I was going back and forth about putting together a post about Anchorage & adding on these places as side notes, but then I realized that most of what we explored & enjoyed was in this area, so Anchorage is now going to be a side note in this thread.

The drive from Anchorage to Girdwood & then Portage along the Seward Highway is beautiful in itself. It hugs Turnagain Arm and provides views of the Chugach State Park mountains as a backdrop. There are several viewing spots along the highway to stop and take in the view. There are also some waterfalls and hiking tails

Girdwood

Girdwood is tucked into the mountains about 45 minutes south of Anchorage. This is home of the largest ski area in Alaska: Mt Alyeska. We went in the summer, and there was still some snow on the mountains surrounding Girdwood, so I can imagine that the skiing is great in the winter.

After nice lunch in town, we headed up to Crow Creek Gold Mine. Just a note that you have to drive about 2 miles on a gravel road to get there, so be prepared for that. The road was in good shape, but depending on the weather and your car, it might be hard to navigate at times.

The walk around the property was both beautiful and informative. The property consists of several original buildings filled with a collection of tools, articles, home goods, and equipment from when the mine was open. The mine was opened in the late 1800s, and the plaques tell a little about what life would’ve been like during that time.

The owners have not only curated their collection of historical artifacts, but they have also cultivated a beautiful collection of plants and flowers. Against the backdrop of the mountains, the property is lovely just to walk around.

However, you can also take your experience one step farther and pan for gold. If you do choose to gold pan – or just want to watch it happen – make sure to wear shoes with good traction that can get wet. The path down to the creek is steep with muddy areas, and to properly gold pan, you will probably have to navigate the creek. Also, remember to bring your bug spray. Just like everywhere else in Alaska, the mosquitos are plentiful.

Portage

Continue south on Seward Highway to Portage. This is the end of Turnagain Arm, after Portage, the highway will turn and start to follow the other side of the water.

Before the turn, on the right will be the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center.

You can either walk or drive around the 1.5 mile loop to see their collection of native Alaskan animals such as muskox, moose, caribou, coyotes, and of course bears. While we (luckily) didn’t see any bears in the wild during my Alaskan trip, we were happy to see several black and brown bears here. Outside of some of the enclosures were plaques that told the story of specific animals in the park and when/how they were rescued. There were also staff members on hand to give further information about the animals, their habitat and the center.

We chose to walk around the AWCC, which allowed us to not only engage with the animals, but appreciate the scenery. As mentioned before, the AWCC is located at the end of Turnagain arm, so there are mountains on all sides. They also have a boardwalk that tells you about the history of Turnagain Arm and beluga whales in the area – I would’ve loved to see these.

Just after the AWCC, a left will take you to Portage Lake. Here we took a 1 hour cruise that brought us right in front of Portage Glacier. Along the way, the on-board ranger talked about the history of the glacier and the area. She also pointed out waterfalls – which there were many – that are by products of other glaciers in the area. The ranger also had a collection of historical maps, artifacts, and images available for us to peruse during the ferry ride.

The crew also fished out a chuck of glacial ice and broke it up so that everyone could hold/eat a piece of glacier. Take my word that it wasn’t as tasty as it sounds.

Note: when we visited the temperature was in the 60s, but on the boat – especially as we got closer to the glacier – the temperature dropped, so I would suggest bringing layers for the ride.

Bonus side trip: If you’re visiting during salmon season (May-September), you can see them swimming at the Williwaw Fish Viewing Platform on the road to Portage Lake.

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Anchorage

I was expecting to find some cool things to do in Anchorage, but somehow if they were there, they eluded us. It might also be that this was the end of our trip and after seeing the vast beauty of Denali and Seward, our standards were a little too high.

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by The Anchorage Museum. I am not much of a museum person – honestly just walking into one usually makes me tired – but the Anchorage museum was the right blend of knowledge and interaction. It also seems to be all types of museums in one.

With 4 floors, the museum combines art, science and history into one. It also includes a store and café in the lobby as well as a coffee shop in the atrium. The atrium is light and bright and opens to the 2nd floor balcony.

We kept thinking we had seen it all only to find another section to take in. I was especially drawn in by the exhibits featuring photographer Bradford Washburn and the history & culture of the first people of Alaska

However, my favorite exhibit in the museum was a temporary one called Pass the Mic. We got to practice morse code, karaoke, DJing; we also got to take in local music through albums, curated collections, and music videos. There was also a room that we never quite figured out where we had to use our bodies to make noise.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Anchorage museum.

Other places we checked out in the Anchorage area

Earthquake Park: set along the 12 mile Tony Knowles trail, this section talks about the impact of the 1964 earthquake (9.2 on the richer scale and largest earthquake of the 20 century).

Ship Creek: come here to watch people fish for salmon. There were lots of fishermen and lots of salmon, but there were also a lot of dead fish. I think a lot of the fishermen here aren’t experienced enough to know how to properly take a fish off a hook so that it can survive.

Ulu factory: this is right next to Ship Creek. The people working the store seemed knowledgeable about the product and gave some tips for usage of the knives, but it definitely felt more like a store than a factory visit.

Thunderbird Falls: About 30 minutes north of Anchorage we hiked to Thunderbird Falls. This is a popular hike as it is close to the city, isn’t all the long or difficult, and ends with a nice viewing platform to see the falls.

Eklutna Spirit Houses: 2 minutes from Thunderbird Falls is a Russian Orthodox church with a collection of spirit houses behind it. This burial tradition represents the blending of the Dena’ina and Russian Orthodox culture in the area. I really like the concept of spirit houses, but this one seems to have fallen into disrepair.

Google maps of places mentioned