Scenic views, wildlife and the midnight sun! I spent a week in Alaska over summer and the last frontier was the perfect place to get away from it all. I started my trip by flying into Anchorage, then made my way south to the seaside town of Seward (population less than 3,000) to visit the lovely Kenai Fjords National Park, had a quick stopover back in Anchorage before continuing on north to Denali for another National Park visit, and finally back to Anchorage to head home.
With Alaska being so large, I barely scratched the surface when it comes to traveling around this massive chunk of land with 8 (eight!) of the 63 National Parks, but I’m so glad I at least got to spend a whole week exploring Alaska’s raw beauty.
Quick itinerary
- Day 0: Arrive in Anchorage
- Arrive anytime today so you’re here and ready to start bright and early tomorrow!
- Day 1: Anchorage to Seward
- Start your day with a bus tour around Anchorage, then catch the bus to Seward in the afternoon. You’ll arrive in Seward in the evening, so grab some dinner and then stroll around the harbor or just relax
- Day 2: Seward
- On your full day in Seward, book a day cruise to get up close with some sea life and witness the glaciers! This was one of the highlights of my trip and I highly recommend!
- Day 3: Seward to Anchorage
- Visit the Alaska Sealife Center, do a quick hike to the Exit Glacier lookout, then take the evening train back to Anchorage
- Day 4: Anchorage to Denali
- Today you’ll hop on the train to Denali in the morning and arrive late afternoon. If you’re up for it after the long train ride, get your first views of Denali National Park on a quick hike to Horseshoe Lake , then enjoy dinner at your hotel or downtown
- Day 5: Denali
- With your full day in Denali, book the Tundra Wilderness Tour to take you as far into the park as you can go on a motorized vehicle. Be on the lookout for wildlife as the bus rolls through 43 miles of rugged parkland. If you can, fit in a visit to the park sled dog kennels to meet the adorable canine rangers!
- Day 6: Denali to Anchorage
- This morning you can visit the Denali NP one more time, or stroll the boardwalk to check out souvenir shops and grab lunch before your afternoon bus back to Anchorage
- Day 7: Anchorage
- Hike Matanuska Glacier for an epic ending to your Alaskan adventure!
Now for the long version with all the transportation tips, restaurant recommendations, and fun facts!
First things first – what time of year should you visit Alaska?? I would highly suggest a summertime visit, and here’s why.
Summer will give you the warmest weather and this is important because many of the activities you’ll likely be doing in Alaska will be outdoors. When we went in early July, highs were mostly in the low 60s (Fahrenheit). So still not quite beach weather, and it was overcast and rainy several of the days on our trip, but this would be a stark contrast to winter, when temps hit negative 30… yikes! Having lived in California my whole life, I cannot even fathom that degree of cold.
Alaska is nicknamed the “Land of the Midnight Sun”, since it stays light out past midnight in the peak of summer due to its location above the Arctic Circle. When we landed around 10 pm in early July, it was still light out! This extended daylight really helps maximize the time you have to explore. There were several evenings we walked back to our hotel well into the night after cramming as much as possible into our day, and it still felt safe late at night since it wasn’t dark.
The opposite happens in winter, with Alaska only receiving 4 to 5 hours of daylight while the rest of the day carries on in the dark. The dark and the freezing cold temps during this time of year don’t lend themselves well to enjoying the outdoors, so you’ll be limited in what activities you can partake in if you visit Alaska in the winter. Also, the parks are less accessible during this time of year and many trails will be closed.
However — if you want the best odds of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights, you’ll want to visit in winter as it doesn’t get dark enough for them to be visible in summer.
Which National Parks should you visit?
A whopping 60% of the total US national park lands’ acreage is in Alaska, within its eight national parks: Wrangell-St. Elias (the largest US national park!), Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Lake Clark, Kobuk Valley, and Glacier Bay. Although Alaska’s parks are vast in acreage, they are some of the least visited parks in the US national park system. The parks I visited felt wild and untouched, unlike any other I had been to before.
You can learn more about each of Alaska’s national parks and see which ones peak the most interest, but Denali and Kenai Fjords are the most accessible from Anchorage so we decided to plan our first trip around those two. With the tallest peak in North America, Denali is the most visited of the Alaskan national parks and is the only national park with a kennel of sled dogs! Here you’ll have the chance to see Alaska’s big 5 – bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and wolves. Kenai Fjords boasts incredible scenery with coastal fjords, tidewater glaciers and marine wildlife. Visiting these two very different parks will give you a variety of experiences that will make for an epic first time in Alaska!
