While I firmly believe that the most epic way to explore Alaska is on a lengthy road trip, that’s not the right option for some people. You may have young kids or just prefer not repacking every other night to move to a different hotel. The great news is that with some carefully chosen day trips from Anchorage, you can get an amazing taste of what The Last Frontier has to offer!
Anchorage makes an ideal base for a more relaxed trip to Alaska not only because of its robust international airport but also its location at the nexus of several very diverse areas of the state. In my Anchorage day trip suggestions below, you’ll find awesome options for adventurers, kids and everyone in between. There’s also a nice mix of free things to do near Anchorage and paid tours.
I’m so excited to be returning to Alaska in September 2024! That trip will be entirely Anchorage-based so I’ll be adding a few more dynamite options shortly.
Anchorage day trip tips
As a quick logistical note, I’ve grouped these day trips by rough geography. Depending on how busy you want your days to be, you can generally combine a few options into a single day. If you know that your travel crew can’t handle too much excitement in a single day, you can choose one of these day trip options for the morning and then head back to Anchorage for some city exploration in the afternoon.
It’s also worth remembering that Alaska doesn’t have that many major roads. If you’re planning a hub-and-spoke type of trip, you may wind up going the same direction on a few different days. That’s ok! It doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. When you take a look at the map of the best day trips from Anchorage, Alaska below, you’ll see that there are a lot of great options clustered along certain routes – more than you could realistically enjoy in a single day while still returning to Anchorage at night.
Many of these day trips are also fantastic opportunities to arrange a professional photo shoot with Flytographer. Since most photographers are based in Anchorage, you’ll find reasonable travel fees and better availability than if you try to schedule one in the bush. The photographer we booked (through a different service) cancelled on us at the last minute due to illness and I really wish we had epic pictures that capture both us and the incredible landscapes!
Don’t have time to read a bunch of reviews and blog posts? Here are our top picks for visiting Alaska:
Alaska Guide
Need a quick day-by-day, open-and-go itinerary for Alaska? Get my guide and let me do the work for you!
Our favorite hotels in Alaska
- Anchorage: Hotel Captain Cook
- Seward: Hotel Edgewater
- Girdwood: Hotel Alyeska or fully-stocked condo
- Soldotna: Kenai River Condo
- Denali: Denali Bluffs Hotel
Getting around Alaska
Our favorite activities and tours in Alaska
- Dog sledding
- Kenai Fjords National Park cruise
- Matanuska Glacier walk
- Denali flightseeing tour
- Book a photo shoot in Alaska
Be sure to buy travel insurance to protect yourself and your vacation expenses! Compare the top companies here to find the right plan for you.
Anchorage day trips to the north
Dog sledding in Willow
My kids have voted this as their top experience in Alaska: visiting the awesome kennel and going for a ride with Alaskan Husky Adventures in Willow. We got the chance to tour with Liz, Matt and the team when they were just getting started and their endeavor has only grown!
They offer year-round tours with their incredible team of Iditarod racing Alaskan huskies, using specially-designed carts in the summer and traditional sleds in the winter. No matter when you go, you’ll learn a ton about what it takes behind the scenes to compete in long-distance races and get to know the awesome dogs and people that make it possible.
And don’t worry, there will be plenty of puppy snuggles!
Musk Ox Farm or Reindeer Farm
The Reindeer Farm in Palmer is consistently recommended as a fun opportunity to see some of North America’s biggest animals up close. There’s a heard of 100 reindeer, a wood bison, a yak, bunnies and more. Tours are one hour, with the last tour at 5pm through most of the summer.
If the Reindeer Farm doesn’t sound like your speed, another option in the area is the Musk Ox Farm. This non-profit seeks to protect and grow the musk oxen population and provide musk ox fur (qiviut) to Alaska Native women to craft into deliciously soft handmade garments.
