer the strongest possibility of the aurora being visible.
Alternatively, if you’re not sure what you’re looking for or where to go, you can go on a guided tour, like this option, where a knowledgeable guide will pick you up, take you to a good viewing spot, and teach you how to photograph the aurora (plus, provide you with warm drinks and snacks!).
We’ve been lucky enough to spot the Northern Lights a few times during our stay in Alaska and Northern Canada. Sometimes, the aurora is super faint, basically resembling wispy clouds to the naked eye, and can be incredibly easy to miss. Other times, the Northern Lights look similar to what you see on social media, with green and purple ribbons dancing across the sky. They can be a bit hard to find, but it’s SUCH an incredible experience getting to see them!
12. Hit the slopes
Another one of the best things to do in Anchorage in the wintertime is to enjoy some of the incredible ski resorts, sprinkled around the surrounding Chugach Mountains.
There are four ski resorts that are less than 90 minutes from Anchorage:
- Alyeska Resort: Located in the funky town of Girdwood, Alyeska is the premiere skiing destination near Anchorage, with ski runs for all skill levels and bougie amenities, like a Nordic spa, aerial tram, and a saltwater pool.
- Skeetawk: Located in Hatcher Pass, Skeetawk is run by a nonprofit grassroots organization that’s dedicated to making the slopes of the Talkeetna Mountains open to more snow sports lovers. Skeetawk has 12 trails that are accessible via a triple chair lift (with more in the works!), as well as access to backcountry trails.
- Arctic Valley: Located in Chugach State Park, Arctic Valley is another ski area operated by a non-profit, the Anchorage Ski Club. The resort has options for all skill levels, although the vast majority of the runs are either intermediate or black diamond, as well as three lifts to allow visitors to explore its slopes.
- Hilltop Ski: This is the most affordable option near Anchorage, with half day passes starting at just $20. It’s also the smallest of the ski resorts, with 30 acres of mostly beginner trails, but it’s the perfect place to visit if you’re traveling with a family or are new to skiing or snowboarding.
13. See some bears
One of the most iconic things to do in Alaska is to see brown bear, fishing for salmon in a stream or for clams along the gorgeous coastline. While it’s unlikely you’ll get to see any brown bears around Anchorage, you can pretty easily visit some of Alaska’s most beloved national parks that are known for having some of the highest populations of brown bears in the world!
For example, you can join this seven hour tour from Anchorage to Lake Clark National Park, where you’ll fly over volcanoes, mountains, and glaciers. Once you land, you’ll get several hours to view some of the park’s brown bears in their home, as they teach their cubs how to hunt, play, or even mate.
Alternatively, Katmai National Park is home of the iconic Brooks Falls, where salmon leap up six feet to make their way upstream, while some of the park’s 2,200 resident brown bears wait to try to catch them in their mouths. We camped in this magical park for three days, which was inarguably the highlight of our three months in Alaska—bear viewing in Katmai was seriously INCREDIBLE!
If you don’t have time for a multi-day camping excursion here, you can alternatively take a daytrip from Anchorage, like this option or this option.
14. Indulge in Anchorage’s food scene
One of the things that we loved about Anchorage is that there’s an impressive array of locally owned bars and restaurants here, many of which serve up unique takes on classics, with an Alaskan twist to them.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
- Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria: This is an Anchorage institution, having been named the third best pizza in the United States and is the highest grossing independent pizza restaurant in the country. They are beloved for their funky pies, like the Amazing Apricot, which comes with apricot sauce and cream cheese, or the Spicy Thai Chicken, with roasted chicken and peanut sauce.
- Wild Scoops: A shop with handmade ice cream that leans hard into local ingredients and flavors, like Fireweed, an iconic purple wildflower in Alaska; Rhubarb Crumble, using locally grown rhubarb; and Alaska Birch Almond. I’m not ashamed to admit we stopped here four times during our tenure in Anchorage!
- The Hungry Deckhand: For a city known for its incredibly dynamic weather, Anchorage has a surprisingly solid lineup of food trucks. Our favorite that we tried during our visit was The Hungry Deckhand, which serves up massive sandwiches the size of your head.
15. Learn about the city’s Native history
Alaska has the highest percentage of Indigenous people of any state, with almost 20% of its population identifying as Native Alaskan.
The area around Anchorage has long served as the homeland for the Dena’ina Athabascan people, who have lived here for up to 1,500 years. The Dena’ina relied on the rich resources of the Cook Inlet, including salmon, berries, beluga whales, and whitefish.
When the U.S. began building a railroad where Anchorage now sits in 1915, thousands of white settlers moved here in hopes of landing a job.
Unfortunately, they brought along influenza, which the Dena’ina hadn’t previously been exposed to. Up to 90% of the area’s Indigenous population died as a result.
Despite this devastating loss, Alaskan Native cultural and historical influences are still strong in Anchorage, ranging from environmental protections to musical performances to share Indigenous culture with the broader community.
If you want to learn more about Native Alaskan culture, be sure to stop in the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which has an impressive array of exhibits and displays to explore.