We did have an interest in going to Katmai since we would be there during the salmon run season (July to September), when brown bears congregate at Brooks Falls to get their fill of salmon and visitors have an amazing wildlife viewing opportunity from the boardwalks above the falls. But it proved to be quite the endeavor to get to Katmai and accommodations fill up months in advance since there is only one lodge you can stay at near Brooks Falls. We looked into either a day trip to Katmai on a flightseeing tour (typically $1000+ per person), or an overnight in nearby King Salmon which would involve flying from Anchorage to King Salmon and taking a water taxi to Katmai from there. Although we really wanted to see the brown bears, it was too much to squeeze into a weeklong trip and we chose to skip it this time! I did find a live Katmai bear cam to tune into the salmon run remotely though!
Should you rent a car or take trains/buses?
I learned that rental cars had become pricier in Alaska during the pandemic and when looking into rental car options for our trip in July 2023, it was working out to be quite expensive. The Alaska Railroad and the Park Connection Motorcoach bus travel between Anchorage, Seward, and Denali (and beyond), and you can catch an Uber or walk locally, so you really don’t need a car.
The train is the pricier option compared to the bus, but the views from the Coastal Classic route between Seward and Anchorage and the Denali Star between Anchorage and Denali had our eyes glued to the window. However, the train timings are limited as they only have one morning departure time and nothing later. The Park Motorcoach has both morning and afternoon departure times, so it’s more convenient that way. It’s a big air-conditioned bus with luggage storage and a toilet, not a local city bus, so it was pretty comfortable and drivers keep it lively with some commentary along the way. We ended up taking a combination of train and bus to fit our schedule.
Goldstar Service on the Alaska Railroad has you in a seating area with glass-dome ceilings so you get quite the view. Adventure Class seating is in the typical areas of the train, with wide windows. While on the train, we learned that there’s a vista dome area with unassigned seating for those in Adventure Class to check out anytime they like. We went up and took in the beautiful panoramic views there for awhile. Adventure Class is really all you need.
Where to Stay
Anchorage: Airbnb – this was the easiest option for us to find affordable and convenient places to stay downtown since we didn’t have a car
Seward: The Seward Adventure Lodge is a hidden gem that we absolutely loved staying at! The adventure lodge is a converted park ranger station with less than ten rooms and really friendly front desk staff. Walkable to everything, it’s located in the perfect location downtown. They have a book on the coffee table with pictures of the old ranger station and the process of converting it to a lodge. So cool.
Denali: Lodging in Denali fills up fast when the park is open in summer, so book early. We stayed at the Grande Denali and enjoyed the views from the hilltop location.
Restaurant quick list The standouts from our trip.
Denali
- Moose-Aka’s This was quite simply the best dining experience of our trip, and we agreed it was the best dining experience we have had in a long time. Moose-Aka’s is an Eastern European restaurant where you are truly made to feel like you’re a welcome guest in their home.
Anchorage
- 49th State Brewing Company There’s a rooftop seating area with views over the water, tons of menu options incl, beer, and a fun craft soda flight featuring flavors like spruce tip soda and wild blueberry cream soda! We tried the jackfruit quesadilla and fireweed pizza and both were incredible!
- The Kobuk The Kobuk is a super cute souvenir shop in the front with a little café/bakery in the back. The shop is fun to browse around and you can find unique local items here. But we came for the old fashioned donuts, which are a must try here. We tried the Samovar old fashioned, which is a tea infused donut, and the fireweed old fashioned.
- Kaladi Coffee A local coffee shop with friendly service and so many flavors of syrup to choose from. We stopped by twice.
- Moose’s Tooth You can’t go wrong with pizza and beer. This is a popular spot with a loooot of pizza options and a fun vibe. The Dessert menu goes hard too.
Seward
- Sea Bean A cute local coffee shop and eatery in downtown Seward with super friendly folks and a calming atmosphere. This was very close to where we stayed and
- Flamingo Lounge We had one “fancy” dinner in Seward and it was at this fabulous cocktail lounge and restaurant with kitschy décor and delicious craft cocktails. Foodwise, there was a lot we wanted to try and we couldn’t finish it all, but everything was amazing. We ordered the fried pickles with a jalapeno ranch sauce, sourdough bread with a butter board (the rosemary butter was incredible), portobello mushroom cap caprese, braised carrots, and a baked potato.