While we had planned to visit these farms on our trip to Alaska with kids, unfortunately a terrible crash closed the highway for about six hours on our way back from Willow. Unfortunately that’s a reality of travel in Alaska: with few direct routes in most areas, a highway closure can totally derail your plans. Stay patient and flexible!
Read more: Renting A Car In Alaska: 9 Things You NEED To Know
Day trips from Anchorage to the east
Alyeska Tram
The Turnagain Arm is one of the most scenic places near Anchorage, and you can get an awesome view of it from the top of Mt. Alyeska in Girdwood. Of course there’s only one way to get there in style: the Alyeska Aerial Tram!
In just a matter of minutes it whisks you 2000 feet up, where you can take a little hike even higher, have a summer snowball fight, grab a cup of soup at the Bore Tide Deli and take in an awesome sunset from the observation deck. If you look down, you can spot daring mountain bikers and maybe even a black bear – but hopefully not in the same place.
Be prepared for weather at the top!
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
If you want to “meet” some of Alaska’s most famous residents without traveling far and wide and crossing all your fingers and toes, head to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. This non-profit wildlife sanctuary is just an hour from downtown Anchorage and home to both brown and black bears, moose, elk, muskoxen, foxes, “big” birds and more.
Some of the setting may look familiar, as AWCC has been featured in plenty of TV shows and movies over the years. But beyond the publicity, they do a lot of great work for the animals in their care. Be sure to talk to some of the staff to learn about how they integrate new arrivals, interesting behaviors they see and more!
On a practical note, you’ll see most of the animals around a 1.5 mile flat loop road. If you have physical limitations you are able to drive it. For most people you’ll have a better experience walking the loop – just be prepared that the road can be mucky (like everything in Alaska!) so leave the cute white shoes at home.
Byron Glacier
Do you dream of getting up close and personal with a glacier? There’s no better opportunity than taking the easy trail out to Byron Glacier! It’s less than one mile each way over mostly flat (though uneven) ground so this is perfect for visitors of all ages. Even though it’s a close, simple hike it’s really one of my personal favorite things to near Anchorage!
You can even (carefully) walk on the ice here, though don’t go too high up unless you’re experienced and have proper gear like crampons. Do not go into the ice caves you may see – just appreciate them from right outside.
Day trips to Kenai Peninula south of Anchorage
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park is about the furthest I’d venture on a day trip from Anchorage, as the drive from Anchorage to Seward is nearly 2.5 hours… just on the cusp of a “day trip” in my book. But it’s also incredibly beautiful and worth seeing! I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not to venture down.
Kenai Fjords is a land-and-sea park, with much of its area in and around the coastal town of Seward. Once you get there, you’ll definitely want to take a boat tour of Kenai Fjords – you’ll see epic wildlife from whales to puffins and also go right up to the face of a glacier! The company we toured with had a naturalist on board so there were great opportunities to learn as we toured.
After your boat tour, head inland to Exit Glacier within the park. Unfortunately this is a prime example of a glacier that’s quickly receding, and as you walk the trail you’ll see markers for the toe of the glacier through history. The Exit Glacier View trail is an easy, 1 miles accessible loop. If you’re in the mood for something harder, Exit Glacier Overlook adds an extra mile but also gets you a little elevation gain and uneven ground – it’s not “hard” but definitely more work than the map makes it appear! Be sure you have proper hiking shoes and ample water for this one. For a more enriching experience you can often join a ranger for these hikes.
Fishing
Have you really been to Alaska (in summer) if you haven’t gone fishing? I think not! The Kenai Peninsula is home to some of the state’s best fishing spots, and they’re relatively easy to access from Anchorage. There are tons of options as close as Cooper Landing (just under 2 hours) all the way to the town of Kenai (close to 3 hours).
(In the interest of transparenty, these fishing photos were taken in Lake Clark… more on that in a moment!)
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game provides more information than you probably want if you’re a casual angler, but it can be helpful to get a sense for what fish will be “in season” when you visit. That can include several types of salmon, Dolly Varden (which is delicious), trout and pike.
