Population: 297,483.
Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage is in the heart of the state’s southcentral gulf coast, located on the shores of Cook Inlet. Anchorage is also Mile 0 of the Glenn Highway and Mile 127 (the end) of the Seward Highway.

Visitor Information: Visit Anchorage operates 2 information centers at the corner of 4th Avenue and F Street: The Log Cabin Visitor Information Center, which fronts 4th Avenue, and directly behind it—and part of the old City Hall building—a modern walk-in Visitor Information Center. Both offer free brochures and maps. The centers are open daily, year-round (except for major holidays); phone (907) 257-2363. Hours mid-May to mid-September are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; from mid-September to mid-May, hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A third visitor information center is located in the South Terminal of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. For current and upcoming events, things to do and other travel planning help, and to order a free guide to Anchorage go online.

The Anchorage Alaska Public Lands Information Center (AAPLIC), 605 W. 4th Ave., Suite 105 in the historic Old Federal Building, has extensive displays and information on outdoor recreation lands in Alaska. NOTE: You will need to go through security for entrance to the Old Federal Building. AAPLIC phone is (907) 644-3678.

Anchorage began as an anchorage on Ship Creek in 1915, staging ground for construction of a railroad to the Interior. Today, it is Alaska’s largest city and its railroad and port remain crucial to the transportation of goods and resources. Some 90 percent of the merchandise goods for 85 percent of Alaska’s population come through the Port of Anchorage.

Covering 1,961 square miles (1,697 square miles of land, 264 of water), Anchorage lies between the Chugach Mountains on the east and Knik Arm of Cook Inlet on the west. The surrounding mountain ranges—the Chugach, the Kenais, the Talkeetnas, the icy peaks of the Tordrillo Mountains across Cook Inlet, the dramatic peaks of the Alaska Range (with Denali visible on the northern horizon, weather permitting) and the Aleutian Range surround the city in scenic splendor. Perched within the edge of Alaska’s vast, varied expanse of forests, mountains, rivers, taiga and tundra, the city offers abundant wilderness experiences in every direction. Combining cosmopolitan amenities with the creative enthusiasm of a young, progressive city gives Anchorage its appeal as an exciting and unique destination.

All services are available. Lodging options include more than 8,000 motel and hotel rooms in the Anchorage area, with prices for a double room ranging from $50 to $300 and up. Reservations are a must. Bed-and-breakfast accommodations are also available in more than 250 private residences; prices range from about $60–$200

Dining spans an extraordinary number of ethnicities in fast food to fine dining. Anchorage also offers all the amenities of any Lower 48 big city: big box stores; auto/RV rentals and services; shopping and art galleries; museums and tour companies offering uniquely Alaska opportunities, from flightseeing Denali (North America’s highest mountain) to cruising glaciers. Camping at area private campgrounds, or the municipal Centennial Campground and nearby Chugach State Park campgrounds (the nearest is at Eagle River, 11.6 miles to the east).

Maps: Click on maps below for detailed PDFs.

   

Attractions:

  • Take the fully-narrated Anchorage Trolley Tour to get familiar with what Anchorage offers. Its route covers 15 miles of main attractions and the tour is just under an hour in length.
  • Visit downtown Anchorage on the weekend for the Anchorage Markets and Festival outdoor market. Shop more than 300 booths featuring produce, gifts and other items while enjoying the free music and events on stage. It makes a great starting point for your downtown tour of the shops, museums and historical sites.
  • There are many great museums and cultural centers, the largest being the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Others include the Alaska Veterans Museum and the Alaska Aviation Museum.
  • Visit the Ulu Factory and learn the history of this uniquely Alaskan implement.
  • Music in the Park. Enjoy one of the many free concerts presented downtown in the park at E Street and 4th Avenue.
  • Anchorage has more than 223 parks, many of which are connected by the Municipality’s more than 135 miles of paved trails.  These multi-use trails criss-cross the city and take you along its green-belts and streams. Bike rentals are available.  Keep your eyes open for moose–the most common wild animal to be seen here–as well as bears, lynx and wolves.
Chugach State Park borders the Anchorage bowl, providing easy access to world-class nature trails. (Photo courtesy Visit Anchorage/Jody O. Photos)
  • Tour the campuses of the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University. APU is the largest private 4-year university in Alaska, and UAA is the largest branch of the state’s university system. UAA has some unique architecture and both are set among the greenery of Goose Lake and surrounding parks.
  • Visit the Alaska Botanical Garden with self-guided or prearranged guided tours. This is a completely outdoor facility so dress accordingly.
  • Visit the Alaska Zoo, home to more than 100 orphaned and injured animals from the arctic and subarctic regions of the globe.  A highlight is the polar bear exhibit, but there are also snow leopards, camels and Tibetan yaks on this 20 acre wooded lot.
  • Walk the Tony Knowles Coastal trail for great views of Anchorage, Sleeping Lady, Denali and Foraker (on a clear day).
  • Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, located 48 miles south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway, features bears, caribou, moose, muskox, elk and other mammals and birds in their outdoor park.
  • Watch small planes at Lake Hood (the world’s largest and busiest seaplane base), Lake Spenard or Merrill Field. While you’re there, charter a plane for flightseeing, bear viewing or fly-in hunting and fishing. Rust’s Flying Service offers charters out of Anchorage.
  • Enjoy salmon viewing (and fishing!) on Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage. June, July and August are the best time of year to see this urban fishery at its best.
  • Eagle River Nature Center, located at the end of Eagle River Road, about a 26-mile drive from downtown Anchorage, offers self-guiding nature trails and a variety of naturalist programs throughout the year in Chugach State Park. Well worth the drive.
  • In the Girdwood-Alyeska area, which is about 40 miles south of downtown Anchorage via the Seward and Alyeska highways—but still part of the Municipality of Anchorage—the Alyeska Resort tram takes visitors up to the top of the mountain for a wonderful view of Turnagain Arm. On the drive there, visit the historic Crow Creek Mine to try your hand a gold panning.
  • Ride the Alaska Railroad to Spencer Glacier, SewardDenali National Park or Fairbanks. The railroad offers a variety of travel options and a unique view of Alaska.
  • Anchorage is a jumping-off point for Southcentral’s many attractions, such as the Kenai Peninsula to the south, with its fishing and sightseeing opportunities; or the Mat-Su Valley to the north, home of the Musk-Ox Farm, the Alaska State Fair, Independence Mine State Historical Park and Matanuska Glacier; cruising glaciers and wildlife viewing in Prince William Sound; driving the longest highway tunnel in North America on the way to Whittier; and more. The Kenai Peninsula has multiple day cruises to view marine wildlife and glaciers or go on a fishing charter.