Anchorage · $$ — Top in state
Road trips · Alaska
Alaska road trips & hidden gems.
Alaska is the last frontier for real — Denali, glaciers calving into fjords, grizzlies and salmon, and roads that end at the edge of the wild. The short summer (June–August) is the window, and the daylight barely quits. Nowhere else is this big.
Best time to visitJune–August
Don’t missDenali on a rare clear day
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Scenic drives3
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Hatcher Pass
A photogenic alpine pass in the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer, topped by the ruins of a 1930s gold mine you can tour in summer, with cold air pouring from the old water tunnel portal.
Chena Hot SpringsA year-round soaking resort about an hour east of Fairbanks with an outdoor mineral lake, a carved Aurora Ice Museum, and some of the best winter Northern Lights viewing you can drive to.
HopeA tiny gold-rush town at the end of a spur road on the Kenai Peninsula, with weathered cabins, mountain trails, and eagle-watching — a peaceful detour off the busy Seward Highway.
WhittierA whole town that mostly lives in one building, reached only through a 2.5-mile one-lane railroad tunnel shared by cars and trains, opening onto a glacier-rimmed fjord on Prince William Sound.
McCarthy and KennicottA pair of frozen-in-time towns deep in Wrangell-St. Elias, reached by the 60-mile gravel McCarthy Road, where you can wander a rust-red abandoned copper mill against a backdrop of glaciers.
Beluga PointA rocky pullout on the Seward Highway hanging right over Turnagain Arm, where you scan the water for beluga whales and watch the bore tide roll in against the Chugach peaks — an easy stop just south of Anchorage.
The big ones
National parks in Alaska.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Denali
Best: June–August · Don’t miss the mountain on a clear day.
Gates of the ArcticBest: June–August · Don’t miss the arrigetch peaks.
Glacier BayBest: June–August · Don’t miss margerie glacier calving.
KatmaiBest: July & September (bears) · Don’t miss bears at brooks falls.
Kenai FjordsBest: June–August · Don’t miss exit glacier & the harding icefield.
Kobuk ValleyBest: June–September · Don’t miss the great kobuk sand dunes.
Lake ClarkBest: June–September · Don’t miss coastal bears at chinitna bay.
Wrangell–St. EliasBest: June–September · Don’t miss kennecott mine & root glacier.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Alaska.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Scenic drives
Scenic routes through Alaska.
More worth the detour
The general guide to Alaska.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Chugach State Park
A vast mountain wilderness rises directly behind Anchorage, with alpine valleys, lakes, wildlife, and trailheads close enough to turn an arrival day into an Alaska adventure.
Denali State ParkParks Highway overlooks, alpine ridges, and wild river valleys frame long views toward Denali from state-managed wilderness south of the national park.
Boots on
Best hikes in Alaska.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Byron Glacier
an easy walk toward a glacier near Portage
Crow Passa historic gold-rush pass with a glacier and waterfalls
Exit Glaciera short walk to a glacier face
Flattop Mountain (Anchorage)the most-climbed peak in Alaska, above the city
Harding Icefield Trail (Kenai Fjords)climbs alongside Exit Glacier to a vast icefield
Lost Lake (Seward)a high alpine traverse above Seward
Beyond the parks
Wild lands in Alaska.
National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in Alaska.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
Alaskan Brewing
a famous Gold Rush-rooted brewery (Alaskan Amber) reachable by cruise.
Anchorage Brewinga barrel-and-brett-focused brewery with a tasting room south of town.
Denali Brewinga brewery in the climbing-town gateway to Denali.
Midnight Sun Brewingan Anchorage brewery with an upstairs "Loft" pub.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Alaska.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Alaska Chopped and Chowdered
Spenard Road spot serving a fresh, sophisticated take on Alaskan comfort seafood in a relaxed atmosphere.
Bear Tooth TheatrepubSpenard sister to Moose's Tooth pairing house-brewed beer with Southwest-leaning fare and a movie-theater pub experience locals adore.
Glacier BrewhouseBustling downtown brewpub with a wood-fired grill and house-brewed craft beer beloved by locals for decades.
Humpy's Great Alaskan AlehouseLively downtown alehouse with dozens of Alaskan craft beers on tap and fresh locally sourced seafood.
Jens' RestaurantLongtime white-tablecloth destination for Northwest cuisine, praised for pristine Alaskan king salmon and halibut prepared with precision.
Moose's Tooth Pub and PizzeriaLegendary local pizzeria and brewpub turning out creative wood-fired pies alongside house-brewed beer with a devoted following.
Soak it in
Best hot springs in Alaska.
Resorts, historic bathhouses, and wild primitive soaks.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Alaska.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Bridal Veil Falls (Valdez)
a towering roadside fall across Keystone Canyon from Horsetail.
Horsetail Falls (Valdez)a soaring ribbon in Keystone Canyon on the road to Valdez.
Nugget Fallsa thundering fall beside the face of Mendenhall Glacier.
Thunderbird Fallsa forest gorge fall a half-hour from Anchorage.
Lower Reid Fallsa mossy fall past the historic Gold Rush Cemetery in Skagway.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Alaska.
Healy · $$
Fairbanks · $$
Anchorage · $$
Kenai · $$
Anchorage · $$
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