The 27 Best Things to Do in Alaska: Wildlife, Hikes, and Stunning Tours

Ever since visiting Alsaka in 2021 for the first time, I’ve been hooked. It’s the most incredible destination I’ve visited, and it keeps calling me back. This is because there are so many things to do in Alaska. Bear watching, hiking, fishing, boating, sightseeing tours, animals, and so much more.

It’s what makes Alaska so unique and mesmerizing. There’s always something to do that you’ll never forget.

What I Consider the Best Things to Do in Alaska

If you want to visit Kamtai and Lake Clark in one fell swoop, this is the tour to take.
It ain’t cheap. But you’ll love it!

1. Go Bear Watching

2. Explore Denali National Park

Home to North America’s highest mountain, Denali, this is one beautiful park. It’s also incredibly tough to explore.

First, private cars can only drive 15 miles into the park. Next, there are only a handful of legit trails. After that, hikers create their own routes as they want to. (Off-trail hiking is totally okay here. But you’ll soon learn how exhausting it is to walk on tundra. It’s basically like walking on a wet sponge.)

3. Take a boat cruise in the Kenai Fjords

What a GREAT tour out of Seward, Alaska. This 6.5-hour tour shows off Alaska’s incredible features. You get to see the famous Kenai Fjords, glaciers, wildlife, sea stacks, and snow-capped mountains.

4. Explore Girdwood and the Turnagain Arm

South of Anchorage, but before you reach Cooper Landing or Seward, is Girdwood. This is a fantastic place to spend a day or more. There’s fantastic hiking, the Alyeska Resort (tram ride, spa, or hiking up the ski resort), and the Turnagain Arm, which has one of the greatest tides in America.

The Turangain Arm has a 30-foot daily tidal swing, and some waves are 40-feet tall. While you can walk out at low tide, it can be deadly if you are caught out there as the tide swings back the other way.

Great Hikes Near Girdwood

• Virgin Creek Falls (easy)
• Winner Creek Trail
• Crow Pass
• Mount Alyeska (hiking the ski resort)

Tours from Girdwood

There are also some cool helicopter tours you can take to see gnarly glaciers and other sights. Click here for one over Prince William Sound.

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5. Take the train throughout Alaska

Once you land in Anchorage, you could go car-free. The Alaska Railroad goes to Seward and up to Denali (and then Fairbanks).

This is VERY popular, so it’s important to book as early as possible. A one-way ticket from Anchorage to Seward or Denali costs $133. This isn’t something I’ve done, but it could be more cost-efficient if rental prices are sky-high.

6. Flightseeing around the Alaska Range and Denali

This is hands down at the top of the list for best things to do in Alaska. If you are looking for the tour of your life, a flightseeing tour out of Talkeetna of the Alaska Range and Denali will blow your socks off.

7. Plan a Glacier Walk

Walking on a glacier is basically an Alaska thing. So why not pay tribute to the glacier gods while you’re on your trip?

A far less-visited option is hiking on the Root Glacier when you visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. You’ll start in McCarthy and hike out onto the glacier. We did this in 201, and it was super super cool!

The last option is to be flown to the Knik Glacier by helicopter and do a glacier walk there. This is the most scenic, but most expensive option.

8. Explore the Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula is big, and there are a ton of things to do here. You could spend your entire trip in Alaska here. On our first trip, we spent a week here and loved it.

Cooper Landing is a fantastic little town on Kenai Lake. If you want a good chance to see bears, Russian River Falls is a nice hike. There’s also a camp nearby. Another good area to see wildlife is the Skilak Lake River Road. This is a dirt road, but decently well-maintained. It also gives you access to Skilak Lake and other nice campgrounds.

9. Enjoy the midnight sun (or something close to it)

There’s the technical midnight sun, and then there’s daylight at 1am. For most of Alaska, you don’t technically get the “midnight sun” because you need to be at a certain point far north (like Fairbanks). But still, anyone who visits Alaska in the summer will experience extremely long days.

On June 21, the longest day of the year, Anchorage sees 19 hours and 21 minutes of daylight. In Fairbanks, they have 21 hours and 49 minutes. Coldfoot appears to be the most accessible place in the US that experiences a true polar day/midnight sun.

