Hi travel fam! For those of you following along, you saw just how much I adored Alaska! But with so much to see and do, how do you decide? And what route do you take? I took the guesswork out of it all for you, so here is my ultimate week long road trip itinerary from Anchorage.
Before we get to the itinerary, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, get your car as soon as you can! There can be a shortage up in Alaska (most were sold out for me), so if you have something specific you want, definitely book ASAP. I used Alaska Adventure Rentals and really liked them! Click here for their website.
Second, be mindful of where you fill up gas. I would definitely get a full tank in Anchorage. Do not rely on filling up near Denali unless you want to pay at least $1 more per gallon! Another good gas spot is the only gas station in Girdwood (cheaper than in Seward).
Finally, this itinerary is based on driving and camping. Hotels in Alaska get expensive very quickly, so for those on a budget I highly recommend camping/driving, but if hotels are more your style, there are a multitude of options along this route so no changes needed!
Okay, now that you know a few roadtrip basics, let’s get to it!
Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage
*This does not include travel times, so keep in mind that you may need to add an extra day onto this for a travel day based on when you book your flight for!
Grab your car, stop for groceries/snacks, and hit the road! Start driving directly to Denali National Park: about 4.5 hours one way. Mount Denali is notoriously shy: aka she hides behind clouds about 70% of the time. For a chance to see this famous peak (the tallest in North America) be sure to stop at Denali View North and South viewpoints on your way up. There’s a reason Denali means ‘The Great One’ and a clear view definitely doesn’t disappoint. The viewpoints are about 30-45 minutes south of the national park entrance.
We got very lucky and had two days with beautiful peak views before we headed into the national park. Denali operates very differently than other national parks, so click here for my Guide to Denali. It will give you all the information about what to do there!
The key thing to know is that you can only drive the first fifteen miles of the Denali park road. Otherwise you need to get on a bus to go deeper in (which I HIGHLY recommend). Once again, click here for the low down.
Hike a bit, look for some wildlife, and find your campsite! Or there are several lodges right outside the national park. Enjoy some s’mores and head to bed.
Day 2: Denali National Park
This is the day to go deeper into Denali on one of those buses I mentioned! You’ll have the chance to spot the famous Dall Sheep, Grizzly bears, caribou, moose, and so much more! We had so many incredible wildlife experiences and the views from inside the park are unreal. Depending on the time of year you can go to certain mile points within the park (we went up to Mile 66) but any of it is so worth it! Once again check out my Denali blog for the best things to do (including the hike where we spotted several beavers!)
Day 3: Hatcher Pass
Time to make your way down south. Denali is way up there, so this day is mainly a driving day, but there is so much beauty just from the road! Be sure to watch out for moose along the highway!
For a cute stop along the way, grab some lunch in Talkeetna. An adorable town, and if you walk down to the river at the end of main street you have another chance at a stunning view of Denali.
As you get just a little north of Anchorage you will hit the town of Wasilla. Drive up Fishhook Road (from Wasilla, it’s all dirt and often closed from Willow) to Hatcher Pass. Here you will find the iconic red cabins of the Hatcher Pass Lodge as well as beautiful mountains and valleys all around. For a hike (if you go in the later parts of summer) check out April Bowl. If not, just enjoy wandering around Independence Mine at the top of Hatcher Pass. There is a $5 parking fee at the top.
Depending on where you want to stay overnight, this day can also just be driving all the way down to Moose Pass/Seward (skipping Hatcher Pass). Otherwise you can do what we did and stay in the middle! We camped in Wasilla at Rocky Lake (a mediocre campsite but beautiful lakeside views), but Palmer or even Anchorage is another good option for a midway stopping town.
Day 4: Glenn Highway
Hop in the car and continue south until you hit the Old Glenn Highway. This road goes on for miles, all the way to Valdez if you want to go more west. We took it up to the point of Matanuska Glacier.
Pro Tip: There are beautiful pull offs all along the way. For the exact spot that you see in this picture, put this address into your GPS: 36600 Glenn Highway. *warning: past the initial part of the road you likely will not have cell service, so make sure you know where you are heading! Also, click here for other Instagrammable places in Alaska.
From the pull off point we headed over to do one of my favorite things from this trip: our guided glacier hike on Matanuska Glacier. We did it with this company. To get to their office, do not just enter Matanuska Glacier into GPS. Go to the direct address they give you when you reserve a spot! Be warned: it’s several miles on a very rough dirt road to access the glacier but so worth it!
Our guides told us the history of the glacier itself and made sure we stayed safe as glaciers are actually very dangerous places (which naïve Sam did not realize). So dangerous in fact that unless you can prove you have glacier training and gear, you cannot access the actual glacier without a guide. Do it with the guide! For us the cost was $65+ tip and worth every penny. The feeling of standing on the glacier is surreal.
From the glacier we continued driving south to our campsite for the night in Moose Pass. This stretch of the drive takes you along the famous Seward Highway. It is famous for a reason and easily one of the most gorgeous drives I have ever taken. Don’t worry! We will have plenty of time to explore more along the highway itself later in the itinerary.
