Alaska is not an easy place to squeeze into one week. I wanted glaciers, bears, puffins, dog sledding, scenic drives, and enough time to actually enjoy them. After a lot of planning, I found a route that fit an almost ridiculous amount into seven days without spending the entire trip in the car.
If you only have one week in Alaska and don’t have hours to figure out where to go, start here. This Alaska itinerary begins in Anchorage and takes you to Wasilla, Homer, Seward, Whittier, and Girdwood. Along the way, you’ll fly over glaciers, watch bears fish for salmon, cruise past calving glaciers, look for puffins, ride a dog sled, and drive some of the prettiest roads in Alaska.
Do you like winter adventures? Check out this post for Lapland Finland
Planning Your Trip
How to Get to and Around Anchorage Alaska?
You can plan a great Alaska vacation using the train, but this 7-day Alaska itinerary works best as a road trip. It begins and ends in Anchorage, so fly into Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and pick up a rental car there.
Having a car gives you the freedom to stop along the Seward Highway, travel between Homer and Seward on your own schedule, and reach the activities in this itinerary without building your trip around train times.
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 Anchorage to Wasilla
You can plan a great Alaska vacation using the train, but this 7-day Alaska itinerary works best as a road trip. It begins and ends in Anchorage, so fly into Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and pick up a rental car there.
Having a car gives you the freedom to stop along the Seward Highway, travel between Homer and Seward on your own schedule, and reach the activities in this itinerary without building your trip around train times.
Overnight Wasilla: Mat-Su Resort
Day 2 Knik Glacier, Reindeer, and the Drive to Homer
8:00 a.m. — Iditarod Headquarters
Start at Iditarod Headquarters. Watch the 30-minute film about the Iditarod, meet the dogs, and take a short summer dog sled ride.
9:30 a.m. — Drive to Knik Glacier
Drive about 45 minutes and check in with Outbound Heli Adventures at 10:30 a.m. for an 11:00 flight to Grand Knik Glacier. The helicopter lands on the glacier, giving you time to walk around. Bring an empty water bottle if you want to fill it with glacier water. One thing I wish I had known: this tour doesn’t visit the blue river that flows through the glacier. It lands near a small pool instead.
1:00 p.m. — Reindeer Farm
Stop at the Reindeer Farm, feed the reindeer, and try a reindeer sausage and milkweed milkshake for lunch.
2:00 p.m. — Drive to Homer
Head south toward Homer. Part of the drive follows the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm, one of the most scenic drives on this Alaska road trip. Give yourself time for photo stops.
Overnight Homer: Best Western Bidarka Inn
Day 3 Bear Viewing in Katmai National Park
6:30 a.m. — Bear viewing day trip
Take a day trip to Bear Creek Falls to watch bears fishing for salmon. The day begins with a floatplane flight across Cook Inlet and over Katmai National Park. After a bear-safety briefing, walk the elevated walkways to look for bears. Bring bug spray and use it everywhere you have exposed skin, including your face and hands. You can store food before entering the walkways, and there’s a small fenced picnic area if you bring lunch. After returning to Homer, drive to the Homer Spit. Stop at the Salty Dog for a beer, browse the souvenir shops, and get fish and chips for dinner.
Overnight Homer: Best Western Bidarka Inn
Day 4 Puffins on Gull Island and Homer to Seward
11:00 a.m. — Gull Island wildlife cruise
Take a wildlife cruise through Cook Inlet to Gull Island. Keep an eye out for sea otters, sea lions, eagles, and both horned and tufted puffins. After the cruise, grab a quick lunch in Homer and start the roughly 3.5-hour drive to Seward. Don’t rush it. The scenery makes this one of those drives where you’ll keep wanting to pull over for another photo.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 5 Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier Cruise
11:30 a.m. — Kenai Fjords cruise
Spend six hours on a Kenai Fjords National Park glacier cruise with Major Marine. The cruise travels through Resurrection Bay and Aialik Bay to Holgate Tidewater Glacier. Watch for sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, Dall porpoises, puffins, and eagles along the way. Prepare for rough water if you’re prone to seasickness. A practical tip: I found free parking on the side street next to Tidewater Taphouse. It’s also a good place to grab lunch when you return.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 6 Glacier Dog Sledding and Kenai Fjords National Park
9:30 a.m. — Glacier dog sledding
Take a flightseeing trip to a glacier dog camp and ride a dog sled across the glacier. You’ll also have time with the dogs and puppies before taking off again for more flightseeing. If you already cruised Kenai Fjords National Park, ask about visiting Bear Creek Lagoon. You’ll fly over Bear Creek Glacier to an iceberg-filled lagoon and land there. If you’d rather skip another flight, consider the 1.5-hour kennel visit and dog sled ride at Seavey’s Iditarod.
Afternoon — Seward and Exit Glacier
Head into downtown Seward for lunch, then visit the Alaska SeaLife Center. Look into a behind-the-scenes tour if you’d like the chance to feed puffins. Next, hike the scenic one-mile round-trip Exit Glacier loop in Kenai Fjords National Park. For dinner, try Firebrand BBQ or Exit Glacier Salmon Bake before heading back to your Seward hotel.
Overnight Seward: Spruce Lodge
Day 7 Whittier and Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise
8:45 a.m. — Seward to Whittier
Check out of your hotel and drive toward Whittier in time for the 10:30 a.m. one-way passage through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. Once in Whittier, grab a pastry, walk around the port, and take a few photos while you wait for your cruise.
Prince William Sound cruise
Take the Glacier Quest Cruise of Blackstone Bay. You’ll see tidewater, hanging, and valley glaciers throughout the cruise. Don’t expect the same wildlife experience you had in Kenai Fjords National Park. Prince William Sound continues to recover from the Exxon oil spill of March 1989, and I saw much less wildlife here. I found free street parking next to the Inn at Whittier. When the cruise ends, head straight back to your car if you want to catch the 5:00–5:15 p.m. tunnel exit. Miss it and you’ll wait until 6:00 p.m.
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 Girdwood and Return to Anchorage
Check out of your Girdwood hotel. Girdwood sits about an hour from Anchorage Airport, and I found the rental-car return quick and easy. What you do today depends on your flight time. If you have a few hours, relax at Alyeska Nordic Spa, ride the Alyeska Tramway for the views, hike the one-mile round trip to Virgin Creek Falls, or visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Then drive to Anchorage and head to the airport.
Is One Week in Alaska Enough?
One week in Alaska goes surprisingly far if you plan the route carefully. This isn’t a slow itinerary. You’ll change hotels, spend time on the road, and have some very full days.
But if you’ve saved Alaska for years and want to see as much as possible while you’re there, this route packs in many of the experiences I went to Alaska for: glaciers, bears, puffins, dog sledding, flightseeing, wildlife cruises, and those long scenic drives where the view keeps getting better.
Most importantly, you don’t have to spend weeks piecing the trip together yourself. Book the big-ticket activities early, reserve your rental car and hotels, and use this itinerary as your starting point.
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
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Enjoy your time out of the office!