10. Hike Beautiful Trails Throughout the State

There are an immense number of hiking trails in Denali. While we hiked a ton, I also feel we didn’t do that much because we were driving or taking tours. Still, there are more trails than you’ll know what to do with. These are some of my favorites:

• Slaughter Ridge (Cooper Landing)
• Ptarmigan Lake (Kenai Peninsula)
• Skilak Lake Overlook (Kenai Peninsula)
• Savage River Trail (Denali NP)
• Root Glacier (Wrangel St. Elias NP)

11. Watch the Northern Lights in Fairbanks or the Arctic Circle

One of the best things to do in Alaska is to watch the northern lights. It’s actually the only place in America with consistent, 10/10 exposure. And for this, you’ll want to go to Fairbanks during the winter.

I spent 5 days in Fairbanks chasing the northern lights, and it was exhilarating. The night was long but so worth it. If you have the northern lights on your bucket list, this is the place to come to!

12. Visit the largest National Park in the USA

The largest park in the USA is Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park. It’s larger than some states and countries, too! It’s a glacier haven with jagged peaks, stunning views, and plenty to do.

My top picks for this would be: hiking the Root Glacier, going flightseeing with Wrangell Mountain Air, or going white-water rafting.

To access the park, there are two options. The north side by Nabsena or the central area of McCarthy. Both require a long dirt road. I’ve only been to McCarthy (3 days, 2 nights) and had a blast—such a quaint old mining town with character.

13. Visit Brooks Camp and Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park

Brooks Camp is the single most popular location of any national park in Alaska. This is the launching point to the famous Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. It’s accessible by boat or plane (but plane is recommended).

Visitors must sit through a bear safety class before making the 1+ mile walk out to the falls to see bears. When crowded, you only get 30 minutes at the closest viewing platform before having to leave and put your name on the list again.

Many trips to Katmai and Brooks Falls depart from Homer, Alaska. Here are a few tours to book if you’re interested:

• Bear Viewing Adventure to Katmai and Lake Clark NP
• Brooks Falls Katmai Bear Viewing in a Float Plane
• Alaska Bear-Viewing Day Trip from Homer (not Brooks Falls)

14. Drive the 135-mile Denali Highway

Looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure (or maybe just a little detour)? Check out the 135-mile Denali Highway that cuts across the state from Cantwell to Paxson. It’s untouched wilderness with hardly any buildings.

Odds are, you may not see more than 10 cars on the day. The reason is that most rental car companies say you can’t drive it. But the road is simply a dirt road, so there’s little risk of anything happening.

This road only works for people going to or from Denali NationalPark, and they don’t want to go through Palmer. Still, one of the top things to do in Alaska.

15. Visit Lake Clark National Park

Of our 63 National Parks, only two are less visited than Lake Clark National Park. And that’s a shame – though it is understandable. It is only reached by plane, and it’s incredibly rugged and glaciated.

Home to volcanoes, bears, and turquoise lakes, Lake Clark is stunningly beautiful and offers a break from the outside world. In 2024, I had the chance to visit Port Alsworth and Lake Clark Resort for five days. If you’re looking for an INCREDIBLE place to spend your days, this is it.

They offer flightseeing tours, fishing, hiking, and bear watching. There’s no place like it.

16. Enjoy the abundance of wildlife

There’s more wildlife in Alaska than you’ve likely ever seen in your life. Moose, caribou, bears, wolves, foxes, bald eagles, humpback whales, orcas, stellar sea lions, puffins, dolphins, seals, eagles, and more!

It’s a wildlife photographer’s paradise. As well as anyone who enjoys animals. So, don’t forget the binoculars when you visit.

17. Sail through Glacier Bay National Park

The most visited of Alaska’s 8 national parks. Over 740,000 people visited, entirely on boats (at least I assume). Glacier Bay is a common destination for cruise ships, as getting to Gustavus is not easy.

But if you do plan to visit Gustavus, this looks to be a great day trip to take into the park. This is easily one of the best things to do in Alaska.

18. Take a cruise through the inside passage

Don’t want to plan a trip? A cruise is for you. There are so many options from Seattle or Vancouver that tour the Inside Passage.

You can find packages for less than $700 per person, excluding excursions.

19. Take the Ferry to Alaska and Experience the Marine Highway

This is very likely the least likely to be one of the best things to do in Alaska. That said, if you are trying ot get your car to Alaska and don’t want to drive, you can put it on the ferry and have it drop you off in Skagway.

For others, it’s a unique way to travel instead of by plane or by cruise. People set up tents, and you supposedly meet very interesting people.