For example, there are six outdoor, life-sized dwellings, each of which were built to resemble a traditional structure and the cultural belongings of different Native nations and tribes. In the summertime, there are daily guided tours of these dwellings by cultural interpreters that depart at 9:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, and 2:15 PM.
There’s also lots of cool events and workshops at the center, which range from a market for Native artists to a class on how to make a moosehide quiver.
16. Take a train ride
If you’re a train nerd, you’re in luck—there are some REALLY cool routes through Alaska!
Alaska Railroad has several routes, like the Coastal Classic, which winds down to the coastline of the Kenai Peninsula, or the Denali Star, which snakes up the interior of the state to Denali National Park and onto Fairbanks.
If you’re looking to just take a day trip from Anchorage, you can board the Glacier Discovery Train to the tiny town of Whittier, tucked between the Chugach Mountains and the Prince William Sound. Before the return train back to Anchorage, you’ll get about six and a half hours to check out all of the incredible things to do in Whittier, whether you want to take in views of the Portage Glacier along the Portage Pass Trail or take a scenic cruise around the Prince William Sound to enjoy the surrounding landscape and wildlife.
Regardless of which route you choose, you’ll get stellar views along the way and have a stress-free way to travel around our largest state!
17. Go on a dog sled ride
Dog sledding is one of the most iconic activities in Alaska. The practice dates back thousands of years, when Indigenous people relied on dog sledding for survival and transportation across the frozen tundra. It was eventually adopted by miners from the Gold Rush in the 1920s.
Anchorage and the surrounding southcentral region of the state is actually the most famous area of Alaska for dog sledding, thanks to the storied Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The town of Willow, located about 80 miles north of Anchorage, is widely considered to be THE heart of dog mushing in Alaska, serving as the start of the Iditarod and with several professional dog sledding teams located here.
You can try to watch professionals kick off the Iditarod, which typically happens around the first week of March.
Alternatively, you can go on a dog sledding ride of your own in Willow, like this option if you’re visiting in the winter or this option if you’re visiting in the summer, where you’ll meet the huskies, help harness up the sled team, and enjoy spectacular views of the Alaskan wilderness while you take a ride.
18. See Denali
Even though Denali is 240 miles away from Anchorage, you can still see the mountain with no issue here on a clear day. After all, at 20,310 feet tall, it’s the tallest mountain in North America!
Some of the best places to see Denali from Anchorage are at this viewpoint in Kincaid Park or Earthquake Park.
For even better views, there are several pullouts along Highway 3, like this option or this option, that are located a little over two hours north of Anchorage and offer some of the best views of Denali in the state. We actually spent several days in Denali National Park, including days where it was clear enough to see the mountain itself, and I can definitely confirm that the views along these pulloffs are WAY better than what you’ll get in the park!
Do you need a car when visiting Anchorage?
Like any large city, Anchorage has public transit and ride share.
So, while you don’t strictly need a car while visiting, I’d still strongly recommend getting a rental car here, as many of the best things to do in Anchorage, like Hatcher Pass, the Chugach Mountains, or the Turnagain Arm, are actually located a bit outside of the city.
Honestly, even if you’re just planning on staying in the city itself, having a car can be helpful, given how sprawling Anchorage is—almost 2,000 square miles (making it the fourth largest city by land area in the United States!)—and the limited hours of public transportation.
Where to stay in Anchorage
One of our favorite things about Anchorage is how much infrastructure there is for tourists here, like restaurants, shops, and, of course, hotels.
Here are some of our favorite places to stay in Anchorage:
- The Wildbirch Hotel: This centrally located hotel is newly remodeled, with modern and clean rooms, a cozy lobby, and nice amenities, like a surprisingly solid fitness room and onsite restaurant.
- The Voyager Hotel: Another option in downtown Anchorage, this hotel has thoughtful amenities in every room, like a coffeemaker, microwave, and refrigerator; access to an indoor pool; and incredibly friendly staff.
- Aspen Suites Hotel: If you prefer to be outside of the hustle and bustle of downtown Anchorage, this hotel, located on the north side of the city, might be perfect for you. Each room comes with a refrigerator, coffeemaker, and microwave, plus mountain views, which can be hard to come by in most hotels in downtown Anchorage.
How long do you need in Anchorage?
Anchorage is a cool city, with lots of cool bars and restaurants to explore.
However, if you have a short time in Alaska, I probably wouldn’t recommend spending a ton of time in Anchorage itself. Instead, I’d use Anchorage as a homebase to explore the area around the city, like the towns of Palmer, Girdwood, or Whittier.
For example, if you have a week to explore Alaska, I’d suggest spending around three days in Anchorage so you get the chance to visit Hatcher Pass, Chugach State Park, the Turnagain Arm, and some of the other cool destinations around the city. With the rest of your time in Alaska, I’d suggest heading to the Kenai Peninsula to explore some of the beautiful coastal towns there, like Homer or Seward.
I hope you enjoy exploring this unique city—there are seriously so many cool things to do in Anchorage! Do you have any questions about visiting Anchorage? Let us know in the comments below!
