If you’re looking for a cool place to chill in the unspoiled wilderness, you might want to consider the 49th state in the US. Alaska can be both beautiful and inspiring. Here to help you with your Alaskan itinerary, we now present 19 awesome things to do in Alaska.

19 Awesome Things To Do In Alaska

1. Get On A Great Glacier

More than five percent of the 49th state is covered by big glaciers. At last count, there were more than 100,000 in Alaska. Perhaps the most challenging to reach is Ruth Glacier.  

Its upper reaches are roughly three miles from Denali’s summit. Still, there are several more easily accessible glaciers such as Byron Glacier, Exit Glacier, Matanuska Glacier, and Portage Glacier. Hire a professional guide to help you explore the various ice caves and frozen crevices.

If you go to the Arctic Circle, you earn the right to brag. (Seriously, if you’re part of a tour group, they give you a certificate!) Tour companies offer travelers both one-day and multiple-day trips throughout the year. Your tour begins with a flight to the Coldfoot camp nestled in the Brooks Mountain Range, and a drive to Fairbanks. It includes stops at the Trans Alaska Pipeline, remote villages, the mighty Yukon River, and the Arctic Circle sign. 

You’ve climbed every glacier and now it’s Miller time! Here in Alaska, there are more than 40 breweries. Many of them are in Anchorage. There’s the Anchorage Brewing Company, the Midnight Sun Brewing Co., Onsite Brewing Company, and Cynosure Brewing, to name a few. Beyond Anchorage, there’re more. There’s Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer, Kodiak Island Brewing Co. in Kodiak, and the 49th State Brewing Company in Healy, among others.

Navigating a tandem kayak ‘round bobbing bits and pieces of glistening glacial ice can be an incredible experience. Visit in the summer and sign on with a Seward-Alaska-based guided two-part, three-hour expedition not far from an infrequently visited, calving glacier. The first part of this tour consists of a private charter tour of Resurrection Bay where you might spot bald eagles, humpback whales, orca, otters, and sea lions too.

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is situated in Anchorage. Here you can learn about both the contemporary and traditional ways of the 213 tribes indigenous to the state. Learn of more than 10,000 years of culture and history including art, dance, and Native games. See full-scale traditional dwellings too.

Climb aboard the Alaska Railroad, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Travel from Seward to Fairbanks. Enjoy stops at places like Talkeetna, Anchorage, and, of course, Denali National Park.  

You’ll get some great pictures of the distinct coastline from the popular second-level outdoor viewing platform. Take in the view of the icy, snow-capped mountains, deep gorgeous gorges, and wildlife. Trained tour guides will even be narrating the entire trip.

Too many travelers simply fly in and fly out of Anchorage. They get a rental and drive south to the striking Kenai Peninsula or head north to Denali. Veteran visitors, however, can confirm that there’s a good reason why half of Alaska’s residents live in Anchorage. Here you can explore the Anchorage Museum, hike in nearby Chugach State Park, go bicycling on the town trails, dine at exceptional eateries, and go fishing for king salmon in the urban fishery Ship Creek.

As previously reported, The well-known Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is an amazing natural light show close to the Arctic Circle. If you are visiting Alaska from August into May, the lights are the most visible. They become even more intense between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. While experts note that they are unpredictable, Fairbanks witnesses approximately 200 light shows annually. Book a tour with a professional northern lights hunting group.  

If you visit in the summer, you have a chance to see a number of different whale species migrating to Alaska’s coastal waters to feed. More specifically, the gray whales return in the middle of April, the orcas come back in May, followed by humpback whales in June. From April to September, you can sign on for a whale watching tour in Juneau and Seward. They all reportedly include professional narration and several of the longer excursions also include meals and even drinks.  

This 6.1 million-acre park is both one of the USA’s most unspoiled places and top 25 tourist attractions. In English “Denali” means “the high one.” Here you’ll find Mount McKinley, the continent’s highest mountain.  

Not up for mountain climbing? Do some hiking. The park has trails of various degrees of difficulty. Other possible activities include ATV rides and Jeep excursions. Keep your eyes open for such protected wildlife as caribou, grizzly bears, moose, and wolves.

Located in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, McCarthy is possibly one of America’s most unique towns. It is a remote, former mountain boomtown with a total population of fewer than 24 people. It’s a great base from which you can explore the near virgin wilderness around it. Hike through the alpine mountain ranges, explore the long-abandoned Kennecott Mines, visit Root Glacier, or go white water rafting!

Despite the recent pandemic, you can still explore the state’s Southeast region. You can still board smaller tour vessels. You can even plan your own trip.

Prefer a bird’s eye view? Alaska Airlines has flights out of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. The views of the massive mountains, feeding whales, and vast wilderness are stunning.

“Fish on!” You’ll have lots of opportunities to land a trophy fish whether it’s a “barn door”-sized halibut or a 40-pound king salmon. In the summer the river beds can be busy, so if you prefer more intimacy, sign on for a fishing charter. Indeed, if you’re inexperienced, it’s incredibly helpful to have a guide who will take you to places where practically guaranteed bites. They even filet your catch at the end of the outing. 

You will find the world’s highest concentration of brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Visit during the summer and you can spot them in the rushing river, using their claws to scoop the upstream-swimming salmon, or even catching them in mid-air with their sharp teeth as the salmon attempt to jump over a little yet turbulent waterfall. This park is only accessible via floatplane, but it’s nigh-pristine and worth the extra expense.

During the Gold Rush, the poet Robert Service wrote: “There are strange things done under the Midnight Sun.” Visit in the summer and you’ll discover that the season’s so short that residents try to make the most of every day. Here the sun doesn’t set until sometime after midnight. The farther north you travel, the longer the days are. In fact, Utqiagvik is the USA’s northernmost settlement. There they have more than 80 days in a row without one sunset.  

Alaska would look a lot different today if gold had never been discovered in the then US territory in 1897. As the 20th began, thousands of people traveled there in search of their fortune. Visit Fairbanks and Skagway where there is still reportedly gold to find, and you can actually take part in an actual gold panning tour and learn all about the historical impact gold had on the state.

The well-known Chena Hot Springs was first intended to serve as a place where the many miners could relax and recharge. Today one can still relax and recharge there, but now the springs are but a single part of the entire contemporary Chena Hot Springs Resort complex. Visit at the right time and you might even be able to glimpse the legendary Northern Lights through all the steam. Other activities offered by the resort include snowmobile and ATV tours, dogsledding demonstrations, and the chance to enjoy a cocktail at the popular Aurora Ice Museum bar.

Alaska has 31,000 miles of road, but arguably the best and most stunning stretch of blacktop in the state is the Seward Highway between Girdwood and Anchorage. To one side, is a rugged, sheer rock wall, favored by both adventurous climbers and gravity-defying, surefooted Dall sheep. On the other side is a waterway named the Turnagain Arm. Here you might spot both beluga whales and surfers trying to catch the massive wave known as the bore tide. There are convenient pull-outs every few miles to take pictures too.

There is so much to see in the state of Alaska. There’s North America’s tallest peak, the most rugged coastline, the largest mammals, and more.  

Some say the best way to truly appreciate just how vast this place is is by taking a flightseeing tour. Hop on a bush plane, a seaplane, or even a helicopter and take a tour that will not only allow you to see for miles and miles but will be able to access places you would not otherwise be able to reach.