20 Visit Alaska’s Capital in Juneau

One of these days, I’ll get a chance to visit Alaska’s capital in Juneau. There are only two ways to the town of 30,000: by plane or by boat. There are no roads in or out.

It’s a popular cruise stop, but I would recommend that people stay a couple of nights to go whale watching, hiking, or explore the Mendenhall Glacier.

21. Fly to Gates of the Arctic National Park and Kobuk Valley National Park

I personally think these are two of the hardest-to-reach National Parks in the US… at least those in the 50 states. Both of these can only be reached by air, and they are decently expensive. I was able to reach out to a few of the places for updated price points as their website’s don’t list them.

Gates of the Arctic

If you want to see Gates of the Arctic NP, starting from Coldfoot, north of Fairbanks, is the best bet. A day trip ranges from $580 pp to $1,150 for an extended time on the ground with Fly Coyote. A combo package from Coldfoot to see GotA and Kobuk on the same day is $ 5,260 pp (which is out of most people’s price range).

There are some companies that will fly from Fairbanks or Delta Junction.

• Alaska North River Air is similar, with the dual park cost at $5,500 for up to three people.
• Golden Eagle Outfitters (unsure of price as of May 2026)
• Aviation Expeditions also does flights, but prices are not listed

Kobuk Valley

To see Kobuk Valley, most people tend to fly into Kotzebue or Bettles (via Alaska Airlines) and then book a trip into the park. (Make sure you have lodging booked before you book flightseeing.)

From here, you’ll want to go with Golden Eagle Outfitters or Arctic Backcountry Flying Service.

22. Walk around Earthquake Park in Anchorage

This is a nice way to see the city and also watch planes land at Ted Stevens International Airport.

On Good Friday in 1964, a massive 9.2 earthquake (the most powerful in US history) hit 150 miles east of Anchorage. The landscape was forever changed that day, with portions of the land and neighborhoods sliding into the ocean.

Now, you can walk a half-mile loop in the park and read about the monumental earthquake and see the changes it caused.

23. Enjoy the breweries throughout the state

My wife and I were supremely impressed by the quality of the beer in Alaska! We tried at least half a dozen spots on our 22-day trip in 2021. Here are a few of the ones we enjoyed:

• Denali Brewing Company
• 49th State Brewing
• Turnagain Brewing
• Historic Hope Cafe, Seaview Bar & Campground
• Valdez Brewing

24. Go Dog Sledding

You can generally go dog sledding year-round in Alaska. In the winter, it’s obviously much easier to do because there is snow all over the ground. But in the summer, most places will fly you to a snowfield/glacier to dog sled for the afternoon.

This is far more costly, but also serves as a mini-flightseeing tour as well.

I was able to go dog sledding in Wiseman, AK, during my 2024 winter trip. It was a fun experience – we actually tipped at one point into a soft mound of snow. What I remember the most was the frigid air attacking any ounce of skin it could find.

Here’s a 2-hour tour from Girdwood

25. Take a helicopter tour into the Chugach Mountains

The Chugach Mountains are one of the most beautiful places in Alaska. Almost everyone flying to Anchorage will fly over them (opt for the window seat), but there are other ways to see them.

One way is to book a helicopter tour. Most come with a glacier landing (or more), and it looks to be one of the most incredible landscapes you’ll witness. Definitely one of the things to do in Alaska if you have the money.

Check out this two-hour, three-landing tour

26. Go Whale Watching

I know I’ve mentioned whale watching above, but I felt whale watching needed its own place. Each summer, whales migrate from Hawaii (or other southern areas) to the nutrient-rich Alaskan waters for a months-long all-you-can-eat buffet.

The whales we saw on our Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise from Seward were amazing, and there are other places with even more abundant sightings. Juneau tends to be one of the best places to watch whales without having to go on a complicated trip.

The main things you’ll see are humpback whales, orcas, and dolphins.

27. Go fishing

Last, but surely not least. Definitely one of the best things to do in Alaska is fishing. There are a handful of ways you can do this. You can book a deep-sea fishing trip for halibut, salmon, or other varieties. Another option is to do a smaller boat on the rivers in the Kenai Peninsula and fish that way.

Or you can grab a line and a net and wade into the rivers. A) You’ll need a non-resident license for how many days you expect to fish. B) Follow local rules for how many you can catch. C) Stay up to date on regulations and rules for specific fish.

