Top 5 Must Do’s in Alaska

In the summer of 2021, my family recently took a 9 day trip to Alaska.  We visited Fairbanks, Talkeetna, Anchorage, Homer, Seward, and Denali National Park.  First of all, 9 days was not nearly enough to truly experience the towns that we visited and there is so much more that we didn’t get to visit.  Alaska is definitely not a one-and-done state!

We crammed in lots of sightseeing and activities into our trip and Alaska was beyond beautiful.  If you enjoy outdoor activities, mountain scenery, or wildlife, this is not a trip you will regret taking.

#1 – Denali National Park

Number one on the list is Denali National Park.  If you go all the way to Alaska, you can’t not go to Denali.  Keep in mind that only 30% of visitors actually witness the peak of Denali.  Unfortunately, we aren’t members of that elite club but the trek into the park was well worth it anyway.  There is only one road in Denali and it is 92 miles long.  You can only drive a personal vehicle in the first 15 miles of the park.  We took a tour bus that went to mile 66 out of 92 miles.  This was an 8+ hour day on a bus that was very long and tiring.  But the further in the park you can go, the better the chance of viewing Denali as well as wilidife sightings increase.  I recommend taking the bus in as far as you can go. 

Because this is a long day, I recommend staying near the park at least the day before and the day of your tour.  Even though we didn’t get to see Denali due to the rain and fog that day, we saw 7 grizzly bears, caribou, dall sheep, a rare black fox, moose, and a porcupine.

#2 – Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife Cruise

There are several different cruise options out of Seward that offer opportunities to see wildlife and glaciers.  We choose a six-hour tour that took us out of Resurrection Bay and into Kenai Fjords National Park.  There are longer cruises where you can see a few more active tidewater glaciers.  And there are shorter cruises that don’t leave the bay if you’re only interested in the wildlife.  Seeing the glacier calve is something that was super neat to experience if you can handle the longer trip.  On this trip, we were able to see humpback whales, harbor seals, otters, sea lions, and puffins.  Cruising the ocean surrounded by the mountains wouldn’t make for a bad day even without the glaciers and wildlife.

#3  – Fishing

Coming in #3 is fishing!  If you don’t fish, that’s okay too.  But if you are a fisherman, you can’t go to Alaska and not fish.  My husband took a salmon and halibut charter out of Homer, the halibut fishing capital of the world.  He caught two good-sized halibuts, and we were even able to bring them home because in Alaska it is expected for you to fly home with a cooler of fish. 

Even if you don’t like to fish, Homer is one of the prettiest places I have ever visited.  The Spit was fun to just browse in the shops and eat the best strawberry gelato that I’ve ever had! Also, prevalent in Homer were lots of bald eagles!  It was the first time I’d seen one in the wild and they were everywhere. 

#4 – Glaciers

I talked about the glaciers with the wildlife tour but you there are some you can get to without taking a cruise.  We hiked Exit Glacier in Seward.  There are shorter, easier hikes that you can take to get a good view of the glacier.  And there are longer, harder hikes that will get you closer.  This glacier is rapidly receding, and it was shocking to see the markers of where it was in previous years compared to where it is now.  If you have more time or don’t want to take the wildlife cruise in Seward, there are cruises in Whittier that will take you to 26 glaciers. 

#5 –  Sled dogs!

There is no shortage of opportunities to interact with sled dogs while you are in Alaska.  They are in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward, and in between.  We chose to go to the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla.  Here you will get to learn more about the race and past winners.   You can also ride in a sled pulled by dogs around a short trail for only $10 per person.  There are longer tours available and some tours available by actual mushers on their farms.  If you choose to do one of the longer ones (and you will want to after taking the short trip), I recommend still stopping by the race headquarters to learn more about the race and what it means to Alaska.

These are the top 5 favorites voted on by my family, but we loved everything about our trip!

To hear more about my trip to Alaska, listen to the Travel Tidbit #13 of The Travel Tidbits Podcast.

Contact your favorite Pineapple Escapes’ agent today, or email us at info@pineappleescapes.com for a free quote to Alaska. Our agents help make your vacation seamless with our expertise, customized itineraries, and extra pixie dust!

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