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.
Alaska's fall season is brief, vivid, and largely overlooked by visitors. From late August through mid-September, the landscape around Anchorage transforms through an extraordinary palette of red, gold, orange, and crimson — starting at the alpine tundra and moving down to the valley birch forests. Here's when to go and where to find the best color.
Discover Alaska's best summer adventures including flightseeing tours, dog sledding experiences, and scenic drives during the peak season with extended daylight hours.
Eagle River Nature Center sits 30 minutes from Anchorage with riverside trails, moose sightings, salmon runs, and the start of the Historic Iditarod Trail — plus nearby Thunderbird Falls for a quick waterfall detour.
Whale watching near Anchorage in 2026 — beluga whales in Turnagain Arm, humpback tours from Seward, Prince William Sound orca sightings, and viewing tips.
The Resurrection Pass Trail is Alaska's classic backpacking route — 38 miles from Hope to Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula, with USFS cabin options, excellent wildlife, and terrain that spans boreal forest to alpine tundra. Here's how to plan your trip.
Your guide to mountain biking in Anchorage in 2026 — top trail systems, skills parks, Hatcher Pass routes, and bike rental tips.
Plan the Portage Glacier and Whittier day trip from Anchorage: MV Ptarmigan cruise, Byron Glacier trail, Anton Anderson Tunnel times, and Prince William Sound.
Plan your Alaska cruise departure from Anchorage in 2026 — port logistics, pre-cruise stays, and what to see before you sail.
Plan your Flattop Mountain hike in Anchorage with our 2026 trail guide: Glen Alps trailhead, trail stats, packing tips, and the best months to summit.
Prince William Sound holds Alaska's most dramatic scenery — tidewater glaciers, orca pods, and sea kayaking accessible from Anchorage via Whittier in 2026.