What to know when exploring Alaska

Driving takes up more of your trip than you’ll realize

It’s hard to explain how much driving it takes to reach places in Alaska. On a map, it just looks like a short drive (Anchorage to Denali), but it’s a full-day adventure (with stops…there are always stops).

This is why people always caution to keep your itinerary reasonable and not aim to do a ton of things in one day.

It’s expensive, and there aren’t many ways to get around it

Alaska is expensive. Very expensive. And it all just sort of adds up to a lot more than you probably anticipate spending.

Outside Anchorage, they earn most of their income for four months out of the year. So they charge more to recoup the income they don’t make during winter. Plus, it costs more to ship things up there and then get them around the state (usually by air), which is expensive thanks to fuel prices.

• Then, rental cars are not cheap. Expect $75+ per day for a car. It could also be $150 per day during the busy season.
• Restaurant meals, such as seafood, will easily be in the $45- $65-per-person range. And hotels range from the upper $ 100s to much, much higher, depending on how luxurious you go.
• Lastly, the most costly part of your trip to Alaska is the cost of the tours. These range from $250 per person to $1,500 per person. But tours are my favorite way to experience the best things to do in Alaska.

Try to lower costs

Now, there are ways to minimize your costs. A) Go camping B) Shop for groceries and make your food C) Don’t take tours and only hike

So, don’t automatically brush off a visit to Alaska because of the prices; there are ways to enjoy it without breaking the bank. But in reality, Alaska is generally a place for well-off people to explore.

What does a “Preserve” mean when attached to a national park?

It’s just about hunting. In the lower US, you can’t hunt in national parks. But because of how unique Alaska is in its subsistence hunting (hunting to provide food, not necessarily for sport), they carved out a larger area that is federally protected yet allows people to hunt and trap.

From Congress.gov:

National preserves: The 19 national preserves are similar to national parks in their size and natural features but typically allow uses (such as hunting or oil and gas exploration) that Congress considered incompatible with national park designation. Many preserves adjoin and share a name with a national park (e.g., Denali National Park and Preserve).

Most of the state is roadless

Lower 48ers really can’t comprehend how big and inaccessible Alaska is. The state is just nature and basically roadless. There are only a handful of highways in the state, with the farthest reaching Fairbanks to the north.

It only has 12 named highways and 6,200 miles of paved roads throughout the state.

Alaska is big…

It’s bigger than you have any idea of. It’s over 663,000 square acres, which is larger than Texas, Montana, and California combined. It’s larger than Western Europe. It dominates the continuous United States, as you see below. This is why it takes a bit of time to cross off all the best things to do in Alaska.

How Many Days Should I Spend in Alaska?

This varies for every person and budget. I have a 9-day itinerary here that I think does a good job of showing off the state and what to do. This also maximizes your vacation time. You only have to take 5 days off to make a 9-day adventure.

However, you can easily do 15-20 day trips to see much more of the Last Frontier.

Prioritize Safety When Planning the Best Things to do in Alaska

It’s paramount to be safe in Alaska. There can be crazy weather, animals, and other hazards that could make for a bad trip.

Carry Bear Spray

On every hike you do in Alaska, you must carry bear spray. You never know when you’ll encounter a bear. And while they are usually harmless, you don’t know if there are cubs nearby or if the bear is agitated for another reason.

Stay safe. Carry bear spray.

Keep an Eye on the Weather

Summer tends to be really nice in Alaska, but that doesn’t mean storms won’t blow through. Having a decent idea of the weather forecast will save you a lot of headaches and wet gear.

Give Animals Their Space

When it comes to animals, the general rule of thumb is 100 yards (300 feet) for bears and wolves and 75 feet (25 yards) for everything else. If wildlife comes towards you, do your best to step back.

But remember, do not run from bears. It can activate their predator mode and chase after you. Back up slowly, get big (grab any kids) or into a group, and speak calmly to the bear. Eventually, it should wander away.

Put out Campfires

When camping, make sure to help prevent forest fires by fully extinguishing your campfire. This means multiple rounds of water and dirt to ensure there’s zero chance of it reigniting.

Final Thoughts on the Best Things to Do in Alaska

There’s nothing like Alaska. It honestly is the best place, incredibly diverse in terms of landscapes, and will probably ruin all future trips. But that’s Alaska for ya!

As you can see, there are so many things to do in Alaska that will fill your adventurous cup and bring you immense joy. I also hope that it ignites a fire for protecting our natural spaces and landscapes and pushes you to speak up when politicians attack our public lands.

Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.

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