The good news is that you don’t have to become an expert, you just need to hire one. Choose one of these excellent fishing tours and you’ll get to spend the day with a guide who knows exactly how to find the best fish along the river.
Most importantly: Be sure that every adult in your party gets a fishing license before your outing. It’s quick, easy and cheap but guides will not let you fish without one if you’re at least 16 years old.
Want to skip all the planning and access my detailed Alaska Itinerary complete with daily schedules, awesome activities, and travel hacks? Click the button below.
Flightseeing from Anchorage
What if I told you that some of the most incredible daytrips from Anchorage don’t require driving at all? There are two options worth considering that are actually day trips by plane! They depart from one of the local Anchorage airports (which one can vary by your hotel, your destination and which company you choose).
Bear viewing from Anchorage
We did an absolutely incredible day trip to Lake Clark National Park to see bears up close in their natural habitat and do some fishing. It was expensive, but I highly recommend it. Since we were on a lengthy road trip we flew from Soldotna rather than Anchorage – a little shorter and a little less expensive. This tour takes you directly from Anchorage.
There’s some debate as to whether it’s better to go to Lake Clark or Katmai, home to the famous Brooks Falls. Where do I shake out on Katmai vs Lake Clark? We opted for the latter because it’s less expensive, less crowded and we had much more time actually observing bears than we would have at Brooks Falls. At Lake Clark we were watching bears fishing, playing and even cuddling for over four hours!
Nearly all of our bear observation was from our boat and there were only two or three other boats in the vicinity at the same time, while at Brooks Falls most observation is from a designated viewing platform. The photo above is my own, taken from our boat with a decent zoom lens and no one else around.
Denali flightseeing
One of Alaska’s most iconic experiences, which I haven’t had yet, is seeing Denali. It’s North America’s highest peak and, if you’re lucky enough to get a view it’s majestic. Because so much of Alaska is park land, getting to Denali by requires flying into either Anchorage and driving four hours or flying to Fairbanks and driving two hours.
A cool option if you want to avoid the driving is to hop on a small seaplane and fly from Anchorage to Denali! Your total tour time is around 3 hours, which includes a stop in (or near, depending on conditions) Denali National Park to take some awesome photos and soak up the scenery.
Mapping Anchorage day trip options
Suggested Alaska itinerary based in Anchorage
If you aren’t up for a big Alaska road trip itinerary, that’s ok – as I said before you can get a great sample even with Anchorage as your base! How should you split your time for an Anchorage itinerary?
Many of these day trips can involve a lot of driving and some of the activities take up a full or half day. Here’s a sample of how I would divide my time on a 5 day itinerary:
- Day 0 – Evening arrival in Anchorage
- Day 1 – Eklutna Lake, dog sledding in Willow, Hatcher Pass
Total drive time ~4.5 hours, but split into 1hr chunks - Day 2 – Explore Anchorage: Alaska Native Heritage Center, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
- Day 3 – Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise + Exit Glacier
Total drive time ~4h 45min roundtrip - Day 4 – Flightseeing to Denali or bear viewing
Departure from one of the small Anchorage airports - Day 5 – Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Byron Glacier, Alyeska tram
Total drive time ~2.5 hours roundtrip
Planning your incredible Alaska adventure
Ready to dive deep into planning your vacation in Alaska? Don’t miss these helpful articles:
- Your Ultimate Alaska Itinerary: 10 Days In Anchorage & The Kenai Peninsula
- Alaska With Kids: Unforgettable Activities and Must-Read Tips
- Renting A Car In Alaska: 9 Things You NEED To Know
- Your Complete Packing List for Alaska in Summer: Tried and Tested Advice
- Alaska Travel Tips You Should Read Before You Go
- Major Marine Kenai Fjords Cruises: A Can’t-Miss Alaska Highlight
- Alaska Car Seat Laws You Need to Know