Best Things to Do in Alaska

The best things to do in Alaska take you into dramatic and dynamic landscapes, bringing you up close to awe-inspiring sites like tidewater glaciers and within habitats rich with wildlife. That's why Denali National Park bus tours and Kenai Fjords National park cruises always top our "Best of Alaska" list. Both tour types go deep into otherwise impenetrable wilderness. In Denali that's by guided bus tour along the park's only road, and in Kenai Fjords it is aboard a sightseeing vessel cruising into pristine bay waters.

For those Alaskan landscapes that can't be reached by bus or boat, flightseeing tours can take you there. Aboard a bush plane or helicopter, you can travel into the heart of the Alaska Range, to the top of the Chugach Mountains, or even onto a glacier. With glaciers in mind, no trip to Alaska is complete without seeing one up close.

Just as scenic train tours offer visitors of all ages a way to see the state while enjoying the easy fun of traveling by rail.

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With the largest concentration of brown and grizzly bears in the United States, seeing Alaska's bears belongs on a list of the best things to do in Alaska. Many bear viewing tours travel roundtrip from Anchorage, visiting major bruin destinations like Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and the mountain waterways of Lake Clark National Park. These experiences complement other wildlife tours featuring whales, otters, seals, caribou, bald eagles, moose, and more.

Active travelers will especially enjoy rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips as ways to explore Alaska's vast and untamed natural world more closely.

If you're looking for travel options for your group or simply seeking a personalized Alaska experience that no one else has had, taking a private guided day tour is one of the best things to do in Anchorage or Fairbanks.

If you have your top Alaska destinations in mind, take a look at our things to do by location page.

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