Mapping out a trip to Alaska can be challenging due to its vast size, limited road system, and overwhelming array of outdoor activities. Should you cruise the Inside Passage or drive through the Interior? Take a day trip out of Anchorage or set up a basecamp in the backcountry? To help plan the best trip, we asked locals—writers, adventurers, artists, and museum curators—for their secret spots and favorite hangouts.
While national parks are popular among visitors, they represent just a fraction of Alaska’s wilderness. Wood-Tikchik, the largest state park in the U.S. at 1.6 million acres, is a must-see. “It’s a place I can’t get enough of,” says novelist and University of Alaska Anchorage associate professor Don Rearden, who grew up in Southwest Alaska. The park, carved by rivers and dotted with lakes, is a boater’s dream offering float trips that range from mild to wild, plus hiking, caribou and bear watching, and fishing. Despite its remoteness, guides can assist even novice adventurers. “Get off the beaten path,” Rearden advises. “Get dirty and cold. Feel the tundra beneath your bare feet.”
The Kenai Peninsula is another Alaskan treasure, renowned for its multiday backpacking trips. “There are so many great trips here,” says outdoor educator Luc Mehl, who has traversed over 10,000 miles around Alaska by foot, bike, packraft, and ice skates. For those new to multiday backpacking, Mehl recommends the Resurrection Pass Trail in the Chugach National Forest. This trail avoids the common mistake of tackling high-skill, technical off-trail hikes like those in the Brooks Range, which can be overwhelming for first-timers. Starting at the coast-side Hope Trailhead and hiking up to Devil’s Pass, “you get to walk through different vegetation bands,” Mehl explains.
In Southwest Alaska, Kodiak Island offers an emerald landscape rivaling Ireland’s. “The best way to take in the island’s natural beauty is from atop North Sister Mountain,” says Kodiak History Museum curator Lynn Walker. She describes her first hike up the peak on a sunny summer day: “It was green, the wildflowers were blooming. It was surreal. You could see White Sands Beach on one side and the other Sister Mountains on the other.” Visitors can also explore the rich history of the island at Walker’s museum, which covers the period from the 1700s when Russian colonizers inflicted violence on the Alutiiq people. For a more expansive history, the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository, currently under renovation, is a must-visit.
Whether you’re looking for serene landscapes, challenging trails, or a deep dive into local history, Alaska has something for every adventurer.
