Anchorage can be a fun city. Most Expeditions Alaska guests are not looking to spend a lot of time in town and I’ve kept that in mind for this page. If you’d like more info look at the Links page.
Places to Stay
This is a tough one because different people are looking for (sometimes) very different experiences. I’ve run trips where the first client I picked up was at the Sheraton Hotel and the next one was a backpacker hostel for $40/night. And both were perfectly happy with their choices.
If you don’t have a car, some of the BnBs and similar places can be a pit of a pain for you to get to restaurants and so on. Downtown is very walkable though. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of 2nd —15th st its easy enough. It you’re in the midtown area near northern lights – south to tudor there are a number of walkable places as well. Just bear that in mind if you’re not planning on renting a vehicle in Anchorage.
A number of guests have recently started using Air BnB for their stay, as they’re really just looking for a bed for the night before/after the trip. Everyone I know who used the service here has been happy with it.
Similarly for places to eat .. food choices can be so subjective it’s impossible to really make a recommendation. I’ll list a couple of choices that I like.
On a scale of 1 – 5, five being the most challenging, two hiking boots is at the easier end of the spectrum.
1 boot = basecamp/dayhike easy
2 boots = easier backpacking trip
3 boots = intermediate level trip
4 boots = intermediate to advanced backpacking
5 boots = ask yourself are you really ready for this?
Expect whatever level you think might best fit you to be one level LOWER on our scale. Hiking here in Alaska is generally a step or three above what you’ll find in the Lower 48 states.
Realize that backpacking is never “easy”. You’re carrying from 35-50+ pounds on your back day after day. You’ll be hiking for a number of hours each day (varies trip to trip, day to day), and that’s not “easy” for most people.
That said, our “2 hiking boots” level should meet the need for most novice backpackers, and are generally what I recommend for families with younger kids, etc as well. Terrain challenges aren’t usually a problem, and the walking is somewhat more orthodox. You won’t be traversing 1 mile of steep sidehill covered in slippery rocks, or snaking through dense thickets of alder and willow.
