Alaska is absolutely incredible and should be on the top of anyone who enjoys nature’s must-visit list!
This state is also very, very expensive. Lodging is what will set you back the most, plus if you’re visiting some of the more remote areas you’ll likely need to book flightseeing or seaplanes.
While most people choose to visit via cruise and a stopover in Anchorage or Denali, I opted for the land adventures! In 13 days of exploring I visited 5 national parks and 2 state parks, driving a loop starting and ending in Anchorage.
One final note—be bear aware! Always have bear spray while out in nature.
Anchorage
Anchorage Brewing: An absolutely incredible brewery, and arguably one of the best in the country. They are known for their Barleywines most, but they do every style well. Their taproom has a nice rooftop and large patio, and there is an onsite kitchen open during certain hours.
Whisky & Ramen: A delicious spot for—you guessed it—whisky and ramen! Incredible broth, unique cocktails, highly recommend.
Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse: A great spot with a seafood-focused food menu and a large beer menu. The inside has dive bar vibes and outside has a nice patio.
Anchorage Market: A nice little craft/good market downtown.
F Street Station: This downtown restaurant is delicious with fun vibes and affordable prices.
Boom! Coffee: This coffee shop offers bear spray rentals that are affordable and convenient to pick up and drop off. The coffee is also tasty!
Ship Creek Brewing Company: A solid brewery that also has pizza.
Tony Knowles Coastal Path: A nice paved walking and biking trail that leads out to the Cook Inlet.
Glacier Brewhouse: This brewery is a popular spot with good food and average beers.
Onsite Brewing Company: A cool little spot with average beers.
Stay at Comfort Suites Anchorage: This is a perfectly fine hotel near the airport that is affordable compared to most in the area. Nothing special, but can endorse!
If you find yourself in nearby Palmer, this Airbnb is really nice. It is a beautiful A-Frame on the Matanuska River.
Kenai Fjords National Park
This national park is mostly accessed via the water, and Seward is the perfect basecamp for exploring.
I would highly recommend the Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise & Glacier Kayak Combo booked with Sunny Cove Kayaking: This small group tour is an all-day adventure filled with wildlife, fjords, waterfalls, and glaciers.
The kayaking itself is about 5 miles and not too strenuous. You’ll visit Holgate Glacier, Little Holgate Glacier, and Secret Glacier, and there are a ton of hanging glaciers in the area as well. When we were in our kayak huge chunks of ice were falling off the glacier which was super neat to see (and of course terrifying for the impact climate change is having on the planet).
On the wildlife cruise portion of our day we saw Stellar Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Sea Otters, Dall’s Porpoises, Orcas, Fin Whales, Humpback Whales, Jellyfish, and a ton of different types of birds.
Overall this was a fantastic experience, and I was really impressed by our Sunny Cove guides and the food provided. Heads up the water can definitely be a bit rough, so if you are prone to seasickness perhaps staying closer to shore :)
Exit Glacier View and Overlook Loop Trail: This trail is 2.2 miles long with 340ft of elevation gain and overall easy. There is a nice viewpoint on the road leading in where you can see the whole glacier as well. You can also get out onto the glacier via the Harding Icefield Trail if you’re looking for a challenge!
Explore Seward Highway: This scenic highway to get to the park has lots of turnoffs with beautiful views. Bird Point, Tern Lake Pullover and Trail Lake are all very pretty. Expect wind!
Bryon Glacier Trail: This is a nice hike between Anchorage and Seward in Chugach National Forest. It is a nice easy trail that is 2.2 miles long with 400ft of elevation gain with scenic views throughout.
You can also book a cruise to see Portage Glacier nearby.
Seward:
Ray’s Waterfront: A great restaurant with delicious food!
Tidewater Taphouse: A beer bar with a solid selection.
Kaladi Brothers Coffee: This coffeeshop has multiple locations. They also have a small but good food menu.
Seward Waterfront Park: This is a lovely little park on the water where you can often spot Harbor Seals.
Summit Sips: Coffeeshop with tasty drinks, near the train.
The Porthole: This food truck is parked at the marina serving up good breakfast and lunch options.
Seward Windsong Lodge is where we stayed—it was solid but nothing too special in my opinion.
Katmai National Park
Katmai is famous for bear-watching and it is one of the coolest spots I have ever visited! I booked a day trip with Rust’s Flying Service from Anchorage.
The views from Anchorage to Katmai on the seaplane are absolutely amazing with lakes, glaciers, volcanoes, and mountains. Upon landing on the lake expect a lot of bugs, a quick bear school lesson, and then an easy mile or so walk out to the viewing platforms.
You will get very up close to bears and it is a truly unique experience. Overall we saw over 20 bears, and some beluga whales and sea lions on the flight back!
Denali National Park & Preserve
Denali is a bit of an odd park in my opinion. It was created to protect Dall Sheep, and is not crazy scenic compared to some parks, and only about 30% of visitors actually get to see Denali because it’s usually hidden in the clouds. Additionally, most of the hiking here is backcountry hiking so there are not a lot of trails, which is not my personal preference. Is it worth going to? Yes. If I could only visit one park in Alaska would it be this one? No.
A Bus Tour is the best way to see the park, since cars can only drive the first 15 miles of the park. There are narrated tour buses and non-narrated transit buses. After quite a bit of research we opted for the non-narrated transit bus and I believe it is the correct choice. The bus driver is still narrating and guiding, you just aren’t on a tour around a specific topic.
Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife! We saw a cow moose, a bull moose, and a calf moose all right away, and then caribou and Dall Sheep further into the park. Book your spot in advance, and sit on the left side of the bus on your way out.
Savage River Trail: This trail is a mostly flat 2 miles long that takes about 45 minutes to complete. It is right at the end of the pavement so you can drive or hop off the bus. It is a bit boring but still nice, following the river out and back. As a heads up AllTrails incorrectly says this trail is 2.1 miles long with 564ft of elevation gain and takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete.
Horseshoe Lake Trail: This trail is 2.1 miles long with 450ft of elevation gain and right near the park entrance. It is nice and easy with a pretty lake to walk around, but nothing too scenic overall.
Triple Lakes Trail: This trail is 6 miles long with 850ft of elevation gain and takes about 2.5 hours to complete. It leads out to three lakes, and the view from the top ridge is easily the best. Overall I was not super impressed, but it was nice to be on a super quiet trail and see some Bald Eagles as well. This hike shares a trailhead with the Oxbow Trail which goes out along the Nenana River.
Denali Park and Healy
The town right outside of the park is conveniently called “Denali Park” and has a bunch of restaurants and shops. It can be pretty busy and expensive, so we opted to stay in nearby Healy, just about 10 minutes further north. This Airbnb had incredible views and overall was a great little spot.
49th State Brewing Denali Brewpub: This brewery has good beers, a large tap list, cocktails, a full food menu, and a nice patio space. It can be very busy so expect a wait.
Healy Best Asian Food To Go: Yes this is the name of the restaurant. Yes it is absolutely delicious. Cash only!
Prospectors Pizzeria and Alehouse: This is a very popular spot with tasty pizza and a large beer list.
Alaskan Coffee Bean: This is a solid spot for coffee in Healy!
Talkeetna
This little touristy town is on the way up to Denali from Anchorage and a popular stopping point. It has some cute little restaurants, shops, and a waterfront park.
Talkeetna Riverfront Park: On a clear day you can see Denali from this nice park on the river.
Denali Brewpub: This brewery has a great patio space, a full food menu, and average beers.
The Salmon Spot: A popular spot for Salmon burgers!
Be sure to stop at Denali View North and Denali View South on the way as well!
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
This is absolutely the most bizarre national park I have ever been to and simultaneously one of my absolute favorites!
You access the park via a crazy drive along McCarthy Road which is notorious for potholes and rough driving. From the end of the road you walk across a foot bridge, and then you can walk or take a shuttle into McCarthy and Kennicott.
It is the largest national park, and one of the least visited since it is a bit difficult to get to. Plus, over 30% of the park is covered in glaciers and it is not at all your typical park experience.
The best way to experience the park is via flightseeing. We booked with Wrangell Mountain Air and opted for the Jewels of the Wrangells Tour, which is two hours long and takes you further into the park. It is absolutely stunning and 1000% worth the steep price tag. Some of the highlights were Tana Glacier, Bagley Ice Field, Mount St Elias, Icy Bay, and Mt Logan. Pro-tip—try to have a back-up day/time in case the weather makes you reschedule!
Explore Root Glacier: I booked the Root Glacier Half-Day tour with St Elias Alpine Guides. It is a neat way to hike on a glacier and learn more about the area. It is about 8 miles overall with approximately 1,000ft of elevation gain. They also offer a full day option but that seems excessive to just continue to walk further out on the glacier in my opinion if you’re debating between the two!
The Potato: This restaurant has great food, and their owner is a liquor rep so they have a crazy beer list as well! They are known for their fries and I can concur they are fantastic.
Kennicott Glacier Lodge: Even if you’re not staying here it is a great spot for a beverage or meal! There are great views of Root Glacier from the dining room and deck.
Check out the historic mine: This National Historic Landmark is the heart of Kennicott and can do a tour to learn more.
On your way to/from the park:
Coming from/going to the Denali area:
The drive on Denali Highway is absolutely insane with glaciers, snow-covered mountains, lakes, and incredible views throughout.
Meier's Lake Roadhouse: This is a cool little spot for a meal along your way. Expect simple but delicious eats.
Liberty Falls State Recreation Site: A nice roadside waterfall stop.
Coming from/going to the Anchorage area:
The last chunk of the drive is full of insane views and glaciers. There are a few spots you will definitely want to stop to take it all in!
Sheep Mountain Lodge: This is a cool spot to stop for food. The views are nice and the food is quite delicious.
Matanuska Glacier is a popular hike in this area as well but you need to book with a tour company to access it since it is private property. You can see the glacier from a viewpoint on the road though!
Lake Clark National Park
This is one of the least visited national parks in the country, because it is only accessible by plane or boat! Most folks who visit do so via a lodge which sets up your plane, lodging, meals, and any tours for you. You could also book independently with Lake Clark Air. Overall I am not completely convinced the cost is worth it, but it is definitely a unique and cool experience.
I booked with and stayed with Lake Clark Resort. Their cabins are directly on the lake with beautiful views! They have tours you can book to explore more of the park, kayaks available to explore the lake, and the food was also incredibly delicious. It did feel a little cult-y at dinner, but overall it was great.
Kontrashibuna Lake via Tanalian Falls Trail: This trailhead is about 15 minutes walk from Lake Clark Resort and leads out to a large waterfall and a nice lake. It is about 7.3 miles long with 1,150ft of elevation gain and takes about 3 hours to complete. You can also just do the trail to the falls without the lake! It is a super quiet area and a nice stroll.
