Visiting Alaska is a bucket list trip for many people and for good reason! Boasting picturesque views around the state, abundant wildlife every where you look, untouched, raw and rustic wilderness, Alaska brings many tourists answering the call of adventure. But Alaska is secluded from a lot of the world and due to it's vast size can cause a little intimidation when it comes to planning an Alaskan adventure. We have had many questions from friends on family on how to make the most out of a trip to Alaska to best take advantage and what can be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for a lot of visitors. We believe the best way to make the most out of a trip to Alaska is to see it from as many angles as possible. We've created this detailed itinerary to do just that, starting in Fairbanks and ending in Anchorage. In this road trip itinerary you'll find a perfect schedule of recommended activities to make the most out of your visit to Alaska by seeing what she has to offer in each unique area. You'll learn about her history and what makes her tick. We've included tours that give you a sense of her history-modern and ancient-as well as a taste of her rugged wilderness. So without further ado.... Alaska 7-day Road trip itineraryDay 1: North Pole Santa Claus House Chena Lakes Recreation Area Day 2: Fairbanks UAF Gold Panning Day 3: Denali National Park Park Road Zipline Tour Day 4: Girdwood Beluga Point Winner Creek Trail Alyeska Aerial Tramway Day 5: Seward Alaska Sealife Center Downtown Seward Day 6: Seward Wildlife Cruise Seward Harbor Two Lakes Trail Day 7: Anchorage Lowell Point Exit Glacier Bear Weir + Bonus ideas! To begin our itinerary, readers should be aware that most flights in (and out) of Fairbanks occur very close to midnight. If this turns out being the case for you, then our "Day 1" will technically occur on your second day of traveling-but first day in Fairbanks-so we're starting with a full day of activities. Another point is that there is a very clear "tourist season" in Alaska which is May-September. This is when all the tour companies are running and services are open along the highway so this itinerary is made for that season. Let's begin! Day 1: FairbanksSo you've arrived in Fairbanks and hopefully got a full nights rest! That midnight sun can be trippy for locals and visitors alike but it's all part of the experience when visiting in the summer! We get a lot of questions about places to stay in the area. There are hotels and airbnbs that are all worth looking into but if you're okay staying a little bit further away from Fairbanks and in the city of North Pole, we recommend our friends at Northern Sky Cabins. Located in city limits of North Pole, not far from the freeway and grocery stores and other amenities, this is a great location to start your trip. To begin your day, we recommend a breakfast at Country Cafe. They open at 9 AM and serve breakfast until 3PM. The prices are really great for the portion of food you get and it's so good! We love the pancakes but the croissant french toast with berries and cream is always a win. Next, you'll drive down Santa Claus Lane to 5th Avenue to find The North Pole Pole! This pole is actually the twin to a pole that was flown and dropped over the actual geographic North Pole, but take a picture with this one to tell your friends you went to the North Pole ;) Don't forget to check out the street signs and candy cane light posts that prove it really is Christmas year-round in this cute, little town. After a quick photo op with the pole, you gotta head over to Santa's House! The Santa Claus house is the "official" home of Santa Claus where you can browse a souvenir shop and get some delicious fudge or other treats from Santa's Elves ;) Santa, himself, is available for a free photo op Wednesdays-Sundays and maybe you'll even get to visit with Mrs. Claus! Pro tip: You can buy a postcard and have Santa sign it! The cashier will even mail it out for you on site. And don't miss a visit with Santa's reindeer! On the other side of the parking lot, you'll find the Antler Academy, where these famous reindeer learn all about their flying and reindeer games ;) If you are around on a weekend, you won't regret a stop at Outlaw Tamales for lunch. The lady that runs this shack is the real deal and sells tamales by the 1/2 dozen or full dozen. They come in a bag wrapped in newspaper so you may have to run across the street into Safeway for some forks, or you can take them back to your Airbnb for later, but don't sleep on these! She's cash only, and open Thursday-Saturday from 8AM until sold out. So whether you pick them up to eat now or save them for later, you won't regret it! If you aren't able to get these coveted tamales, you can visit the crepery for lunch. They have a wide variety of sweet and savory crepes and we haven't tried one we haven't liked. In the afternoon, you should definitely head over to Chena Lakes Recreation Area. You can take a paddle around the lake with a kayak or a canoe from the rental shop onsite. Or you can walk the maintained trails. Just bring bug spray and be on the lookout for wild berries! Here you'll find blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries depending on the time of season. Unless you saved your tamales for dinner, a good place to grab an end of day meal is Little Richard's Family Diner: the northern most railcar diner. Day 2: FairbanksDay 2 in Fairbanks is dedicated to the culture and history of the area. We highly recommend a visit to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) Museum of the North. Grab some Jason's Donuts on your way. Jason's Donuts is another shop that is open early and closes when sold out. We've gotten there at 10 some mornings and they are already sold out, but it's easy to understand when they've been voted the best donuts in Alaska. Once at the museum you'll find they boast a great collection of indigenous artifacts and animal exhibits. Probably one of the most famous is the "blue babe". The "Blue Babe" is a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison that was perfectly preserved in the permafrost in interior Alaska from the Ice Age until it was discovered in the late 70s. It's so well preserved you can still see the claw marks and tooth punctures in the skin made by the America Lion that killed it so long ago. It must've frozen rather quickly so other animals couldn't eat it, giving us so many clues to the ancient past. The blue color of the bison comes from a mineral called vivianite that forms when minerals on the fossils react to the ground they're buried in, or maybe it was an ancestor to Paul Bunyan's beloved Ox ;) After the museum, grab some lunch at Friar Tuck's, and make your way to Pioneer Park. Here's where you'll find original cabins from the first settlers of Fairbanks and maybe even a few tour guides in period clothing to teach about some of the famous people in Fairbanks history. You can also ride a historic train around the park departing from the train museum for the full effect. Another activity you should have on your list is a visit to the Gold Daughters for a Gold Panning lesson. These girls know their stuff and a guide will help you cure (or maybe amplify) your gold fever. With a little "shaky, shaky, dippy, dippy" (iykyk) you'll be on your way to becoming a true prospector. To end your day, you can't miss The Hungry Robot for some everything-made-from-scratch, wood fired pizza. Here you can get some classic flavors, but if you're feeling adventurous, try the dilly-dilly, a local favorite. Bonus Fairbanks Activities: If you would rather a proper tour of the Fairbanks area, or you find yourself with more time, we highly recommend a trip on the Riverboat Discovery. Every summer the sternwheeler known as the Riverboat Discovery takes passengers an all-encompassing river cruise immersing passengers in the history and culture of Alaska. In the 3-hour narrated tour, passengers learn about recent history and changes to transportation around interior Alaska - including presentations by a floatplane and at a sled dog kennel - in addition to being transported back thousands of years in a walking tour of an authentic native village and summer fishing camp. Some of the guides at the village as well as on the boat are natives themselves who grew up in villages around Alaska and offer a truly unique insight. Besides the tour itself, "Steamboat Springs", where the tour begins, is probably the best souvenir shop we've come across here in Fairbanks. The variety of souvenirs can't be beat and the prices are pretty fair too. This is also home to the -40 degree chamber, where you can get a little taste of what you're missing in a winter in Fairbanks ;) It's free to enter but you can pay to get your picture taken in the chamber next to the thermometer. Another interesting stop you could add to this itinerary is a visit to the fountainhead antique auto museum. The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is home to 95 pre-WWII automobiles and is one of the premier vintage car museums in the world. They also have a vintage fashion collection that is considered to be the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest. Visiting this museum is like stepping back in time and it was so fascinating to learn about the unique challenges that were overcome with bringing automobiles to Alaska. It was truly fun for the whole family and we highly recommend a visit to this spot when visiting Fairbanks. Speaking of cars in Fairbanks, here's a completely random fun fact: Many car companies bring new car models to Fairbanks to test out how they will perform in the extreme cold weather! It may surprise you to learn Fairbanks is also known as the Thai Food Capital of the World. The ratio of Thai Food restaurants to the population is pretty staggering. Our favorite Thai Food restaurant is Thai House though there is some debate that Lemongrass is where it's at ;) Taco King is a great local fast food joint as well as Blue Roof Bistro. Day 3: Denali National ParkAfter spending a few days in Fairbanks, we took off for our trip to Seward. With our visitors in tow, our first stop was Denali National Park. Denali National Park is home to the highest peak in North America, Denali herself, and at a little more than a 2 hour drive from Fairbanks, we recommend taking the trip! Because of the weather system in the area, the peaks are clouded most of the time which means only 30% of visitors actually get to see Denali! We lucked out on our time spent here this trip with the clearest skies! One bush pilot we talked to said it was in the top 5 viewing days he'd seen in the last 10 years! Normally, visitors can only drive their personal vehicles to Mile 15 but we were able to snag a few passes to drive to Mile 30 and, as always, it was a beautiful drive. We recommend binoculars for spotting wildlife that isn't near the road. There are a few different tours you can take to experience Denali National Park in different ways. We recommend Denali Park Zipline Tours! After meeting up with your group at their offices right outside the park, they'll shuttle you out to the course, first in a van and then in some ATVs, which was an adventure of it's own. Once at the course, you'll receive a quick safety brief and off you go! The course features 7 ziplines, 6 sky bridges, a short tundra hike, and ladder climb, and a dual racer finale! Highly recommend this tour if you have a little adventure junkie in you and some time to spend around the park! Whenever we stay at Denali, we stay at Mckinley Creekside Cabins. The prettiest property in the most gorgeous setting right outside the park, and their Cafe is amazing! They have a variety of rooms fit for any sized party and they are all very nice. This is a great place to grab breakfast next day. We are obsessed with their build-your-own breakfast skillets and their specialty Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake. And make sure to grab yourself an "Alaska-sized" cinnamon roll for good measure, perfectly placed next to their puny counterparts, the "Texas-sized" rolls ;) If you're looking for dinner, located next door is Panorama Pizza Pub. Great pizza, fun atmosphere, and some amazing beer cheese macaroni and cheese (chef's kiss). Closer to the gift shops is another great pizza place called Prospector's. Here, you can watch the live bear cams in Katmai National Park. There's also a coffee shop in this area called The Black Bear. They have incredible baked goods and I love their breakfast burrito but they also serve lunch items Day 4: GirdwoodThe next morning, you'll set off down south. After a 3 1/2 hour drive, complete with more stunning views of Denali (proving that views from the south side are indeed better), you can catch lunch at Bread and Brew in Anchorage. Their sandwich and salad offerings are so good and I don't think you can go wrong with any order. Although I will say, their chipotle mayo is something else. Then you'll continue south with a stop at Beluga Point just on the south edge of Anchorage. It's a stunning view of the Turnagain Arm - named so when Captain Cook thought he was sailing the Inside Passage and realized he wasn't when he had to "turn again";) With any luck, you'll be able to spot a pod of beluga whales or maybe even the world famous bore tide! We recommend binoculars here too, especially when you start to see those white humps swimming down the bay. After taking in this drastic view of Alaska compared to what you've seen more in the interior, you'll make your way to Girdwood. We stayed at the Alyeska Resort when we visited. We didn't hate it but I think I would recommend an airbnb here instead, though the only restaurants we experienced were in the resort, and while on the expensive side, they were alright. From the resort, you'll find Winner's Creek Trail. This trail is beautiful and easy walking, not far from the road but very secluded. Be on the lookout for bears! This is a great activity for killing a bit of time while waiting for the Alyeska Tram. From the Alyeska resort, the Alyeska Tram takes passengers to an elevation of 2300 feet at the top of Mt. Alyeska. From here you'll have an incredible view of glaciers and peaks above as well as the interesting shape of the glacially carved valley below. The tram runs year-round, allowing winter skiers access to Alaska’s largest ski area and summer visitors a more scenic experience. Day 5: SewardAfter grabbing breakfast at The Pond (the omelets and fruit plate are great!), you'll be ready to head out to your next destination. Coming into Seward, you'll come upon the turn off to Exit Glacier. this is a hiking area to the viewing place that we've never been to, to be honest, but have a little regret in that and have heard it's a great place to stop! After that little adventure, best place to stay in Seward is a good Airbnb. After checking in, you can head downtown for some lunch/dinner. Zudy's Cafe is a wonderful brunch place right downtown with delicious sandwiches (and desserts!) Afterwards, you can head next door to the Alaska SeaLife Center. The SeaLife Center is a great place with an incredible mission and it was fun to take visitors there to learn more about the area. Downtown Seward is such a fun little place to do some shopping and grab a meal. It's a short walk from the oceanfront where you may be able to spot some wildlife. Don't be surprised to see a humpback whale feeding out in the harbor! Or you closer to shore, it's common to see jelly fish or jumping salmon. For dinner, I really like The Lone Chicharron for some tacos. We've been here a few times and while I’m a fan, I will admit, not everyone in our group agreed. Everyone thought the food was good! But maybe not good enough for the price. That being said, I think the price is pretty average for what you’ll find in the area. So if you find yourself trying out this place, please let us know what you think! Day 6: SewardBecause of the price of food, we recommend stopping at the local Safeway to grab some breakfast foods for the remainder of your stay. On your 2nd day in Seward, you won't regret a wildlife cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours. This is a breathtaking tour with an abundance of wildlife viewing and just stunning views of Alaska in general. You'll see orcas, humpbacks whales, seals, sea lions, otters, puffins and so many others. The cruise we took included a lunch at beautiful, private Fox Island and scenic views around Kenai Fjords National Park. There are multiple cruise companies out of Seward but we highly recommend Kenai Fjords! After your cruise, you can roam the harbor to check out the catch of the day. Halibut, rock fish, and salmon fishing charters are also very common out of Seward and it always fun to watch them come in and put their catch on display. Another great activity in Seward is a short, easy hike on Two Lakes Trail. This trail head is a short drive from the Airbnb we recommend and an easy trail. It includes a pretty waterfall and, obviously, loops around two small lakes. A short note on our Airbnb, it was such a great place to stay! From the fully stocked kitchen and the washer and dryer, to the location of being so close to downtown, we made ourselves quite at home and felt so comfortable. We also enjoyed the incredibly easy check-in and check-out and parking off the street as well. We would highly recommend John and Heather's place! Day 7: AnchorageFor one last Seward activity, we recommend a drive out to Lowell Point. Lowell Point is a secluded community 2.5 miles south of Seward-right at the head of Resurrection Bay. Check the tide pool charts and arrive at low tide for star fish, urchin, crab, etc hunting. As you get to Miller's Landing, you'll turn right and follow the road until you come upon the state recreation area parking lot. Bring cash for parking and it's just a short walk onto the beach. Heading out of Seward, you can visit Bear Weir. Bear Weir is a small hatchery outside of Seward dedicated to preserving the salmon population. This is a great area for salmon viewing during the season but it is also an area with high bear activity, but be bear aware! You'll be able to drive from here to Anchorage to catch an evening flight out and that completes our official 7-day itinerary! But if you're interested in just a few more days in Alaska, we have another spot we recommend so here's a few bonus days... Bonus stop: PalmerInstead of catching a flight out of Anchorage on day 7, you may consider a short stay in Palmer, a small city about an hour north of Anchorage. Palmer is one of our favorite places to visit in Alaska and we have a whole blog on activities you can't miss in Palmer including but not limited too Knik Glacier Helicopter Tour, Matanuska Glacier Tour, the Reindeer Farm, and Hatcher Pass. Knik Glacier averages 25 miles long and 5 miles across, and 200 feet thick(!) making it one of the largest glaciers in south central Alaska. Our tour through Alaskan Helicopter Tours included three landings. Our first stop was at Lake George, a glacially fed alpine lake with massive icebergs. Our second stop was at the peak of the mountain overlooking the spectacular view of the Knik and Colony Glaciers. Our last stop was truly the most incredible, when we landed on Knik Glacier. We were given cramp-ons to fit over our shoes to prevent sliding as we explored the hundreds year old ice and even drank from the blue glacier pool we landed next too. With no better way of putting it, the entire experience gave us a high that will stay with us in our memories forever. We only wish we had remembered our water bottles to bring back some delicious Glacier water to those in our group who hadn’t joined us. Matanuska Glacier is an hour drive from Palmer. It's the largest glacier in the US accessible by car. This is a guided tour on foot and is an incredible experience. You can read more details about it here. If you've been here awhile, you know our love for reindeer! These calm, sweet animals are so fun to hang out with and one of the best places to do that is at the Reindeer Farm! The Farm is family owned and does guided tours and teaches about a lot of different animals. It's a very interactive farm, almost a petting zoo on steroids! And we love it. The reindeer are for sure a highlight but don't pass up the opportunity to get a kiss from Rocky, the moose! Hatcher Pass is a mountain pass about a half hours drive from downtown Palmer. The drive is beautiful. We went in the summer and, even though we've never been to Ireland or Scotland, the rolling green hillsides gave us the feeling of being there. And the peaks and waterfalls were just breathtaking. Historically, the third largest gold producing district in Alaska, up Hatcher Pass, you'll find the abandoned Independence Mine that is now a state historic park. The road to the mine opens at 9, but we walked up the road before the gate was opened and had the park almost to ourselves. It was so interesting to imagine it in it's heyday. There are guided tours available at the park or you can opt for a self-guided tour, like we did. Fun fact, you can bring your own gold pans or rent some by the hour or by the day from the gift shop to try your hand at gold panning in the creek at the park! Whew! Did you get all that? Even without our bonus additions we packed well over a dozen very Alaskan experiences into 7 days for a very well-rounded trip of Alaska. Here you can find a condensed version for easy downloading/saving. Bonus TipsA few tips on preparing for a trip to Alaska: make sure to bring waterproof layers. The southern part of Alaska is actually rainforest so it's very common to have cold and wet weather. We've experienced cold and wet but also warm and sunny so layers definitely come in handy!
Summer is also mosquito season! Though this is more true for the interior (Fairbanks and Denali) you will regret. not having strong bug spray even if just for this short part of your trip. There are a few places in Alaska you can visit without a car because of train and shuttle transportation. We highly recommend renting a car for the Fairbanks part of your trip but after that, the rest of this itinerary (excluding Palmer) is actually pretty well suited for train transportation if that's something you'd like to look into. As always, we’d love to answer your comments or questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin this post for future reference! Consider joining us on Instagram to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, we encourage you to get out and enjoy where YOU live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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