- Resurrect Art Coffee House Gallery This is a lovely coffee shop and community gathering space with local art and trinkets for purchase. It was previously a church and retains a church-like façade, so it was really cool to see it as a bustling café on the inside
Day 1: Spend the morning in Anchorage before traveling to Seward in the afternoon
Anchorage is the perfect city to fly into and use as an in-between spot in Alaska to travel south to Kenai Fjords National Park, as well as north to Denali National Park and beyond. Alaska has a population of only around 750 thousand people, and Anchorage is home to about 300 thousand of them!
This morning, head to a local coffee shop and get breakfast, then take an Anchorage trolley tour to start your trip off with some interesting facts about Anchorage. You’ll start and end your tour at the Anchorage Visitor Center on 4th street.
Afterwards, peruse the displays at the visitor center and the souvenir shops on 4th street. Make sure to stop by The Kobuk (a gift shop, bakery, and cafe!) and try their fireweed-flavored old fashioned donuts. Enjoy a long lunch on the rooftop of 49th State Brewing Company before catching the Park Connection Motorcoach bus to Seward, AK in the afternoon. You’ll get to Seward just in time for dinner, so freshen up and enjoy the evening with dinner and a stroll along the coastal trail overlooking Resurrection Bay.
Day 2: Hop aboard a day cruise to see the incredible scenery of Kenai Fjords from the water
The day cruise was one of my top two favorite activities in Alaska. We left the harbor and boated out through Resurrection Bay, with dramatic green cliffs on one side and mountains trickled with snow on the other.
The boat weaved through the rock formations in Spire Cove, which felt like another world and the tour guide very fittingly played the theme song to Jurassic Park here!
We got up close and personal with Northwestern glacier and the captain turned the boat’s motor off so we could hear the great echoes filling the silent bay when the glacier calved. The scenery on this cruise was stunning and varied with open ocean, chunks of ice in the water in Northwestern Fjord, streams of water running down coastal cliffs, green rock formations jutting out of the water, and more.
Throughout the day, we had a plethora of wildlife sightings and the crew shared fascinating info about each species. We saw a bald eagle right when leaving the harbor and three cute otters floating lazily on their backs together shortly after. We saw puffins hanging out on rock formations and several other birds flitting around. We saw so many sea lions, and a group of porpoises decided to swim along the boat.
The crew got a report of something special by the Chiswell Islands and it turned out to be Fin Whales! These whales can be around 75 feet long and are the second longest after blue whales. Fin Whales are rarer to see in Kenai Fjords, so the whole crew was very enthused about this sighting. On our way back, the crew followed up on another report and this time it was Humpback Whales bubble net fishing!!! Everyone was in absolute awe.
We went with the 8.5 hour Northwestern Fjord Cruise with Major Marine Tours and highly recommend it – this is their longest day cruise that takes you to parts of the park that most other cruises don’t go. The captain and crew are great to chat with, and work really hard to see wildlife when possible.
Day 3: Check out the Alaska Sea Life Center and hike to Exit Glacier before taking the train back to Anchorage this evening
Grab coffee and a pastry at Resurrection Coffee House or the Sea Bean, then walk over to the Alaska Sea Life Center to see some native species like sea birds and seals up close! The Sea Life Center focuses on conversation and funds help them care for sick and injured animals. This was a fun and informative stop, and the highlight was when we met a very friendly rhinoceros ocelot named Mr. Clinger!
Afterwards, take a shuttle to the Exit Glacier Nature Center. Here you can either join a ranger walk to Exit Glacier, or walk the short trail to the Exit Glacier viewpoint yourself. It’s a pretty walk on a mostly paved path with wildflowers along the way and a stream crossing. There are markers along the trail showing how far out the glacier used to be in years past, and you can see how much it has retreated over time. The lookout had beautiful views all around and the hike was around 2 miles out and back.
Stroll the cute shops downtown and check out all the neat murals around Seward before catching the train to Anchorage. The evening Coastal Classic train has a paid dinner service and you’ll be seated four to a table. Strike up a conversation with whoever you are sitting with! We were sat with a couple from Australia who were going to California next so we shared all our favorite NorCal place to visit. Make sure to take in the scenery as you make your way back to Anchorage, and keep an eye out for moose!
