Beautiful and beer are two words that sum up my recent adventure to Anchorage Alaska. Honestly, I was surprised by both! I had such a great time in Alaska this winter, I had to share my new favorite things to do in and around Anchorage Alaska.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew Alaska was pretty from looking at pictures, but going in March? I thought I’d be stuck in my hotel room hiding from the winter weather. I was going to Anchorage for a work conference, and decided to go a few days early to explore the local area.
I’m definitely no expert on Alaska or Anchorage, but I wanted to share the day trips we took, food we ate, and activities we did that made this trip one of my favorite ever. Alaska isn’t usually recommended in winter, but the sights were incredible, the food and beer were delicious and unique.
Here’s a brief break down of day trips I took from Anchorage Alaska:
- Dog Sledding in Wasilla, Alaska
- Snow Mobiling in Wasilla, Alaska
- Resurrection Bay Tour in Seward, Alaska
- Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska
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Day trips from Anchorage
Day trip to Seward, Alaska
About 2 hours south of Anchorage is Seward, Alaska. It is a gorgeous little town on the coast, with so much history and beautiful views of the bay.
We started the day at 8 a.m. and grabbed some coffee from That Feeling Co. in Anchorage. The coffee was delicious, and it is the cutest little shop covered in plants. There is a bakery right next door if you need something to eat too.
Then we embarked on our two hour drive to Seward. We rented a car through Turo, and made sure to get a vehicle that was safe to drive in the snow. We grew up in Southern California, so I don’t know how to drive in the snow or put on snow chains. Luckily Turo had a big Bronco with studded tires so we didn’t need to do anything special to be safe in the snow.
The drive to Seward was INCREDIBLE. I am not usually someone who can deal with long drives, but this drive went by so quickly because I was taking photos and videos every few seconds trying to capture the beauty. If you’ve ever driven down the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in California, I truly believe that the drive from Anchorage to Seward is head and shoulders above it. Leave with a little extra time in case you want to stop along the way and take in the view of the water. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the drive, I took hundreds, so I will just share a few of the best!
Once we arrived in Seward, we checked in to our boat tour. We had some extra time, so we went to a restaurant across the street to get lunch at Alaska Seafood Grill. Honestly, it was the only restaurant open at the time, but the food was delicious. I had a bowl of seafood chowder, which was creamy and fully of clams and white fish. My husband got the fish and chips, which was lightly fried cod, with well-seasoned fries. The meal was warm, cozy, and peaceful with only a few others in the restaurant.
Resurrection Bay Tour in Seward, Alaska
We did a boat tour of Resurrection Bay, which was one of the only things running in the winter. But the drive there, and the boat tour were both so beautiful we truly didn’t need anything else.
Then we boarded our Resurrection Bay Tour boat, and the whole crew was enthusiastic and welcoming. The boat had a bar so naturally we grabbed a drink, then headed to the very top and front of the boat. Just sitting in the bay was gorgeous, but when we took off and headed out into the bay we were shocked. We immediately saw bald eagles posted up on buoys and sea otters floating on their backs.
The whole tour was about four hours. We saw porpous, sea otters, seals, birds, a glacier, and the most amazing snow covered mountains. I have a hundred pictures of this too, but here are some of my favorite.
After the tour, we started the drive home, which was just as beautiful as the way there.
If you’re going in summer, there are some other things you can add on in Seward. Because we were there in the winter, it was very quiet. Many of the restaurants were closed, and the activities weren’t happening. But in summer, they had bikes to rent, boats to go out on, and plenty of cute restaurants on the water.
You can even take a train down there, which is supposed to be a beautiful ride. We decided against the train from Anchorage to Seward because it is a four hour trip, and has an eight hour layover in Seward. In winter, the bay tour is only four hours, so we wouldn’t have had enough to do to fill that layover time. We don’t regret the drive at all, it was great being in control of where we wanted to slow down and see a bit more.
Day trip from Anchorage to Wasilla
Wasilla was full of adventurous activities that are true to the Alaskan weather and geography. It took us about an hour and a half to get from Anchorage to Wasilla, where we did a dog sledding excursion, and then went on a guided snow mobile adventure.
Dog Sledding in Alaska
There are so many dog sledding adventures in Alaska to choose from. Since we were doing this as a day trip from Anchorage, we needed something within a few hours. We found this excursion, in Wasilla, Alaska.
From the moment we pulled up, it was an experience. The road pulling up was blanketed in snow, and it was wonderfully rural. There were about 30 dogs barking when we pulled up. We happened to be there during the IRID 500, so we got to hear all about how the owners of the company were out racing.
One of our hesitations with dog sledding was if it was ethical or not. After looking into it, we found a few sources that said the dogs live to run, and their owners typically treat them like family. This was absolutely the case here. He loved his dogs, and they clearly loved him. Seeing him interact with them was almost as fun as getting to sled.
After dog sledding we ate some snacks in our car, took in the beautiful views, and made our way to our snow mobile adventure.
Snow Mobile Adventure in Alaska
I’ll start out by saying that snow mobiling in Alaska was one of the raddest (is that a word? It is now) things we’ve ever done. The snow mobile adventure was just a day trip from Anchorage, and located in Wasilla. The company we used, Hatcher Pass ATV tours, had great driving directions, and included all of the gear we needed to stay warm.
We were guided in a small group, and the guide let us go as fast as we wanted in a few places, which was great for the thrill seeker in me.
I’ll let the views speak for themselves.
Tips for day trips from Anchorage
- Be comfortable driving in snow (or plan to Uber)
- Bring snacks and food
- Leave with plenty of time
- Check the road closures
- Be open minded and a little spontaneous
Restaurants in Anchorage
I have a friend who has been living in Anchorage, and all of these restaurants were recommended by her. I tested them all of course, and highly recommend!
- That Feeling Co. (cute coffee)
- Snow City Cafe (breakfast, incredible cinnamon roll)
- 49th State Brewing (unique beer, insane food)
- Glacier Brewhouse (sit down, like Bjs)
- Moose’s Tooth (pizza)
What to wear in Anchorage in Winter
Since I was here in winter, my attire needed to be much different than the usual summer fits. Here are some links to the comfiest, warmest, and most practical things I wore while dog sledding, snow mobiling, and exploring.
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We had so much fun in Alaska with these day trips from Anchorage. I hope you have just as great of a time, no matter when you’re visiting.Â
Travel on!
