Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, home to roughly 290,000 people, about 40% of the state’s total population. Located in south-central Alaska on Cook Inlet and ringed by the Chugach Mountains, it’s the state’s main air gateway and the starting or ending point for most visitor itineraries.
Getting There
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is Alaska’s primary air hub, with direct flights from Seattle and several other West Coast and seasonal destinations. By road, Anchorage connects south to Seward and the Kenai Peninsula via the Seward Highway, northeast to the Matanuska Valley and Glennallen via the Glenn Highway, and north to Denali and Fairbanks via the Parks Highway. The Alaska Railroad also runs from Anchorage north to Denali and Fairbanks and south to Seward and Whittier.
What to See and Do
Downtown Anchorage is compact and walkable, with the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska Native Heritage Center among the top cultural stops. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs 11 miles along the waterfront and is popular for biking and walking, and Potter Marsh, just south of downtown, offers easy wildlife and birdwatching close to the road. For hiking, Chugach State Park starts at the edge of the city, with Flattop Mountain among the most popular trailheads. Many visitors also use Anchorage as a base for day trips to Girdwood and the Alyeska ski resort, or to Seward for Kenai Fjords National Park boat tours.
When to Go
Most visitors come between May and September, when daylight lasts nearly around the clock in midsummer and trails, tours, and the Alaska Railroad’s full schedule are all running. Winter visitors come mainly for skiing at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and for a chance at the Northern Lights, though Anchorage’s more southerly latitude and city lights make aurora sightings less reliable than in Fairbanks. Early March brings the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race through downtown Anchorage.
