Things to do in Anchorage
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This restaurant is like a stepping into a Tuscan country inn only there's modern art all around and soft jazz floating into both dining levels and the bar. Its entrees are Mediterranean grill with an Alaskan twist, its pasta is made fresh daily and everything is served by a waitstaff that knows how the chef prepares it.
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Snow City Café
Snow City Café This busy café serves healthy grub to a mix of clientele that ranges from the tattooed to the up-and-coming. For breakfast skip the usual eggs and toast and try a bowl of Snow City granola with dried fruit, honey and nuts instead.
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Title Wave Books
Northern Lights Center (1360 W Northern Lights Blvd); W 5th Ave (415 W 5th Ave) The best bookstore in Anchorage with two branches, both equipped with internet cafés.
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Momma O's Seafood
Momma O's Seafood is the place for a halibut fix - have it fried or, better, Cajun style - but don't discount the excellent onion rings or udon noodles.
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Arctic Roadrunner
Since 1964 this place has been turning out beefy burgers that can be enjoyed outdoors while watching salmon spawn up Campbell Creek.
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Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria
An Anchorage institution serving 18 custom-brewed beers including monthly specials, and 50 gourmet pizzas.
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Chair 5 Restaurant
The kind of bar and restaurant skiers love after a long day on the slopes. It features more than 60 beers, including a dozen on tap, gourmet pizzas, big burgers and a lot of blackened dishes like blackened halibut tacos.
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Hogg Brothers Café
The Hogg Brothers Café is a bizarre, pig-obsessed joint that serves all-day breakfasts, including 20 kinds of omelettes, strong coffee, and 30 different types of burgers and sandwiches.
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Iditarod Trail Headquarters
Near Wasilla, Knik boasts a rich sled-dog history, since it's the home of many Alaskan mushers and checkpoint 4 on the route. For more information about this uniquely Alaskan race, stop in at Iditarod Trail Headquarters. The log-cabin museum's most unusual exhibit is Togo, the famous sled dog that led his team across trackless Norton Sound to deliver serum to diphtheria-threatened Nome in 1925 - a journey that gave rise to today's Iditarod.
He's been stuffed and is now on display. Outside, you can get a short sled-dog ride (around US$10, from 09:00 to 17:00) on a wheeled dogsled. The Iditarod, a famous 1100-mile dogsled race to Nome, begins in Anchorage - but only for the…
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Earthquake Park
The gargantuan shaker of 1964 caused, among other things, 130ac (53ha) of land on the city's west side to slip 2000ft (610m) seaward. Part of that slipped strip was a neighbourhood that suffered 75 demolished homes and three deaths. The other end, fortunately undeveloped at the time, is today the site of Earthquake Park.
An interpretive walkway includes displays describing the effects of the quake and the tsunamis that followed.
The last stop on the display circuit is a series of benches from which panoramic views can be had of Anchorage's skyline set against the Chugach Mountains. On a clear day, you can see Mt McKinley and Mt Foraker, from the park's Tony Knowles Coast …
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Pioneer Ridge Hiking Trail
Pioneer Ridge Hiking Trail is a 5.7-mile route from Knik River Rd that climbs the main ridge extending southeast from Pioneer Peaks (6400ft). You'll climb through forest until you reach the alpine tundra at 3200ft. Once on the ridge, South Pioneer Peak is a mile to the northwest, North Pioneer Peak is 2 miles. Scaling either requires rock-climbing experience and equipment. To the southeast, the ridge leads toward Bold Peak, the Hunter Creek drainage and eventually Eklutna Lake.
To reach the trailhead, turn onto Knik River Rd, just before crossing the river on Old Glenn Hwy, and follow it for almost 4 miles.
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Kenai Peninsula
8 days (ex Anchorage)
by Intrepid
Stroll the streets of Anchorage, Camp in the Alaskan wilderness, Try to glimpse beluga whales from the Kenai Peninsula, See massive glaciers on a ferry ride on …Not LP reviewed
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Denali Adventure
8 days (ex Anchorage)
by Intrepid
Soak up the delightful city of Anchorage, Spot elk and caribou in the Denali National Park, Discover the remote wilderness of Wrangell-St Elias National Park, G…Not LP reviewed
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Alaskan Discovery
15 days (ex Anchorage)
by Intrepid
Chow down on fresh seafood in Anchorage, Glimpse snow-capped mountains in Denali National Park, Be eclipsed by Mt McKinley, Gaze out over the glacial geography …Not LP reviewed
from USD$2,275 -
Alaskan Adventure
22 days (ex Anchorage)
by Intrepid
Soak in Takhini's mineral springs, Spot grizzly bears and beluga whales, Get swept up by the beauty of the Kenai Peninsula, Be surrounded by the continent's big…Not LP reviewed
from USD$3,020 -
Winner Creek Gorge Hike
Winner Creek Gorge Hike is an easy and pleasant hike that winds 5½ miles through lush (and sometimes muddy) forest, ending in the gorge itself, where Winner Creek becomes a series of small cascades. You can also connect to the National Historic Iditarod Trail for a 7.7-mile loop. Either way, you'll cross the gorge on an ultrafun hand-tram.
