Are you planning a trip to Anchorage and want to explore outside the city? Let me show you exactly what I did with 5 days in Alaska from Anchorage to Seward to Whittier and back!
This post about 5 days in Alaska was written by family travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
I just got back from my first trip to Alaska, which I visited as part of TBEX, a travel blogging conference.
Before I get into my 5-day Alaska road trip from Anchorage, I wanted to clarify that I actually arrived in Anchorage the day before this itinerary started.
I had an easy 3.5-hour flight up from Seattle and spent the afternoon walking around Downtown Anchorage, checking out the gift shops, and grabbing snacks to eat in my room while watching Netflix. I wanted to be fully rested to tackle this Alaska itinerary!
Day 1: Anchorage to Seward
Turnagain Arm: All-American Road and Scenic Byway
The first thing we did after leaving Anchorage was drive along the Turnagain Arm. It’s a really beautiful drive where you can see mountains and water.
We did a few scenic lookout stops to look for beluga whales (we didn’t see any) and take photos with the gorgeous scenery.
Lunch at Girdwood Brewery
I was actually really excited that we stopped here for lunch because my Uber driver said he drives all the way down from Anchorage because the beer at Girdwood Brewery is the best!
I’m not a beer drinker so I went with their kombucha (which was on tap) and it was really good!
Breweries in Alaska aren’t allowed to sell food but we were able to get lunch from the food trucks in the parking lot.
I had a turkey sandwich that was flanked by grilled cheese and it was decadent, filling, and really delicious!
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
I have to admit, I’m not really an animal person. So, I wasn’t sure how long I really wanted to stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. In fact, I almost stayed on the bus to be driven around and just do photo stops.
But, I’m so glad that I walked the loop because it was seriously cool to see wood bison, bears, and porcupines!
There are lots of great viewing platforms and we were able to chat with the caretakers as they were feeding the animals.
Families will be glad to know that there’s a large playground, picnic areas, and food trucks!
Dinner in Seward
We had dinner at the Flamingo Lounge, which was renovated a few years ago to be a more upscale place to eat and drink.
I personally loved getting a pink flamingo in my mocktail and the halibut and brussels sprouts were super tasty!
Harbor 360 Hotel
I’m really glad we stayed at the Harbor 360 Hotel. It’s about a 20-minute walk from downtown, and it’s right on the small boat harbor. The view from my room was amazing!
There was free breakfast in the lobby and they have one of the best hotel gift shops I’ve seen.
Day 2: Seward
Coffee at Resurrect Art
Apparently, the “it” cafe to check out in Seward is Resurrect Art Coffee House, which is a refurbished church.
It was about a 20-minute walk from Harbor 360 Hotel and I think it was totally worth the extra steps.
We got there at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday and walked right up to order. However, when we left around 9:20 a.m., the line was about 10 people deep.
There were a bunch of cute souvenirs, locally made crafts, and gift items.
Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise
We hopped on board for a 6-hour cruise through the Kenai Fjords National Park.
The boat itself was pretty large! We had assigned tables inside the cabin, which was nice. That’s where we got our boxed lunch. But most of the time we were out on the deck taking in the epic views.
The coolest moment was getting to see Aialik Glacier up close. It’s was just as cool as it looks like on the videos I’d seen and it was a total bucket list moment.
The crew even fished for an iceberg, brought it up for photos, and then chopped it up and served it in drinks! I mean, how incredible is that?
I’m not going to lie; being on the boat for 6 hours felt LONG, and there were about 20 minutes when I thought I might lose my lunch. However, the 6-hour tour takes you to cooler places than the 4-hour tour.
But, if you are visiting with kids, I’d suggest doing the 4-hour cruise instead. It stays in the calmer water of the bay. We saw the only two kids on our tour get sick and basically slept the rest of the tour.
Taco Dinner on Bus
Originally, we were going to stop and eat at Lone Chicharron Taqueria before heading up to Girdwood. But, we were all pretty tired so we grabbed our food to go and ate it on the bus. That was a GREAT call!
I had elote tacos (which I hadn’t seen on a menu before) and they were pretty good!
Alyeska Resort
We arrived at Alyeska Resort too late to use the Nordic spa, visit the stores or ride on the tram (which totally bummed me out).
So we really only had time to sleep. But the rooms were nice and I appreciated getting a soy chai tea in the morning before we hit the road!
I did have friends who went there later in the trip and they said the spa was fantastic and there are even cool hikes to do from the resort.
Apparently it’s a pretty popular spring break ski spot, too. I’d love to go back to get to use all the amenities.
Day 3: Seward to Anchorage
Flight to Lake Clark
We drove back up to Anchorage to catch our flight with Rust’s Flying Service. It was my first time on a seaplane and I admit, I was a little nervous.
I ended up getting to be the co-pilot (aka sitting right next to our pilot) and I probably had the best view of any passengers! Pilot Dan was a riot and made us all feel safe and gave us a great tour of the scenery.
Taking off and landing in the seaplane was SO much smoother than I expected. It’s actually made me want to take a seaplane from Seattle to Victoria, BC!
Lake Clark National Park Bear Viewing Boat Ride
When we got to the lodge, we grabbed huge raincoats and hopped into pontoons. The jackets were a total lifesaver because it protected us from the wind.
Katie was our captain and she patiently scoured the coastline to find bears for us to see. We got close enough to see them well but not close enough that we were worried they would swim out to us!
