7 Outdoor Adventures You Can Only Have in Anchorage
A trip to Alaska involves adventure, and staying in Anchorage offers many opportunities for outdoor pursuits within this city.
It’s also easy to venture outside of Anchorage on your own or with one of many tour companies to see glaciers, wilderness and other natural wonders in Alaska.
Here’s how to take in nature within and right outside of Anchorage.
In This Article
1. Hike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
Designated trails make their mark in Anchorage with picturesque scenery.
The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is an 11-mile paved route running along Anchorage’s coast from downtown to Kincaid Park.
While marveling at the overlooking Cook Inlet, many often approach this trail as a 22-mile out-and-back trip by bike or e-bike and on foot. Just remember that the trail is a two-way traffic path.
2. Explore Anchorage’s Endless Parks
Anchorage’s parks are full of activity. Far North Bicentennial Park is the largest city park in Anchorage and spans over 4,000 acres. It’s located at the foot of the Chugach Front Range, a subrange of the Chugach Mountains, offering visitors stunning scenic views. Far North Bicentennial Park is graced with both groomed ski and multi-use trails and a web of single-track mountain bike trails.
In Southcentral Alaska, mostly within the Municipality of Anchorage, Chugach State Park features many diverse landscapes. There’s a mix of ocean shoreline, abundant lakes, massive glaciers and icefields. The park is also home to arguably the most climbed mountain in Alaska — Flattop Mountain.
Then there’s Kincaid Park, with nearly 40 miles of walking trails, 20 miles of single-track bike runs and wildlife viewing opportunities including moose and occasional bears. The park also offers fishing in Little Campbell Lake and features a disc golf course and a sandy beach with views of Cook Inlet and Kenai Peninsula.
3. See forests and flowers at the Alaska Botanical Garden
With the nickname, “City of Lights and Flowers,” it’s easy to take in some floral splendor in Anchorage.
The Alaska Botanical Garden reflects the seasons amid its Boreal forest and cultivated gardens and interconnected natural trails.
This attraction, which abuts Far North Bicentennial Park, is also shaped by over 1,100 varietals and over 150 distinct plant species hardy to this region. Its programming schedule incorporates children and adult activities.
4. Take a Scenic Drive on Seward Highway
There are many scenic day rides near Anchorage. Among others, the Seward Highway provides an incredibly scenic, 125-mile ride from Anchorage to the coastal town of Seward, the resort town of Girdwood and the cruise port city of Whittier.
Its route treks along the Turnagain Arm, a waterway into the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska, amid the Chugach Mountains’ peaks.
The highway also heads inside the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which operates on a taking-turns system, and through the Kenai Peninsula.
5. Encounter Alaskan Wildlife
About an hour-long drive from Anchorage, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a nonprofit sanctuary for orphaned and injured Alaskan wildlife. Based in Portage Valley, this center can be seen largely on its 1.5-mile loop around the property or by heading to each of their homes. Animals in residence can range from brown and black bears to moose, elk, muskox and reindeer amid their spacious habitats.
6. Ride the Alyeska Aerial Tram
In Girdwood, Alyeska Resort is where you can catch the Alyeska Aerial Tram, a seven-minute scenic ride to the top of Mt. Alyeskat.
Climbing up to an elevation of 2,300 feet, the end result makes it possible to see Turnagain Arm and the Chugach Mountain range peaks. The top of the tram holds a historic roundhouse museum, the Bore Tide Deli & Bar and the fine dining establishment, Seven Glaciers.
7. Lay Your Eyes on a Glacier
Alaska is home to over 1,000 glaciers, covering five percent of the state. There are two popular ones involving a mere day trip from Anchorage.
The Portage Glacier is a vast glacial wall situated at the far end of Chugach National Forest’s Portage Lake. Cruise companies often head to and get close views of this massive icy fixture.
Right outside of Girdwood, the Byron Glacier Trail in Portage Valley is where you can get a close-up view of this glacier via an easy out-and-back trailway. Head to this destination from Anchorage via the Seward Highway.