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.
Glacier overflights, Denali views, and floatplane tours from Lake Hood — Anchorage flightseeing delivers Alaska's best aerial scenery in an hour.
Whittier: gateway to Prince William Sound glacier cruises, sea kayaking, and fishing — dramatic fjord setting reachable by road from Anchorage.
A 15-minute water taxi from Homer Spit reaches 400,000 acres of Alaska wilderness. Grewingk Glacier, Halibut Cove, and brown bears await.
Find the best bear viewing near Anchorage, AK in 2026 — Portage Valley, Kenai Peninsula & Brooks Falls fly-outs. Safety tips, tour options & more.
Prince William Sound sea kayaking from Anchorage: tidewater glaciers, orcas, sea otters, and guided day tours from Whittier just one hour away.
Forty miles south of Anchorage, Girdwood and Alyeska Resort deliver a full summer day of aerial tram rides, mountain biking, hiking, and great food.
Walking on a glacier with crampons is a fundamentally different experience than viewing one from a distance. Matanuska Glacier (2.5 hours from Anchorage), Root Glacier at Kennecott, Knik Glacier, and Mendenhall's ice caves offer guided glacier trekking for all fitness levels.
Skate Anchorage's Coastal Trail — 11 paved miles with Cook Inlet views and moose. Routes, rentals, and inline skating tips for 2026.
Wild berry picking near Anchorage: blueberries, salmonberries, cloudberries, and cranberries — best spots, ripening calendar, and bear safety tips.
Talkeetna delivers Denali views, glacier flightseeing, and small-town Alaska character on a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of Anchorage.