Day 4: Travel from Anchorage to Denali and get your first hike in at Denali National Park
Board the morning train which will get you into Denali just before 4pm. If you’re staying at one of the larger hotels, they likely will have a shuttle meet you at the train station to take you to the hotel. Drop off your luggage and head to the Denali National Park visitor center.
Go on a quick hike this evening to get your first views of Denali NP. There are several short trails from the visitor center. We picked the Horseshoe Lake Trail, a 2 mile loop trail that takes you down to the beautiful Horseshoe Lake. The lake has an actual beaver dam, which was really cool to see. We also got lucky and spotted a moose across the lake! While watching the moose, we realized there was also a baby moose hiding in the tall grass! A note about moose: They can be more dangerous than bears, so stay at least 200 feet away, especially if the moose is with babies.
For dinner, spend your night at Moose-Aka’s. Service is European-style, in that they don’t rush you out or even bring you the check until you’re ready, and any of the staff can assist your table rather than having one designated wait. This gave us the opportunity to chat with three of the waitstaff who were all so very warm and friendly. Maja, the hostess, who helped us get a table even though we came in late, was incredibly gracious and shared some of her story about how the restaurant started off as a food truck as she and the chef were tired of the typical pizza/pasta/burger options in the area and eventually became a restaurant. The décor transports you to an Eastern European tavern, and we learned that Maja very consciously sourced the décor and even DIY-ed a lot of the unique décor accents, like the penny wall over the bathroom sink and the wine barrel chandeliers. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves connecting with the staff here, and oh yeah – the food was delicious too.
Day 5: On your full day in Denali, take the Tundra Wilderness Tour through Denali National Park (and squeeze in a visit to the Sled Dog Kennels if possible!)
The Denali Park Road runs 92 miles into the park, but it’s closed at Mile 43 in 2023 due to a landslide. Only buses can travel up to Mile 43, while private vehicles can go as far as Mile 15. To see as much of the Park as possible, today you’ll take the Tundra Wilderness Tour up to Mile 43. Relax and take in the views while listening to the bus driver/tour guide share info and wild stories about the park. Always be on the lookout for wildlife!
Pro tip: Reserve this tour ahead of time as they do fill up. You are reserving the tour date, but will only find out the exact timing of your tour a few days before the tour date. If your tour is in the afternoon, you’ll have time for some other activities in the morning – take the free park shuttle to the sled dog kennels, and then to the Mountain Overlook stop.
Catch the morning sled dog demonstration where you’ll get to meet dogs with names like Party and Pinata! Summertime is when the dogs get to greet park visitors and relax, ahead of the winter season when they do much of their sled work.
If time permits after your morning with the sled dogs, take the free shuttle to the Mountain Overlook stop, where you can hike among the wildflowers on the Savage Alpine Trail.
Day 6: Morning in Denali and bus back to Anchorage in the afternoon
On your last day in Denali, you have the option for another quick visit to Denali NP or brunch and shopping at the boardwalk “downtown” area. If you haven’t explored the exhibits in the Denali NP Visitor Center, this is a good time to do so. The Visitor Center exhibits are really well done and informative! There are a lot of cute and quirky souvenir shops to browse downtown, and several restaurants where you can fuel up for the journey back to Anchorage. You’ll take the afternoon Park Connection Motorcoach bus back to Anchorage and arrive in time for a late dinner.
Day 7: Glacier Hiking at Matanuska
Today you will take a tour two hours out of Anchorage to hike Matanuska Glacier! At 26 miles long, it’s the largest glacier in North America that you can walk up to. For safety reasons, you can only hike this glacier with a guide. We loved taking the Matanuska Glacier Hike Day Tour with 907 tours, as the owner Lori kept us all entertained. She shared about how she recently moved from California to Alaska and took over the business, which was so inspiring!
Strap on your helmet, put on your spikes, and get your camera out because this activity will leave you in awe as you are guided to beautiful spots around the glacier, ending in the most epic spot – in front of a lake surrounded by glacial spires. Breathe in the fresh air and the streams of running water all over the glacier, then make your way back to a lunch spot with a view.
You’ll be transported back to Anchorage in time for dinner. After the day’s adventure, fill up on pizza and beer at Moose’s Tooth for your last meal in Alaska!