Noob needing Alaska advice!

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dbschiro

New Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2026
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4
Hi everyone! Really happy to find this community. There's so much helpful information and beautiful photos. :) A little about me, I'm from California but am currently living overseas in Shanghai. Every time I'm back in the states I try to get out and do some hiking/backpacking. Some of my favorite adventures have been in the Tetons & Glacier NP. Over here in Asia, my favorite place by far has been Mongolia! I recommend it to everyone who enjoys the outdoors.

This upcoming summer I'm heading to Alaska. Starting in Anchorage and then getting out to explore. I'm hoping to find some shorter backpacking routes, around 2-3 days that don't require planes. I would love to hear your favorite day hikes, and anything else you think we must see! We'll have a pick up with a truck trailer and don't mind driving long distances.

Thanks in advance for any advice! <3
 
Check out Chugach State Park, it is huge and very close to Anchorage

The Kenai Penisula is another obvious place to explore

Denali State Park and then Denal National Park have tons of potential hikes and not super far from Anchorage
 
If you make it out to Homer, you can take a water taxi across the bay to Kachemak Bay State Park and put a nice trip together that will get you right up close to the Grewingk Glacier. Depending on your route you even get to pull yourself across a river on a small tram. Added bonus: make it a point-to-point by scheduling your water taxi pickup at a different spot.

Seward also has some good backpacking. Check out the Caines Head trail. You need to time your passage with the tides for parts of it.

Also some nice options around Cooper Landing like the upper Russian River and Russian Lakes. Lots of bears!
 
Outdoor_Fool said:
What month are you looking to visit? For how long?
Lots of ideas, I'll PM soon.
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Heading over in July! I'll have a total of two weeks but also love road tripping to so will drive a lot I'm sure. I'm a bit nervous though that it's peak tourist season and I like to avoid crowds haha
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! Really appreciate it. I'll definitely be diving deeper into these areas while planning :)
 
When you get to Anchorage, stop into the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in the downtown area. Spend some time chatting with the folks there, they can be very helpful and get you set up with maps and local conditions.
 
We haven't done it yet but are planning to spend 3 nights in late July backpacking the Kesugi Ridge Trail in Denali State Park. Access is by car, but it's not a loop so you might need to shuttle or hitch a ride.

Have a great trip, and I'll be eager to hear what you end up doing. Always gathering ideas for the future... :)
 
kwc said:
When you get to Anchorage, stop into the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in the downtown area. Spend some time chatting with the folks there, they can be very helpful and get you set up with maps and local conditions.
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Awesome idea. I always enjoy chatting with the rangers at the NPs so I assume this would be equally as helpful at the start of our trip!
 
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