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The Draw
• Chugach National Forest: 5.4 million acres of wilderness at the city’s edge
• Coming in from all that wild and dining on a five-course gourmet meal before sleeping in a luxury hotel.
The Scene
Cradled by silver water of Cook Inlet, backed by the Chucach Mountains, split by a major salmon stream that runs right past downtown: Anchorage is scenic overload. The city and its environs are home to roughly half of Alaska’s population, which still makes it smaller and more manageable than the average big city suburb. Anchorage rich cultural life blends everything from ancient Native dances to symphony performances, all glued together with the pure Alaska, relaxed vibe, i.e. gum boots are always acceptable, even for formal occasions. Dine on expertly prepared seafood that was swimming hours before, treat yourself to a moose filet (you’ll never go back to beef), or just get out of town, into the water or into the mountains on trails that only see a few people a year. How did Anchorage get so big? Because no matter what you want, it’s minutes away.
To Be Seen
• Native Heritage Center. Inside, exhibits and cultural performances about the people who were in Alaska first. Outside, around a small lake, six full-scale houses, showing the way Natives around Alaska lived in paradise.
• The tides in Turnagain Arm. North America’s second-highest tidal variation can look like a tsunami coming in. On calmer days, whale watch at Beluga Point, about halfway down the Arm. You may notice that Belugas sound like confused Chihuahuas when they call each other.
· The Mountain. Denali, North America’s highest peak—otherwise known as Mt. McKinley—is a short charter plane flight away. Soar past Ruth’s Glacier (a forest actually growing on the ice) and into the Great Gorge, which looks like a movie special effect, before twirling around the peak at 20,320 feet.
For the VIP
• Dine at the Marx Brothers Café. With only 14 tables, it's tiny so when the menu changes nightly, you're ensured only the finest dishes. The best of Alaskan seafood, done right.
• Never again lie about the fish you caught. Fish for salmon right in downtown Anchorage's Ship Creek. Forty-pound fish are not unknown; or charter a trip into the waters around Homer, where the salmon can run twice as large, and the halibut might be the size of coffee tables.
• Watch the bears watch you. Charter a floatplane to Brooks Falls or the almost unknown Lake Clark, where the bear viewing can be close enough for you to find out that bears smell like big, wet dogs.
Overrated
The day trip to Portage Glacier and Whittier. The glacier has melted beyond visibility, and although Whittier is indeed the nearest entry point to Prince William Sound, nature has been crowded out by people looking for nature.
Underrated
Eklutna. Blending both Native and Russian traditions, this traditional village few minutes from downtown sports an onion-dome cathedral made of logs overlooking Athabascan spirit houses. No better place to understand Alaskan history.
Don't Miss
The view from Flattop Mountain. Look south towards town, where you'll see Cook Inlet and the distant volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula; north, on a good day, Denali, the highest peak in North America, and the Alaska Range. And don’t forget to keep an eye out up close for moose and bears. In winter, bundle up and watch the northern lights dance.
When to Go
Most people head to Anchorage in the summer, and June, July, August crowds leave the city bloated. But the shoulder seasons are much more relaxed, and the weather’s just as good. Just watch for seasonal operators and make sure excursions you are interested in are still running. The other time to come is for Fur Rendezvous and the start of the Iditarod, in late February/early March. Dress warm, be ready for a citywide party under the northern lights.
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