Surrounding the downtown Anchorage area are many natural wonders in all directions, in addition to great recreational opportunities and unique attractions.

Take a stroll along the coast and experience the spectacular panorama of Cook Inlet. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is accessible from several points in Anchorage, and offers views of a half-dozen mountains, including Mt. McKinley.

The trail will also take you past Earthquake Park, which still shows the scars of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. Take a short walk marked with interpretative displays explaining the quake, along with the area’s geology and wildlife.

Speaking of wildlife, the Alaska Zoo gives visitors a look at some of the unique Arctic wildlife, as well as animals from other habitats. The Alaska Zoo is also the home of three Siberian Tigers and the only joint polar bear and grizzly bear exhibit in the country. The zoo is open year-round with different hours of operation for winter and summer.

If you’re interested in learning more about Native culture, crafts, lifestyles and traditions, visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center on the east side of Anchorage. From the Welcome House, a trail leads you through five village exhibits surrounding a lake on the 26-acre campus.

Or get a view of the entire city by taking one of the most popular hikes in Alaska to Flat Top Mountain in the Chugach State Park. This 1.75 mile, sometimes-steep trail rewards you with a panoramic view of the Anchorage area.

If you want to escape the city limits, just south of town on Turnagain Arm is a 2,300-acre wetland offering a unique blend of bird, mammal, and plant viewing. More than 130 bird species can be seen here in the spring, summer, and fall months. A 550-foot viewing platform along the marsh’s edge allows for spectacular sightings of wildlife. 

Another 40 miles south of town on the Seward Highway is the number one visitor attraction in Alaska. Portage Glacier feeds into Portage Lake and blocks of glacier ice float on the lake’s surface. The area offers residents and visitors alike a tremendous example of nature’s vastness and beauty. While the glacier can no longer be seen from the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, it is visible via a short ride on a tour boat or just a few hundred yards and through a short tunnel on the adjoining road to Whittier. The visitors center shows a film on glaciers and has many glacier and geologic history exhibits. Other glaciers within 3 hours driving distance of Anchorage include: 20-mile glacier, Explorer Glacier, Byron Glacier, Exit Glacier, Knik Glacier and Matanuska Glacier.

En route to Portage Glacier, Dall sheep are frequently seen from the highway near Beluga Point, which is named for the beluga whales often visible in the waters of Turnagain Arm.

You can always try your hand at gold panning, which is allowed in three Alaska State Parks: Independence Mine State Historical Park, Chugach State Park and Kenai State Park.  There are specific gold panning regulations and permitted times.  Check with the Department of Natural Resources for more information.

Or you can drive north along the Glenn Highway and take a trip up Arctic Valley. This year-round recreation area is a favorite spot among locals for hiking and berry picking in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Travel further north and visit the Alaska Museum of Natural History in Eagle River. This museum features the state’s largest display of rocks, minerals and fossils, including elements of a duck-billed dinosaur from the Talkeetna Mountains. Also in Eagle River, stop by the Nature Center. The gateway to the Chugach State Park, the center offers wildlife displays, spotting scopes, and is the start of guided nature hikes.

Just outside Eagle River is Thunderbird Falls. An easy one-mile hike to a secluded viewing platform, this hidden waterfall nestled in a deep canyon freezes during winter to form a natural ice sculpture.

From the Falls, don’t pass up a visit to the Eklutna Historical Park. A rare glimpse into Native Athabaskan culture and the influences of Russian Orthodox missionaries, this sacred burial ground is home to more than 80 "spirit houses." Nearby is Eklutna Lake, a popular hiking and recreation area for biking, canoeing, picnicking and camping. The bluish-green lake is nestled in a steep, glacier carved valley and fed by Eklutna Glacier.

Finally, outside the Municipal boundary is the Matanuska Valley in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The valley offers acres of farmland and a musk ox farm, wolf farm, and reindeer farm, in addition to the city of Palmer, which hosts the Alaska State Fair in the late summer every year.