Outdoor Adventures
Anchorage is your gateway to Alaska’s great outdoors. Find the best hiking trails, fishing spots, wildlife viewing areas, glacier tours, and backcountry adventures. See our full guide to things to do in Anchorage for how outdoor time fits into a broader trip.
132 lakes linked by portage trails, one hour north of Anchorage. Alaska's best flatwater canoe camping, loons, and backcountry lake sites.
Most visitors only see Kenai Fjords National Park from a boat — but Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield Trail offer direct, free, on-foot access to the glacial landscape, including one of Alaska's great day hikes.
Plan your Portage Valley day trip from Anchorage: beluga whale stops on Turnagain Arm, Byron Glacier Trail, and the MV Ptarmigan glacier cruise.
5 miles round trip, 2,850 feet of gain, 360° views of the Mat-Su Valley. The best panoramic summit accessible from the Anchorage day-trip radius.
The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs 11 miles along Anchorage's waterfront — Cook Inlet views, moose sightings, and Denali on clear days, all free.
Kenai Fjords tours, Exit Glacier, the Alaska SeaLife Center, and sea otters in the harbor — Seward delivers the full Alaska experience in one day.
Gold Mint Trail follows Mint Creek through one of Hatcher Pass's most scenic valleys to a glacier you can walk up to — 8 miles round trip.
Alaska wildflowers near Anchorage: fireweed, lupine, and alpine blooms from June through August — when and where to find the best displays in 2026.
Denali National Park from Anchorage: bus tours, wildlife viewing, hiking, and everything you need to plan your 2026 visit to North America's highest peak.
Anchorage's 1,400-acre Kincaid Park: world-class mountain biking, nationally ranked skiing, coastal hikes with Denali views, and free wildlife.