This is the night we boondocked vs staying at an established campsite and we loved it! This is a semi well known spot so you likely won’t be the only ones there, but this was easily our best campsite view. No bathrooms though, so be warned! Unlike other boondocking sites, this is a little off the road so you have some isolation from the highway noise. Here are the exact GPS coordinates: 60.5025, -149.3694. You can find it just past Mile 31.5 along the Seward Highway. Be aware that boondocking is not legal everywhere, so always check if the place you want to stay allows it before you set up camp.
Day 5: Seward
In Moose Pass, make sure you don’t miss the Moose Drop In Trading Post. Seriously the best fudge I’ve ever had (good enough that we stopped in a second time).
Today, we head on to the southernmost point of our trip: Seward! This is the cutest little harbor town I have ever seen. Keep an eye out on the waters in the harbor of Resurrection Bay, there is a friendly otter there that loves to make an appearance.
After you arrive in Seward, take a tour onto Kenai Fjords National Park. Most of this national park is not accessible by car, just boat! I was so graciously hosted by Major Marine Tours. The boat tour was a ton of fun and I highly recommend using this company. We got to see wildlife galore (including orcas and puffins), islands, glaciers, and they even made us a special treat (go check out my Insta for a hint). Such a fun way to see this beautiful place!
After a long day on the water, you have earned a nice dinner! Seward is known for its fresh seafood, especially Halibut, and Chinooks has the best in town. Afterwards, stroll around the small harbor shopping area and the scenic downtown street. Very charming and nautical.
You can camp or stay at a hotel right in Seward so you make the most of this amazing area.
Day 6: Seward
Today you get another day to explore around Seward! For an out of the box experience, check out the Seavey Family Ididaride Tour. The Seaveys are known for their Iditarod wins, and their dog teams are some of the best in the world (even one world record holding team). You get to meet the dogs and go out on a cart as part of their mushing training, all while learning about the people wild and brave enough to do the Iditarod Race. This was not something we originally planned, but I’m glad we did it! Also, the movie Balto is not entirely accurate…go check out Togo on Disney Plus.
Next, head over to the one part of Kenai Fjords that is road accessible: Exit Glacier. For novice hikers, there are plenty of concrete and accessible short paths to viewpoints of the glacier. For those of you who tend to live on the adventurous side, head up to the Harding Icefield Hike. 4 miles one way with a 1,000 foot elevation gain per mile. This hike is no joke! If you go early summer or winter, likely you won’t be able to do more than the first two miles due to high avalanche danger. That being said, it is still beautiful and definitely worth the trek. Hiking poles or spikes come in handy, and keep eyes peeled for moose and bears that frequent this area.
After your hike, for one last taste of Seward, take the short dirt road towards Lowell Point. This is a popular spot for camping in RVs, but the dirt road itself is the attraction here. People will bring chairs, park and sit along the road and watch for wildlife. We stood there ten minutes and saw an otter, seal and humpback whale. Definitely a good spot for you animal lovers!
From here, it’s time to start heading north again. Some people choose to stay in Seward and return to Anchorage all in one day, but we camped up just south of Girdwood at Granite Creek Campground. A beautiful spot to sleep but a little buggy, so bring that spray! There are so many campsites between Seward and Girdwood, but book early! During the summer this is a very popular area, especially with locals from Anchorage.
Day 7: Head to Anchorage
We have made it to the final day of our itinerary. This is the day you make your way up to Anchorage. Depending on the timing of your flight (we took the late red eye), you have a varied amount of time here.
Start with a drive to Girdwood. Keep your eyes peeled just north and south of Girdwood along the shores: we saw over ten bald eagles looking for their morning fish breakfast.
In Girdwood, head first to the Virgin Creek Falls Trailhead. This is a very short (5 minute) walk to an incredible waterfall! You can get really close to the falls, and if you go relatively early you may have this spot all to yourself. Definitely a very instagrammable place! Click here for my blog about other photo worthy spots around Alaska!
Do keep in mind this waterfall trailhead is in a neighborhood, so drive slow and respect the locals!
Post hike stop at The Bake Shop for a yummy breakfast in this cute ski town. You kind of feel like you are in the Swiss Alps!
Next, head to the McHugh Creek Day Use Area. This area has a ton of mosquitos so spray yourself! We took the Turnagain Arm Trail towards Rainbow Creek. This is a difficult trail that requires mountaineering (which I don’t do), so we only went partway up just to get an overlook of Turnagain Arm. For all you bird lovers, stop at Potter Marsh. You can hike to it from this area (3 miles) or drive to a separate parking lot and walk the boardwalk around the marsh (we did it this way). Many birds hang out here and even a bald eagle if you get lucky like us!
Finally it’s time to head all the way to Anchorage. But there are still many things to do there! Stop by Lake Hood to watch the seaplanes take off and land on the water. For a final chance to see moose, drive around the airport a bit, especially along Northern Lights Blvd. There's a park there with a few walking trails if you want to stretch your legs more too.
*Pro Tip: skip Thunderbird Falls! So overrated, very buggy, and you really can’t get close to the falls. If you want a waterfall, Virgin Creek is the place to be.
Finally it’s time to head home with memories galore. Alaska truly is a very special place and I hope you all get the chance to experience it someday. I am already mentally planning my next trip back.
Well, there you have it! Your ultimate one week Alaska road trip from Anchorage. Definitely feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below, and make sure you subscribe to stay up to date on my blog! Happy travels, fam!
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