Anchorage Travel Information
Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, is a curious mix of industry and
culture. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is a good place to
start exploring, with an informative display on the city's founding
families, the oil pipeline and an overview of the area's history to
the present. The boats in port and the warehouses built up along the
Knik Arm waterfront reveal close ties to oil and industry. However,
this actually contributes to the Anchorage aura, both businesslike and
beautiful. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail ribbons along the water,
providing quiet views out onto Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm. Just stay
off of the mud flats—they have tragically sucked more than one
visitor in unawares. This is also a great place to shift gears and
cruise on a bike. Rentals are available downtown, and this coastal
trail is relatively smooth and, off-peak, mostly deserted. For safe
bear viewing, stop in at the zoo, or just hope for friendly moose
sightings along your meanders through town. While there are plenty
of places to walk in Anchorage, most of the best hikes require a short
drive for trailhead access. Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park
east of town is a local favorite and easily reached with a car, though
the hike itself is quite strenuous. Farther out, in the mountains
beyond Palmer and Wasilla, is a choice selection of day hikes ranging
in difficulty. There aren't many great places to cast off around
Anchorage, except for Ship Creek. Full of salmon, this stream runs
right through town and gets fished dry in summer. If you've wandered
around Anchorage and still have time on your hands, there are numerous
hikes, vistas and haunts to be found within an hour's flight or drive
of the city. Anchorage is about 350 miles south of Fairbanks and
north of Seward and Homer.
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