Seeing the bears was EPIC! We ended up seeing 14 bears which was WAY more than I expected. The sweetest thing was seeing 2 mama bears with their cubs. I definitely didn’t expect that!
After 2 hours of bear-watching, we headed back to the lodge for the most amazing salmon I’ve ever had (and I live in the PNW)!
We were supposed to go out for another 2 hours but the weather turned quickly and our pilot said we had to leave immediately to get back to Anchorage.
The flight back wasn’t as scenic because it was extra overcast and the snow came in sideways and we were all just focused on getting back quickly. But we still did get to see some of the landscape.
Back to Anchorage
When we landed back at the airport, we drank some ginger ale and caught our breath a bit before grabbing our shuttle back to downtown Anchorage.
I spent the next few nights at a vacation rental in downtown Anchorage with friends. We had dinner at Club Paris which has amazing seafood and steak.
Day 4: Anchorage/Matanuska
Matanuska Glacier Hike
One of the most famous glaciers in Alaska is Matanuska Glacier. We did a guided hike with Greatland Adventures and it was so much cooler than I expected.
I’m glad I wore layers (and my colorful jacket so my photos popped). They gave us crampons to put on our hiking boots and that made me feel really confident as I hiked across the glacier for about 2 hours.
We stopped at a lot of photo spots where we could soak in all the incredible scenery. We even got to drink glacier water!
Lunch at Lone Rifle
After the hike, Greatland Adventures took us to a nearby cafe that had great views of Matanuska Glacier.
I ordered the halibut sandwich (which was REALLY good) but I’m kicking myself for not trying the chipotle fish tacos with blueberry sauce.
Dinner at Whisky & Ramen
After heading back to our Airbnb to warm up, we walked down the street to eat at Whisky & Ramen. We made a reservation there the night before and I’m so glad we did!
The cocktails were not only gorgeous but super tasty! And the ramen was rich and satisfying.
We have a lot of ramen places in Seattle but I think Whisky & Ramen might actually be my new favorite.
Day 5: Anchorage/Whittier
Bus Ride to Whittier
Did you know the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which most folks call the Whittier Tunnel, holds the title for the longest dual-use highway tunnel in North America? It’s a pretty cool spot where both cars and trains share the road!
After the tunnel, we arrived in the tiny town. It’s so small that all the residents actually live in the same building!
I want to note that before we got on our cruise, we went to the Lazy Otter Cafe and pre-ordered bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon to be ready for us when we got off the boat. Best decision ever!
Glacier Cruise
We hopped on the Lazy Otter Charter boat (which holds 27 people) and we cruised around the bay looking at sealife and glaciers.
It was pretty chilly and rainy when we went so most of us stayed warm inside the cabin until we arrived at a photo spot. Then, we headed outside to take photos and came in to warm up!
What’s cool about the boat is that the windows open so you can get a pretty good view right from your seat if the weather is rough.
They also provided one of the best boxed lunches I’d had during the trip.
After the boat ride, we picked up our bagels (which were SO delicious) and headed back to Anchorage.
Alaska Native Cultural Center
We were invited to a special event at the Alaska Native Cultural Center that included a catered meal and drinks, so that’s what we did for dinner.
One of my friends recommended that we head outside as soon as we got there so we could experience the cultural houses before it got too dark. I’m so glad we did this!
They had cultural ambassadors in the homes and they answered all our questions from their traditional clothing to how the homes were built.
Inside, there’s a pretty impressive gallery. I especially appreciated the exhibit about the boarding schools because they didn’t gloss over the atrocities.
They also included items (like dolls) that were taken from the children and explained how these boarding schools stripped children of their culture which had lasting effects for generations.
I personally want to come back and do one of their guided tours next time I visit Alaska.
BONUS: Alaska Railroad
I was in Alaska for the TBEX conference and the closing party was a scenic train ride at sunset with the Alaska Railroad.
I wanted to include it because it was seriously stunning and I’d recommend it to anyone visiting Anchorage.
The upper deck has the coolest views because the windows go all the way up into the ceiling so it’s almost like you’re outside. And they have outside viewing platforms if you want to get great photos or video.
What Did I Pack for This Alaska Trip?
Even though I’m from the Pacific Northwest, I was really unsure what to add to my Alaska packing list for September. I ended up throwing in extra layers “just in case.”
I’m currently obsessed with wool so I packed wool shirts, layering shirts, sweaters, leggings, socks, and even underwear. Those were the RIGHT call!
I also brought my Marine Layer puffer coat that was a perfect outer layer. I also packed a rain jacket that I could put on over the puffer coat, but I only used it a few times. And I had rain pants to use to protect against wind and rain.
For footwear, I brought my Columbia hiking boots that I sprayed with Scotchgard to waterproof them.
I was on the fence about bringing my “good” camera with me. I honestly haven’t used it since 2020 because my iPhone takes pretty good photos. I ended up taking some test shots with both my camera and my phone and the quality and zoom were so similar that I left my camera at home.
One thing that I should have brought was Bonine for the boat ride and the seaplane ride. Luckily, a friend gave me some of her’s which helped a lot.
5-Day Alaska Itinerary Wrap-Up
If you are looking for a 5-day itinerary for Alaska that gets you out of Anchorage and seeing some Alaska highlights, this is such a great travel plan!
I hope this first-hand experience helps you figure out your own Alaska vacation!
Thanks to Visit Anchorage for hosting me!
