All Articles 7 Alaskan towns where you can escape the summer cruise crowds

7 Alaskan towns where you can escape the summer cruise crowds

Day trips, weekend getaways, and more near Anchorage that get you away from the cruise crush

By Nicholas DeRenzo2 May 2023 7 minutes read
Aerial view of Whittier, Alaska
Aerial view of Whittier, Alaska
Image: annhfhung/Getty Images

Summer is a magical time to visit Alaska, when the weather is mild, the wildlife is abundant, and—depending how far north you venture—daylight stretches into the wee hours of the morning. (Don’t forget to pack an eye mask!) But with those perfect conditions and a packed calendar of outdoor festivals come crowds, especially to Anchorage.

Alaska’s biggest city accounts for about 40 percent of the state’s population and outnumbers Fairbanks and Juneau roughly tenfold. Those numbers swell even more dramatically with the arrival of enormous cruise ships, which usually start or end their itineraries at the nearby ports of Seward or Whittier. In fact, in 2023, a record 1.65 million passengers are expected to hit Alaska’s shores on 50 ships, outpacing pre-pandemic numbers.

As the crowds in the big city swarm like the state’s infamous mosquitoes, there are plenty of intriguing small towns within a roughly three-hour radius beckoning those who are looking for a respite, from the off-season ski slopes in Girdwood to the quirky hamlet of Talkeetna.

Seward

Coast of Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
Coast of Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
Image: Daniel A. Leifheit/Getty Images

If you’re arriving in Anchorage via cruise ship, chances are you may already pass through Seward, but if not, it’s a must-visit. The drive from Anchorage to this lively seaport on the Kenai Peninsula takes about two and a half hours, but you’ll barely notice it: The Seward Highway is one of the most breathtaking scenic roads in the country, skirting the waters of Turnagain Arm, which attracts beluga whales during the summer salmon run.

Set on the edge of wildlife-rich Resurrection Bay, Seward has historically been used as a jumping-off point for Kenai Fjords National Park, but there’s plenty to enjoy right in the heart of town. Harbor 360 Hotel occupies prime real estate directly above Seward Boat Harbor, where you can book charter halibut-fishing and whale-watching cruises.

On the south side of town, adjacent to the zero-mile marker for the Iditarod race, you’ll find the Alaska SeaLife Center, an aquarium and research center where you can book encounters with Steller sea lions or octopuses. Marine life also makes its way into the town’s street art, which is so abundant that it has earned Seward the official title “Mural Capital of Alaska,” and you can explore the colorful creations with a Seward Mural Society Walking Tour. Seward can get particularly busy in the peak season months, from June through August; a visit in May or September will let you experience the town with significantly fewer cruise ship arrivals.

Girdwood

A scenic 40-minute drive along the northern half of the Seward Highway will land you in the adventure-loving mountain town of Girdwood. What began as a humble supply camp for gold miners has developed into the state’s most sought-after ski destination, home to Alyeska Resort, a winter playground with 1,610 skiable acres and 76 named trails. But you don’t have to visit during the winter—which sees about 669 inches of snowfall annually—to enjoy these slopes. The resort recently opened the state’s first Nordic spa, which is hidden away in the Chugach Mountains and features a Russian-style banya (steam bath) and Finnish sauna, wooden hot tubs, cold plunges, and more, plus a bistro serving dishes like a fermented blueberry jam and brie grilled cheese and a smoked salmon salad melt.

In the summer, tackle the resort’s lift-accessed downhill bike park or take the seven-minute scenic Alyeska Aerial Tram ride up to 2,300 feet for views of the Turnagain Arm and up to seven hanging glaciers; keep your eyes peeled for moose and bear as you ascend. Back down at the base, stop into the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner, to come face-to-snout with indigenous critters, such as wood bison, wolves, and musk oxen, and then grab a meal from one of the food trucks parked outside of Girdwood Brewing Company.

Talkeetna

Stores in Talkeetna, Alaska
Stores in Talkeetna, Alaska
Image: mixmotive/Getty Images

A funky little gateway to Denali National Park and Preserve 75 miles north of Anchorage at the confluence of three rivers, Talkeetna emerged in the early 20th century as a boomtown riverboat port supplying miners coming to the area for the 1910 gold rush. These days, Talkeetna’s compact downtown is home to businesses like the Denali Brewpub, which doubles as a distillery and meadery; Conscious Coffee, which is beloved for its crêpes; and Nagley’s Store, which has been around since 1921 and is now home to the town’s honorary mayor, a cat named Denali.

Many locals live in log cabins, and you can get into the spirit at rustic-on-the-outside/cozy-on-the-inside lodgings like Talkeetna Cabins and Denali Fireside Cabins & Suites. They’re perfect spots to relax after a day in the great outdoors, whether you’re rafting under a sky filled with bald eagles with Talkeetna River Guides, zooming through the trees with Denali Zipline Tours, or trailing behind a pack of energetic huskies with AK Sled Dog Tours.

