The largest town of Alaska is also the gateway to Alaska. Anchorage is a nice city with a little more attractive downtown as compared to Fairbanks. Lot more shops and restaurants but as in Fairbanks, many restaurants shut down early. There are plenty of parks/view points/places nearby to drive to for sightseeing or for adventure activity from Anchorage. Flightseeing trips too are quite popular.
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Anchorage is stated to be both urban and wild at the same time. There are few places within the city where one can actually encounter a Moose (and to a lesser extent, Bears). So did I but from a safe seat in the bus.
Alaskans own more small planes per capita than anywhere else
What is striking about Anchorage is the huge number of small planes/float planes that fly everyday. Not just ferrying tourists but also essential cargo to remote areas not served by road or rail. Many parts of Alaska are accessible only by air or water, including the capital city of Juneau. Anchorage is stated to have most pilots per capita and Alaskans own more aircraft per capita than anywhere else. Anchorage is home to Lake Hood, the world largest floatplane base that also has a gravel runway for wheeled aircraft. It is located close to Ted Stevens International Airport. The Merrill Field Airport, close to downtown, is home to over 800 small wheeled aircraft.
Anchorage is big hub for cargo flights
Hard to believe but the Ted Stevens International Airport is among the busiest airports in the world for Cargo flights between North America and Asia. Cargo flights prefer to load more cargo and less fuel. Anchorage is an ideal pit stop for refueling.
What to see in Anchorage
I visited Anchorage in first week of September. A full day is good enough for local (within town) sightseeing and for driving to select viewpoints near the city. Other days are free for longer drives such as to Whittier or to Matanuska glacier or even Seward and so on.
Trolley tour
This can be skipped if you have a car. I did not have the car on day 1 and hence I took the deluxe tour lasting under 2 hours. There is a shorter version lasting an hour also. Key highlights include earthquake park where I saw moose, Point Woronzof and Lake Hood floatplane base. Costs $50 per adult.
If you like watching small planes/floatplanes land or take off, spend few minutes at Lake Hood.
Watch out for moose
I agree this is not everybody’s cup of tea and thee is no reason to be driving around looking for a moose. Until I landed in Alaska, I did not know what a moose looked like but in Alaska, I heard about it almost on a daily basis. Anchorage is home to over 1500 moose and about 350 black and brown bears. There are few places in Anchorage where you can spot a moose without going to the zoo or Wildlife Conservation Centre. I saw couple of them near the earthquake park. Other areas include Kincaid park, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail etc.
Point Woronzof
Provides a great view of Anchorage with Chugach mountains in the background.
Kincaid park
Lovely park with some great views and beautiful scenery. Many sporting events are held here and is popular for hiking. While it is good to spend an hour or two, it can also be skipped, as there is enough green space around Anchorage. Parking is free and there is no entry fee.
Glen Aps Trailhead
A short 35 minutes drive through winding and narrow mountain roads, Glen Aps Trailhead in Chugach State Park provides fantastic views of Anchorage and the surrounding water bodies. On very clear days, even Mt. Denali is visible from here. There are few hiking trails around here, including the one to Flattop mountain. The vegetation around here was amazing, and included blue berry patches. No wonder bears are seen in the area!
Being an open area, it was breezy and a bit cold when I visited in early September. I even walked some distance through dense vegetation on the Flattop mountain trail. It was certainly tempting to go further but I was not prepared.
Parking is available and costs $5.
Beluga point
On the way back from Glen Aps Trailhead, I drove down to Seward Highway and stopped at the Beluga Point. It is a nice view-point from where Beluga whales are often seen during mid July-August. Parking is free.
Eagle River Nature Centre
A 45 minute drive from Anchorage, this Nature Centre is located in a scenic area with views of the Chugach mountains and Eagle river. An easy trail from the Visitor Centre leads to viewing points for Beaver and Salmon. Here again, there were notice boards on bear encounters. There were very few people around and I had to be watchful all the time.
There is a $5 parking fee which is valid for the full day.
What I skipped
- Zoo
- Anchorage museum
- Alyeska Tramway
Full day tours from Anchorage
I had shortlisted the following:
- Kenai Fjord National Park Glacier and Wildlife Cruise…dropped it because the weather forecast indicated rains in September.
- Matanuska or Portage Glacier… dropped it as Whittier cruise included glacier views.
- Lake Clark National Park… for watching bears. Would have probably done this if I had one more day. Another option is Katmai National Park.
- Whittier cruise … chose this for the scenic drive from Anchorage as well chance to view few glaciers.
For the flightseeing trips out Anchorage, I considered Rust’s Flying Service but did not use their services.
Whittier cruise
Whittier, the sea side hamlet, is located about 60 miles from Anchorage at the head of Passage Canal that eventually connects to Gulf of Alaska. The 1.30 hours drive is very scenic on a 2 lane road with the waters of Turnagain Arm on one side and Chugach mountains on the other side. The highlight was the drive through a single lane, 2.5 mile long, mountain tunnel(Anton Andersen Memorial Tunnel) just before Whittier. Traffic is regulated and from each side, a window of 15 odd minutes every hour is provided for traffic to pass through. I reached the tunnel around 11.15am or so and after paying the toll of $13, waited in the designated lane. There were a total of 8 lanes for different categories of vehicles, with the first 3 lanes for passenger cars/trucks. A traffic light before the tunnel entry ensures gap is maintained between 2 vehicles.
The location of Whittier is highly scenic
Whittier is small village with more boats docked in the harbour than buildings on land. A big cruise ship belonging to Princess Cruises was docked the day I visited. There are shops, restaurants, cafes and even a museum. Limited parking is available right in front of Phillips Cruises boarding point but a cheaper alternative is to turn right onto Whittier street, just after the railroad station/creek and you will see the parking lot on the right. Costs $10 for the day.
Glaciers, marine wildlife spotted on the cruise
Phillips Cruises organized the day cruise. They have 2 options, one lasting over 5 hours and the other little less than 4 hours. I chose the shorter one. It took us very close to few tidewater/mountain glaciers such as Beloit, Blackstone, Tebenkof, Northland and few more. Lovely sights and the Catamaran went almost under a waterfall and very close to the Blackstone/Beloit tidewater glaciers.
I spotted Sea Lions, Otters, the white Kittiwake bird rookery and a black bear lounging high up on the mountain side.
Cost is inclusive of lunch and beverages
The total cost was about $350 per couple with hot lunch. Vegetarian option was available(though website required a 24 hour notice) and it was served hot. Tea, coffee and water was complimentary. Just before the end of the journey, the crew served freshly baked cookies. Hot and yummy.
I did not book in advance but in summers, it would be a good idea to book ahead of time.
Anchorage to Whittier
Driving on your own is the best option but Phillips Cruises also offers return transfers by their own coach or by train.
Overall a day wonderfully spent. I took the cruise in the first week of September and the weather was partly cloudy but clear otherwise. The crew kept saying it was one of the best days they have had for some time! Weather is obviously very important for the cruise. The only minus point was that the seating on the Catamaran was a bit cramped. It did not matter too much as the Catamaran was not full and fair bit of time was spent on the open deck.
If you wish to consider a longer 8 day cruise in Prince William Sound from Whittier, look up the website of UnCruise Adventures. Costs a minimum of $7k per person but is advertised as luxury cruise.
Commuting in Anchorage
There are taxis on call and Uber. Not to forget the public buses and private shuttles. But it is best to rent a car that gives more flexibility. Google Maps is a must for driving.
Renting a car in Anchorage
When I went to rent a car at a place near my hotel, I learnt I would have to return the car to the same location and within office hours. Luckily, I was allowed to cancel the booking without any cost. Since rentals are calculated on 24 hour basis, I decided to take it the following morning at the airport. I booked the car on Expedia and also opted for Rental Car Protection Plan.
There are paid parking lots in downtown that can cost upto $2 per hour. Free parking on the roads on Saturdays and Sundays, upto 9am on Monday morning. I rented the car on a Saturday and departed Anchorage on Monday early morning. I could park right in front of the Aviator hotel free of cost.
Where to stay in Anchorage
Downtown is the best, with plenty of restaurants within walking distance. I stayed at Hotel Aviator that was undergoing renovations. The restaurant was closed but for breakfast, certain ready to eat stuff was available. Other options include Midtown or Spenard, near the airport. But these areas looked a bit lonely to me. From the airport, downtown is ~10 kms away.
Hotels in Anchorage too were expensive in the fist half of September. At Aviator Hotel, I paid $311 per night for a couple, without breakfast.
Vegetarian food
After a day long train journey from Fairbanks, I reached the hotel around 9.15pm and couple of restaurants nearby that served vegetarian items were closed. So I ordered food from Taco Bell on Uber Eats. It was the first time I had done this but it was perfect, with food being delivered within 30 minutes. Cost ~$36 for a couple including tips for the driver. But for some reason, the app did not accept my Indian credit card. So I re-activated my paypal account and thereafter paid using the same credit card! Hard to understand technology at times!
There are few Indian restaurants also and I visited ‘Taste of India’. The food was quite ok.
Many restaurants in Anchorage often close by 9PM. But during the weekend, few bars were open till late.
Shopping for souvenirs
There are quite a few shops in Downtown. Similar fixed rates so if you like something pick it up.