The most popular trailhead is near Arlberg Rd: walk along the bike path past the Alyeska Prince Hotel, toward the bottom of the tram. Look for the footpath heading into the forest.
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McRoberts Creek Valley Hiking Trail
The backcountry hike up the McRoberts Creek Valley Hiking Trail provides an easy approach to 6119ft Matanuska Peak. The trail reaches the tree line in 2½ miles and 3880ft Summit Ridge in 9 miles. The trek to Matanuska Peak is a serious 18-mile endeavor. To reach the trailhead, take Old Glenn Hwy from Palmer toward Butte and turn left onto Smith Rd at Mile 15.5.
Follow Smith Rd for 1.4 miles, until it curves into Harmony Ave. There is no parking at the South Fork trailhead, so leave the car at the bend in the road.
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Musk Ox Farm
The Musk Ox Farm is the only domestic herd of these big, shaggy beasts in the world. These Ice-Age critters are intelligent enough to have evolved a complex social structure that allows survival under incredibly harsh conditions. Yes, you'll probably get to pet them, too. Qiviut, the incredibly warm, soft and pricey (around US$60 per ounce) material made from the musk ox's soft undercoat, is harvested here; fine sweaters and hats are for sale in the gift shop. Tours are given every half-hour.
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Lazy Mountain Hiking Trail
The best hike near Palmer is the berry-lined climb to the top of 3720ft Lazy Mountain Hiking Trail. The 2½-mile trail is steep at times, but makes for a pleasant trek that ends in an` alpine setting with good views of Matanuska Valley farms. Take Old Glenn Hwy across the Matanuska River, turn left onto Clark-Wolverine Rd and then right onto Huntly Rd; follow it to the Equestrian Center parking lot and trailhead, marked 'Foot Trail.' Plan on three to five hours for the round-trip.
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Crow Pass Trail Hike
The highly recommended Crow Pass Trail Hike is a short but beautiful alpine hike that features gold-mining relics, an alpine lake and often there are Dall sheep on the slopes above. It's 4 miles to Raven Glacier, the traditional turnaround point of the trail and 3 miles to a USFS cabin. Or you can continue on the three-day, 26-mile route along the Iditarod Trail to the Eagle River Nature Center. The trailhead is 5.8 miles north of Alyeska Hwy on Crow Creek Rd.
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Knik Glacier Adventures
Trekkies take note; Knik Glacier is best known as the setting where a portion of Star Trek VI was filmed. You can get a partial view of the ice floe at Mile 7 of Knik River Rd off Old Glenn Hwy but the best way to experience it is on an airboat ride up the Knik River; Knik Glacier Adventures offers four-hour tours, departing at 10:00 and 15:00 daily and including a cookout within view of the ice.
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Crow Creek Mine
Girdwood was named for James Girdwood, who staked the first claim on Crow Creek in 1896. Two years later the Crow Creek Mine was built and today you can still see some original buildings and sluices at this working mine. You can even learn how to pan for gold and then give it a try yourself (adult/child around US$5/around US$4) or pitch the tent and spend the night ($5).
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Colony House Museum
The thought-provoking Colony House Museum was a home built in 1935 during the original settlement of Palmer and its eight rooms are still furnished with artifacts and stories from that era. To bring the living-room piano to Alaska, members of one pioneer family left behind their luggage and stuffed their clothes in it, the only way to make their weight allotment.
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Girdwood Ski & Cyclery
Girdwood Ski & Cyclery will rent you the bikes to enjoy it.
The most scenic ride is the Indian-Girdwood Cycling Trail, a paved path that leads out of the valley and along the Seward Hwy above Turnagain Arm. A new segment built in 2005 has extended the route to Mile 103 of the highway, linking Alyeska Resort with Indian Creek 17 miles away.
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