Palmer

If you were a member of the 4-H Club, don’t miss this agricultural hotspot in the Mat-Su Valley, 40 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage, that’s now home to the Alaska State Fair. As part of a New Deal relief program, Midwestern farmers were relocated here during the Great Depression. Upon arrival, they found a landscape where the nearly 20 hours of summer daylight produce gargantuan vegetables (think 90-pound cabbages).

You can see how those 1930s-era pioneers lived at the Colony House Museum and then check out some of the valley’s oversized produce at the showcase garden next to the Palmer Visitor Information Center. While you’re in the area, stop by the Reindeer Farm for a livestock meet-and-greet and the Musk Ox Farm, which is home to the only domesticated herd of these shaggy arctic mammals. They produce some of the softest and warmest natural wool, called qiviut, and you can buy it here in the form of raw fiber, yarn, or woven garments like hats and mittens. You might even encounter livestock at your hotel: A flock of sheep roams the grounds of the lovely Alaska’s Harvest B&B.

Eklutna

Russian-Orthodox cemetery and St. Nicholas Church in Eklutna, Alaska
Russian-Orthodox cemetery and St. Nicholas Church in Eklutna, Alaska
Image: Uwe Bergwitz/Getty Images

Fewer than 100 residents call this Dena’ina Athabascan village home, but it remains one of the most fascinating parts of the Anchorage metro area, only about a half-hour’s drive northeast of downtown. Russian Orthodox missionaries began arriving in the 1840s, and one of their lasting legacies is the Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, which was built in the 1890s using hewn spruce logs and decorated with painted icons. The church is the oldest standing building in greater Anchorage, and it’s now part of the Eklutna Village Historic Park, which includes a Russian–meets–Alaska Native cemetery in which graves are covered with brightly painted “spirit houses” to shelter the spirits of the deceased.

About 15 miles away, within Chugach State Park, you’ll reach Lake Eklutna, which provides ample opportunity for kayaking and canoeing—you can rent gear from Lifetime Adventures—or hike to Thunderbird Falls. The village is so close to the city that you can be back home by nightfall. If you’d rather stick around the area, claim one of the 50 first-come, first-served campsites at the park’s Eklutna Lake Campground, which includes ATV trails and a telescope for viewing wildlife.

Whittier

Alaskan towns don’t come much stranger than Whittier, which was built and operated by the U.S. Army during World War II and was previously only accessible by sea, rail, or air until a highway tunnel was opened in 2000. The military left Whittier behind in 1960, and today nearly all of its population (under 300) lives in the 14-story Begich Towers, former barracks that include a church, a post office, a market, a hospital, a police station, and more—leading to the nickname “the town under one roof.” These days, Whittier serves Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Seabourn Cruises, but if you’re not arriving by ship, you’ll want to stay at The Inn at Whittier, which is home to a tavern with live music and a restaurant serving king crab by the pound.

Whittier sits at the head of the Passage Canal on Prince William Sound, a wild expanse of waterfalls and fjords that can be explored by sea kayak or small-boat cruise. For something more adrenaline-pumping, you can don an insulated dry suit and hit the open waters on a guided jet ski tour, which will have you zipping through pods of orcas, past sea otters, and right up close to calving glaciers.

Kenai

Russian Orthodox church in Kenai, Alaska
Russian Orthodox church in Kenai, Alaska
Image: Stefan Arendt/Getty Images

Now the largest town on the peninsula with which it shares a name, Kenai was home to about 1,000 Dena’ina people when Russian fur traders arrived in 1741. You can still see the Russian influence here in the blue-onion-domed Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church, which was built in 1896 and is one of the oldest-standing Russian Orthodox churches in Alaska. Visitors can also stop into a replica of the U.S. Army’s Fort Kenay constructed in 1967 to celebrate Alaska’s centennial. At the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, pick up a map of Old Town to explore not only the reconstructed fort but also the local historical society’s Kenai Cabin Park, a collection of pre-statehood homesteads filled with period memorabilia and photographs.

History aside, the real reason many visitors flock here in droves during the summer is to try their hand at salmon-fishing: The lower Kenai River is home to king, red (sockeye), silver (coho), and pink salmon, who come here to spawn. Chartered tour companies like Russell Fishing Company and Alaska Fish On Charters will give you the best shot at reeling in a big one. Or stay up the river at the Tower Rock Lodge, where all-inclusive fishing packages might have you taking a floatplane to a remote destination to angle for salmon alongside brown bears. Best of all, when you get back to the lodge, the team will help you vacuum-pack and flash-freeze your catch to take home, while their French-trained chef, Mark Tuhy, whips up dishes like Kachemak Bay chowder, Thai red seafood curry, and “poor man’s lobster,” made with poached halibut.

Nicholas DeRenzo
Nicholas DeRenzo is a freelance travel and culture writer based in Brooklyn. A graduate of NYU's Cultural Reporting and Criticism program, he worked as an editor at Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel and, most recently, as executive editor at Hemispheres, the in-flight magazine of United Airlines. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Afar, BBC Travel, Wine Enthusiast, and more. Follow him on Instagram at @nderenzo to see his many, many pictures of birds.