Things to do in Alaska

32 places worth stopping for and 13 places to stay on a road trip through Alaska.

See and do

History · McCarthy
Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark
Red mill buildings of an abandoned copper mining town at the foot of a glacier.
Glacier · Seward
Exit Glacier
Easy walks to the face of a glacier you can reach from the car park.
Scenic drive
Scenic drive · PaxsonHidden gem
Denali Highway (Paxson to Cantwell)
135 miles of mostly gravel road over tundra with views of three mountain ranges.
Town
Town · McCarthyHidden gem
McCarthy
Rough-edged frontier town reached by footbridge after the road ends.
Scenic drive
Scenic drive · SterlingHidden gem
Skilak Lake Road and Skilak Lookout
A gravel loop road off the Sterling Highway with lake views and short walks.
Walk · SewardHidden gem
Caines Head Trail from Lowell Point
Coastal walk to old WWII fortifications with views of Resurrection Bay.
Glacier
Glacier · Valdez
Worthington Glacier
Glacier you can drive almost up to, just off Thompson Pass.
Waterfall
Waterfall · Cooper Landing
Russian River Falls
Short forest walk to a waterfall where red salmon crowd the pool in July.
Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Homer
Homer Spit
Skinny gravel spit sticking 4.5 miles into the bay with a boardwalk and fishing charter harbour.
Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Chitina
McCarthy Road
A 60 mile gravel road through the wilderness from Chitina to the end at McCarthy.
Activity
Activity · Girdwood
Alyeska Aerial Tram
Tram up a mountain above Girdwood with glaciers and the arm spread out below.
Walk
Walk · GirdwoodHidden gem
Winner Creek Trail and Hand Tram
Forest walk to a gorge crossed by a hand-pulled tram, starting near Girdwood.
Wildlife
Wildlife · Portage
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Drive-through wildlife park for moose, bears, bison and musk ox rescued in the state.
Glacier
Glacier · Portage
Portage Valley and Begich, Boggs Visitor Center
Glacier valley with a visitor centre, lake cruise and the Byron Glacier walk.
Town · Whittier
Whittier tunnel and town
Drive through a one-lane road-and-rail tunnel to a tiny port town under glaciers.
Viewpoint · Indian
Beluga Point
Big pull-off over Turnagain Arm where belugas sometimes show up at high tide.
Town
Town · HopeHidden gem
Hope
Gold-rush village at the end of a side road with a quiet creek and old buildings.
Museum · Seward
Alaska SeaLife Center
Marine rehab centre where you can see sea lions, puffins and seals up close.
Town · Valdez
Valdez
Harbour town ringed by mountains at the end of the Richardson Highway.
Wildlife · Anchorage
Potter Marsh Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk
Flat boardwalk over a tidal marsh, easy for birds and spawning salmon, minutes from Anchorage.
Beach
Beach · NinilchikHidden gem
Deep Creek State Recreation Area
Beach and campground where tractors launch fishing boats into the inlet.
Wildlife
Wildlife · ValdezHidden gem
Solomon Gulch Hatchery
Hatchery where pink salmon return in thousands and sea lions pass through the bay.
Town · ChitinaHidden gem
Chitina
Small Copper River town at the start of the McCarthy Road, famous for dipnet fishing.
History · KenaiHidden gem
Old Town Kenai and Holy Assumption Church
One of Alaska's oldest Russian Orthodox churches, in the old part of Kenai.
History · NinilchikHidden gem
Ninilchik Russian Orthodox chapel
Hilltop chapel overlooking the old fishing village and the inlet.
Waterfall
Waterfall · ValdezHidden gem
Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls, Keystone Canyon
Two roadside waterfalls in a narrow rock canyon on the way to Valdez.
Museum
Museum · Copper Center
Copper Center and Wrangell-St. Elias visitor centre
Main visitor centre for America's biggest national park, with films and ranger advice.
History · Delta JunctionHidden gem
Rika's Roadhouse at Big Delta State Historical Park
Restored roadhouse and farm on the Tanana River with a café and gardens.
History
History · PaxsonHidden gem
Tangle Lakes Archaeological District
A tundra landscape with thousands of years of hunter-gatherer sites along the lakes.
Lake · Cooper LandingHidden gem
Tern Lake
Little lake at the highway junction, good for birds and moose at dawn.
Town · Moose PassHidden gem
Moose Pass
Tiny village on Upper Trail Lake with a pretty bridge and a few cafes.
Town
Town · Cantwell
Cantwell
Tiny junction village at the western end of the Denali Highway.

Places to stay

Plan the drive, not just the stops

Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.

Plan a trip on the web

Rated 4.7 by drivers · 700,000 downloads

The Roadtrip app showing a drive into London that costs £4.81 each, with fuel prices along the way