Tourism

The tourism industry plays a large part in the Alaskan economy. In fact, the travel trade in Anchorage had an estimated economic impact of more than $72 million in 2001. Every year hundreds of visitors from around the globe visit Anchorage on vacation, on business travel, or for a convention.

Below is information about traveling to Anchorage and a sample of the great opportunities for visitors to the area to take advantage of.  Information on Shopping, Dining Out, Recreation, and Cultural Activities can be found in the Relocation section.

* Heading to Alaska
* Alaska State Facts
* Visiting Anchorage
* Lodging
* Attractions

* Wildlife Viewing
* Events

Heading To Alaska

There are several ways to reach Alaska. You can make the trip behind a steering wheel and see some of the most beautiful sights in the world. Driving the Alaska-Canada Highway is a great adventure and an excellent way to take in the scenery at a leisurely pace. If you choose this route, make sure you get a copy of The Milepost®, Alaska’s authoritative information source for traveling by car. It provides detailed information and maps for camping, picnicking sites, rest areas, fishing, gas stations and a description of each community in a mile-by-mile format.

Another way to get to Alaska is by ferry. The most common route provides breathtaking views of southeastern Alaska as you and your vehicle ride to either Haines or Skagway. From either or these ports it is a leisurely two-day drive to Anchorage. Within the last two years, however, it has become possible to ride the ferry in the summer from Bellingham, Wash. to Seward, about 125 miles from Anchorage. No ferry as yet sails all the way to Anchorage. The ferry system is owned and operated by the State of Alaska and is called the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The fastest way to arrive in Anchorage is, of course, by air. The usual flight time from Seattle to Anchorage is about three-and-a-half hours. Anchorage has a modern and extremely active international airport. The view coming in for a landing is something to behold. The mountains dwarf the Anchorage skyline, and depending on what time you arrive, a sunset reflected in the glass panes of the downtown buildings is spectacular.

Visitors come to Alaska in the summer by air (50 percent), by cruise ship (36 percent), by highway (10 percent), and by the Alaska Marine Highway System (2 percent).

Anchorage is picturesque, no matter how, or at what time of year, you are traveling.

Visiting Anchorage

Scenic beauty and abundant wildlife remain Alaska’s biggest attractions. Each year, tourism continues to grow as travelers come here to escape the rat race, concrete jungles and high-rise buildings so common in city life.

Alaska is a perfect location for the eco-tourism trend that is sweeping the nation. There is back country trekking, kayaking, canoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing, skijoring, summer and winter camping, and many other activities that allow you to see Anchorage and the rest of the state without treading too heavily on its natural beauty.

Summer attractions in southcentral Alaska include: Portage Glacier, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Kenai River, Prince William Sound, Columbia Glacier, Chugach State Park, Resurrection Bay, Lake Hood Air Harbor, Mount Alyeska, and College Fjord. Summer travel to Alaska is exceptionally popular, but don’t rule out a visit during the beautiful fall and winter seasons.

More and more tourists are visiting during the winter and taking advantage of all that Anchorage winters have to offer including: Olympic-quality alpine ski areas, well-maintained Nordic ski trails, flightseeing, Fur Rendezvous winter carnival, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and the highly sought-after possibility of viewing Alaska’s northern lights.

Lodging

Over the past couple of decades, Anchorage has become such a popular visitor destination that visitors often have a hard time finding accommodations during the summer months. But responding to that need with the addition of 1,336 new rooms in the past couple of years, Anchorage now has 6,128 hotel/motel rooms and more than 700 bed and breakfast/hostel beds.

Many recent additions to Anchorage are national brands that travelers will recognize, such as Marriott, Microtel Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Clarion Suites, Best Western, Comfort Inn, GuestHouse, Ramada, Westmark, Westcoast, