This year we finally went on the trip we have been dying to go on for three years now: a week long Alaska adventure!
Steve’s best friend, Mike, and his wife live in Anchorage. Steve had been out to visit them once before, right after they moved up there. We were supposed to go in 2020, but alas, with travel being practically shut down there was no way that was going to happen.
But it finally did and it was so worth the wait! Not only were we able to spend a full week with amazing friends, we got to explore so much - from Denali to Seward to spending time at a reindeer farm, this trip lived up to the hype and more.
If you are going to go to Alaska, there are two ways to visit: go on a cruise or plan to spend some quality time in your car and book places to stay well in advance. We did the latter, though I really want to go back and do a cruise!
Alaska is freaking huge. Sorry to everyone in Texas, but your state is 1/2 as big as Alaska; or to say it the other way around, Alaska is 2x bigger than Texas. And what’s crazy - only 20% of it is accessible by road.
Take the capital for example, Juneau. If you fly into Anchorage, you cannot drive to Juneau. You have to take a plane or a ferry. We didn’t have enough time in our trip to make it to Juneau but it’s on the list for next time!
Here is what we did for our week in Alaska!
Day 1: Arrive in anchorage, drive to seward
We landed in Anchorage around 11am and were met by our friends at the airport. We quickly piled into their car and we were off on our Alaska Adventure!
It is about a 2.5 hour drive from Anchorage to Seward, but all road construction must occur in the warmer months, so definitely plan ahead for a much longer drive.
The drive is stunning, with the road running along the shoreline of the Turnagain Arm for about an hour. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a million bald eagles.
Once we got to Seward, we stretched our legs by walking along the trail of the original Iditarod and then went out to Kenai Fjord National Park to hike up to Exit Glacier.
Day 2: whale watching in seward
We pre-booked a 4 hour whale watching tour weeks before we arrived in Seward as we were afraid they would sell out. I honestly don’t know if they had any day-of tickets, but we didn’t want to take the chance.
This tour was amazing. We saw so much ocean life - orcas, sea lions, sea otters, Dall’s porpoises (Alaskan dolphins)… the list goes on.
5 out of 5 stars.
Day 3: Morning in Seward, drive to Homer
We spent the morning at the SeaLife Center, learning about sea life in Alaska. It is a rehabilitation center for injured sea life and serves as a public aquarium. I absolutely loved being able to see Puffins up close!
We hit up a local coffee shop and found some great Alaska branded merchandise at the Alaska Shop.
Then we hit the road for a 3ish hour drive to the Homer Spit.
Once there, we walked the Spit to check out dining options and the cute local shops. We only stayed here one night but it was well worth the drive. The scenery was unreal!
Homer Spit, Sunset
Day 4, 5, & 6: Anchorage as our base
We were recommended an awesome diner in Homer for breakfast before we hit the road back to Anchorage so we did that for breakfast. The drive to Anchorage is just over 4 hours, and we planned to stop at a brewery on the way back in Cooper Landing.
Once we got back to Anchorage, it was dinner time. We had to go to Moose’s Tooth, a local favorite, for pizza and more beer. So delicious. Its for sure on our list every time we visit!
The following day we decided to hike a glacier, the Matanuska Glacier, just northeast of Anchorage. We signed up for a guided tour and off we went. It was AMAZING. Hands down one of the coolest experiences I have ever done.
Day 6 was spent going to Whittier, this super bizarre town. You have to drive through a one-lane tunnel to get there and back.
Whittier is this small town that has most of its residents living in one condo complex. It exists because it is a major port town for goods to come in to Alaska. The train shares the one-lane tunnel with vehicles - thank goodness for modern technology letting everyone know which direction has right of passage and if the train is needing the tunnel!
I would absolutely go back to Whittier for the views alone. The sheer amount of waterfalls you can see is unlike anything else!
On the way back from Whittier, we detoured into Girdwood to hike the Virgin Falls Trail and visit the Girdwood brewery. 10/10 recommend doing both activities!
Day 7, 8 & 9: Denali National Park
We headed up to Denali on day 7 to stay 2 nights and then head back to Anchorage on day 9 to catch our red-eye flight home.
On our way up to Denali, we took a pitstop to visit Williams Reindeer Farm. We got to feed real life reindeer! A super cool experience that I’d absolutely go again.
The drive to Denali is long. But if Denali is out, meaning the sky is clear and you can see Denali, it is one of the most stunning drives you will ever have. The drive was totally worth it for us as Denali was indeed out for us to gawk at!
Day 8 was spent hiking and exploring Denali National Park. We ventured about 20 more minutes passed the Park entrance to visit 49th State Brewing for a late dinner and beer. They have a replica bus of the one that was made famous in Into the Wild that you can check out, awesome outdoor fire pits, and great beer and food.
Day 9 was our last day. We had a red-eye flight back to Colorado so we hit the road to head back to Anchorage, said “see you soon!” to our friends.
Reindeer Farm!
49th State Brewery - Into the Wild replica bus
I wouldn’t trade a single thing about our trip for something else. It was everything we were thinking it would be and more.
At some point I would love to do a cruise as you get to see so much of Alaska that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to see since it’s not on the road system. And we absolutely want to go back in winter to ski for a few days then head to Fairbanks to hopefully be able to catch the Northern Lights.
Happy Adventures!
