Alaska- Anchorage and Girdwood July 2023

Alaska is impressive! We just scratched the surface of this huge state, but it left me wanting more! It started out as a work trip, but I was able to squeeze in some fun stuff over the weekend and explore mostly Seward and Girdwood. No shots to Anchorage, which I spent the first half of the week in. Anchorage had some amazing restaurants, really nice trails, and access to tons of hiking opportunities - which I hope to take advantage of next time!

We rented an Airbnb in Anchorage which definitely seemed like the move. The hotels in town, none looked particularly impressive or a place you'd want to spend multiple days in. Our Airbnb ended up only being a 20min walk into town anyways, and was extremely spacious with parking, good wi-fi, and access to a really nice trail by the water (the important things right?). Experiencing the midnight sun in the summer was super cool, there was no off switch, you could just keep exploring!

Some restaurant recs for Anchorage:

South (cocktails, breakfast, lunch or dinner)

Gumbo house (dinner)

Ginger (cocktails and dinner)

Whiskey and Ramen (cocktails and dinner)

Haute Quarter Grill (dinner)

In Wasilla (45min north):

Mat Su resort (all meals)

The back half of the week we spent in Girdwood at the Alyeska resort (about 1hr drive south of Anchorage)

The drive itself is worth the trip, really beautiful along the water, lots of lookout points to stop and take photos. And the resort- just in a gorgeous area, the town of Girdwood itself is super cute with a few restaurant options and lots of hiking options.

Restaurant recs in Girdwood:

Bake Shop (breakfast)

Alpenglow (coffee)

Double Musky Inn (dinner- amazing creole food!)

Hightower Pub (lunch or brunch)

Base Camp (dinner)

Girdwood Brewing (beer, they have food trucks for meals)

Seven Glaciers (in Alyeska resort- fine dining and ridiculous cocktails with incredible views on the top of the mountain- you take a tram up! Not for the cheap though.)

Forte (in Alyeska resort- decent breakfast buffet)

Hikes we conquered!

Harding Icefield trail- we drove to Kenai Fjords National park in the town of Seward, about 2 hrs from Girdwood. Driving in Alaska is actually fun, no lack of landscapes! This National Park is most typically done by booking an all day cruise, but we love hiking in a park so we picked this difficult trail for a day hike. It delivered on all fronts- 4 hrs, 20 mins, 3000 ft of elevation gain, 8.5 miles. So many different landscapes, plus amazing views of the glacier/mountains/valleys- you got it all. Facilities located at the beginning of the hike, plenty of parking.

Crow Pass Trailhead- this hike was local, only about a 30 min drive from the hotel. Had both parking and facilities at the trailhead. 7 miles, 3 hrs 15mins 2000 ft of elevation gain. Another banger with waterfalls, lakes, a glacier, and of course- many trail options to just keep it going.

Other fun options in Girdwood:

Alyeska had hikes right on the property, as well as a tram up to the top of the mountain and a skywalk for daredevil views.

Bike rentals were available at the resort

Nordic Spa- on the property, you could book a massage, facial, etc or do a day pass to just the hot/cold plunge pools- saunas-steam rooms-etc (all outdoors). We did a twilight package for half price of the day pass which gave you access to the facilities from 5-9. This ended up being perfect for us, we only stayed a couple of hours.

Skiing in season

To see my photos of the trip- head to @everydayvacays on Instagram!

Talkeetna, Denali NP and Girdwood again! August 2025

We loved Alaska so much- we went back to check out a little more north, and head back to an old favorite.

We flew into Anchorage again and drove 2 hours north to a tiny town called Talkeetna- which is about the half-way point from Anchorage to Denali National Park. We rented an adorable A-frame tiny home about a 15min walk from the small main street that is all of Talkeetna. Not the most hiking options- to do that we dove about an hour north each day to Denali state park.

Hikes in Denali State park:

Curry Ridge Trail: 7 miles, 1100 ft elevation, a little overgrown, and we did a loop by the lake which I don't recommend. If you are using Alltrails, stay with the recommended out and back trail- not worth the loop.

Little Coal Creek Trail: 6.6 miles, 1900 ft elevation

Ermine Hill Trail: 7.5 miles, 1600 ft elevation

Restaurants I recommend in Talkeetna:

Homestead Kitchen

Denali Brew Pub

Conscious Coffee

Denali National Park- Stayed at the Denali Princess Lodge for 3 nights

Full of bus and cruise tourers! Room was small but the location was right outside the National Park so tough to beat! On the resort they had a few dining options for breakfasts and dinners, plenty of shops. The Lodge itself not the best at providing anything extra so you get what you get.

I don't really recommend any restaurants at the Lodge- since there are no real options anywhere else we did eat at:

Grizzly bear- all fried food, nice views from the deck though

King Salmon- their fine dining option- definitely the best meal there by far

Fannie Qs- just OK

We had breakfasts every morning and ice cream every night across the street at some local places:

Black Bear for breakfast- really really good

Glacier Ice Cream

Hikes in Denali:

Horseshoe Bend Hike: 4 miles, little elevation

Three Lakes Trail: 8 miles out and back total, 1400 ft elevation

Savage River Loop: 2 mile loop- little elevation

Mt Healy overlook: 6 miles, 1900 ft elevation

From Denali we drove down to Girdwood and spent 3 days there to wrap up our trip. We rented an Airbnb this time right in town.

Restaurants I recommend in Girdwood from this trip:

Double Musky (again!)

Spoon Line Bistro

Girdwood Brewing (again! Had a great pizza food truck this time around)

Chair 5 - really good Detroit style pizza, service is a little rough though

Hikes:

Winter Creek Trail right by Alyeska: 4.5 miles, 770ft elevation

Upper Winter Creek Trail: 8 miles, 880 ft elevation