Alaska
The untamed last frontier. While visiting Denali National Park is on many traveler's bucket list, and while it's well worth the trip there's no reason to stop there. Alaska is chock full of hiking, backpacking, packrafting, kayaking, rafting and more. It's truly difficult to put into words the scale and magnificence of an untamed Alaskan landscape -- you'll just have to see for yourself.
Top Spots in and near Alaska
-
Seward, Alaska
Hike to Callisto Canyon Cabin
4 mi / 500 ft gainFollow the signs south of Seward to Lowell Point. This is the trailhead. The first mile of the trail is about a mile long. You descend a well-maintained trail from the trailhead about 500 feet to the coast. Many people just hike this portion for a short trip to enjoy the beach.Once you reach the ...Read more -
Chitina, Alaska
Backpack to Donoho Basin
7 mi / 600 ft gainIf you’ve never been to the park, Wrangell is 13.2 million acres, the largest national park in the United States, roughly the size of Switzerland. Access is limited. There is only one main road into the center of the park, which dead ends in the town of Kennecott, a historic copper mining area. I...Read more -
Gustavus, Alaska
Kayak the West Arm of Glacier Bay National Park
5.00 mi / 0 ft gainEver wanted to sleep beside a calving glacier? Wake up with a humpback whale feeding along the shoreline of your private beach? Watch the sunset for hours until midnight?Witness bears foraging in the tidal zones or watch a moose go for a swim? This, and more, is possible in Glacier Bay.Starting a...Read more -
Palmer, Alaska
Hike the Gold Mint Trail
16 miHiking through this valley really shows off the amazing landscape of Alaska.The trailhead starts at mile 13.7 on Hatcher Pass Rd. There is a big parking lot ($5 for a day pass). The trail has mile markers for the first 5 miles and is fairly well groomed, although you do have to do a little bushwh...Read more -
Sitka, Alaska
Hike Herring Cove Trail to Beaver Lake
6 mi / 250 ft gainFrom the trailhead, you’ll travel along a cascading creek ascending through gravel, rocks steps and a couple boardwalks within a dense hemlock, spruce and yellow cedar forest. The first part of the trail is by far the most difficult, with a couple steep areas and tight rock passageways. In total,...Read more -
Talkeetna, Alaska
Ski Touring in the Ruth Amphitheater
The Ruth Amphitheater is a lesser known, but spectacularly beautiful glaciated part of Denali National Park. There is terrain for any skier's tastes, from flat, wide open touring to steep, gnarly descents, and house-swallowing crevasses. If you're lucky and plan ahead, you can reserve the Sheldon...Read more -
Anchorage, Alaska
Watch the Sunset at Point Woronzof Park
5.0If you are visiting Anchorage, and you don't have time to get away from the city, the Point Woronzof Park offers some excellent views of Mt. Susitna, the Cook Inlet, and the Anchorage skyline in the distance. The park is located just outside the north end of the Ted Stevens airport. Not only can ...Read more -
Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska
Backpack Gates Of The Arctic National Park
5.025 mi / 2000 ft gainThe absolute most important part of planning a trip to Gates Of The Arctic is accepting the fact that you’ll be improvising for the majority of the experience. The park is larger than several US states, so remote that not a single road or hiking trail exists within the park, and the vast majority...Read more -
Chitina, Alaska
Summit Bonanza Peak, Wrangell-St. Elias NP
9 mi / 4000 ft gainThis journey begins at the northern terminus of the historic Kennecott Mines, following the Root Glacier trail to the north. Follow this trail between 1-2 miles until you reach a split in the trail. Follow the split to the southeast and continue along this trail until you reach another split. If ...Read more -
Gustavus, Alaska
Camp at Bartlett Cove Campground in Glacier Bay NP
5.01 miDepending on how you arrive to Gustavus, (which may or may not be the most difficult part of this adventure) you'll want to head to the Visitor Information Center at Bartlett Cove within the park to grab a free camping permit if you are there during the summer season and to sit through an orienta...Read more -
Trapper Creek, Alaska
Backpack Kesugi Ridge
4.827.4 mi / 4650 ft gainKesugi Ridge is a 27.4 mile point-to-point trail from Little Coal Creek to Byer's Lake in Alaska's Denali State Park. To get to the trailhead from Anchorage, take the Park's Highway north to the parking area at Little Coal Creek Trailhead at milepost 163.9. The trail quickly climbs about 1,750 f...Read more -
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Hike the Taiga Trail
1.6 mi / 298 ft gainThe trail is a quick and scenic 1.6 miles, with wonderful wild flowers and ample opportunities to see wildlife (along with the surrounding river valley and Alaska Range). The Taiga trail is best used from April to August. This trail also serves the purpose of connecting the visitor's center with ...Read more -
Fairbanks, Alaska
Snowshoe the Granite Tors Loop Trail
15 mi / 2900 ft gainThe Granite Tors Loop Trailhead is located at Milepost 39 on Chena River Road east of Fairbanks. It starts at about 700ft above sea level and climbs to about 3200ft, peaking around the 8 mile mark. The climb is slow and continuous adding to the difficulty of the hike.The Chena River State Recreat...Read more -
Fairbanks, Alaska
Photograph the Northern Lights in Fairbanks, Alaska
3.01 mi / 1 ft gainAs close to magic as you'll ever see on this Earth, the northern lights, or aurora borealis, are an absolute must-see for any nature enthusiast. The aurora borealis are visible in Fairbanks from August through April, meaning there's an astounding nine months of aurora viewing! Of course, the auro...Read more -
Whittier, Alaska
Hike to Portage Pass and Portage Lake
4 mi / 800 ft gainProbably one of the best bang-for-your buck hikes I've ever been on. Starting from the trailhead, which is just on the Whittier side of the Portage tunnel, you'll hike up 800ft in one mile on a mostly wide, rocky trail. In what seems like no time at all, you'll be at Portage Pass, with views of t...Read more -
Kodiak, Alaska
Fly Fish the Buskin River
4.0The Buskin River Recreation Site provides camping, wildlife and an abundance of Salmon fishing. See Kodiak Bears, Bald Eagles, Sitka Deer, Harlequin Ducks and even harbor seals near the mouth. The Buskin River is best known for its fishing. From June until September, The Buskin is stocked with Sa...Read more
