Alaska is huge and there are many amazing things to do; it’s very difficult to create the perfect itinerary for a one-week stay. This itinerary is full of bucket list experiences. It includes two glacier calving cruises and a boat ride to view puffins. There are also three flightseeing trips. One to view bears fishing for salmon, one for dogsledding on a glacier, and one for a glacier hike. Scenic drives, a tram ride, reindeer visit, aquarium, wildlife conservation center, milkweed milkshake, reindeer sausage, waterfall hike, and Nordic Spa visit are mixed in along the way. Here is how to make the most out of your week in Alaska. Enjoy your time out of the office!
Do you like winter adventures? Check out this post for Lapland Finland
Planning Your Trip
How to Get to and Around Anchorage Alaska?
While it is possible to create an amazing Alaska trip using the train to move between cities, this itinerary begins and ends in Anchorage Alaska, and requires a rental car. Plan to fly into Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and pick up your rental car there.
Where Should I Stay in Anchorage Alaska?
This is a fast-moving, activity-packed itinerary with overnight stays in Wasilla, Homer, Seward and Girdwood. I chose to stay in budget-friendly hotels and indicated where I stayed on each day of the itinerary below. Use the Stay 22 map below to search Booking.com and VRBO in one place to find the perfect property!
The Perfect Week in Anchorage Alaska Itinerary
Day 1 Travel Day/Anchorage
Arrive in Anchorage and pick up rental car. If hungry, eat a spicy reindeer sausage from the Red Umbrella Reindeer Stand. Drive to Wasilla and check into the Mat-Su Resort. Have dinner on the balcony overlooking the lake.
Overnight Wasilla: Mat-Su Resort
Day 2 Grand Knik Glacier and Scenic Drive
8 am Arrive at Iditarod Headquarters at 8 am. Watch a 30-minute educational film about the Iditarod before meeting the dogs and taking a short summer dog sled ride.
9:30 Drive 45 min and check in with Outbound Heli Adventures at 10:30 for an 11 flight to Grand Knik Glacier. Land on the glacier and take a walk around. Bring an empty water bottle to fill with glacier water. Note: this trip does not take you to the blue river that flows through the glacier. It stops at a small pool to walk around.
1 pm Stop by and feed the reindeer at the Reindeer Farm. While there, have a reindeer sausage and milkweed milkshake for lunch.
2 pm Take the scenic drive south on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm to Homer Alaska
Overnight Homer: Best Western Bidarka Inn
Day 3 Bear Creek Falls and Katmai National Park
6:30am Take a day trip to Bear Creek Falls to watch the bears fishing for salmon. Begin with a float plane flight across the Cook Inlet and over Katmai National Park. Take the bear safety brief before walking the Bear Creek Falls elevated walkways. Bug spray for all exposed areas, including face and hands, is a must! There is a place to store food while on the walkways and a small fenced-in picnic area if you choose to bring a lunch. Return to Homer and drive to the Spit. Stop at the Salty Dog for a beer before souvenir shopping and a dinner of fish and chips.
Overnight Homer: Best Western Bidarka Inn
Day 4 Puffins on Gull Island and Scenic Drive
11 am Take a wildlife cruise through the Cook Inlet to Gull Island. See sea otters, sea lions, and eagles on the way. Cruise around the island spotting horned and tufted puffins. Return to Homer for a quick lunch before making the scenic 3.5-hour drive to Seward; stop for photos on the way.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 5 Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier Calving Cruise
11:30am Enjoy a 6-hour Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier Calving Cruise with Major Marine through Resurrection Bay and Aialik Bay to Holgate Tidewater Glacier. Along the way, see sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, Dall porpoise, puffins, and eagles. Be prepared for seasickness; the water is rough. Hint: park on the side street next to Tidewater Taphouse for free. It’s a great place for lunch when you return.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 6 Kenai Fjords Landing flightseeing with glacier landing and dog sledding
9:30am Take a flightseeing trip to a glacier dog camp for a dog sled ride across the glacier. Spend some time loving on the dogs and cuddling the puppies before returning to the air for flightseeing. Request to visit Bear Creek Lagoon if you have already cruised Kenai Fjords National Park. Fly over Bear Creek Glacier to an iceberg lagoon and land to take it all in. Alternatively, consider the 1.5-hour kennel and dogsled ride at Seavey’s Iditarod.
Head to downtown Seward for lunch and visit the Alaska SeaLife Center. Consider doing a behind-the-scenes tour for a chance to feed puffins. Hike the scenic Exit Glacier mile loop at Kenai Fjords National Park. Have dinner at Firebrand BBQ or Exit Glacier Salmon Bake before returning to the hotel for the night.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 7 Prince William Sound Cruise
8:45 am check out of the hotel and drive toward Whittier Alaska to make the 10:30 one-way Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. Check out Whittier, enjoy a pastry, and snap photos of the port while you wait for the cruise.
Take the Glacier Quest Cruise of Blackstone Bay. See tidewater, hanging and valley glaciers on this cruise. Prince William Sound continues to heal from the Exxon oil spill in March of 1989; there is little chance of seeing the wildlife you saw during the Kenai Fjords National Park cruise. Hint: there is free street parking next to the Inn at Whittier. Quickly return to the car when the cruise ends to make the 5-5:15 tunnel entrance out of Whittier; the next exit is at 6pm.
Overnight Girdwood: I stayed in a Vrbo rental in Girdwood, and it was horrible; I am not able to make a hotel recommendation.
Day 8 Travel Day
Check out of your Girdwood hotel. It is about a 1-hour drive from Girdwood to the Anchorage Airport. The airport is small, and car rental return is quick and easy. Choose an activity depending on how much time you have before your flight. Spend some time relaxing at the Alyeska Nordic Spa, take the 4-minute Alyeska Tramway ride and enjoy the view, hike 1 mile RT to Virgin Creek Falls, or visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
Check the Anchorage Alaska Office of Tourism website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.
Bookmark and Pin How to Spend One Week in Alaska, Best Things to Do
My Favorite Booking Resources
- Discover Cars Search, compare and save on car rentals.
- Trainline Explore effortlessly by train and bus.
- Booking.com Search Booking.com to find the perfect property.
- Hostelworld Hostelworld has great inexpensive options.
- Get Your Guide Don’t chance it, the best attractions sell out.
- Tiqets Get your tickets now, relax when you arrive.
- Big Bus Tours Hop-on Hop-off at all the iconic landmarks.
- Go City Card Save up to 50% on attractions, tours and activities.
- Welcome Pickups Airport and port transfers.
- Visitors Coverage Pick the right travel insurance for you.
- Use code SAVE10 to pick up a travel guide from Lonely Planet to browse on the plane.
- Shop my Amazon travel essentials and have them delivered to your home.
Enjoy your time out of the office!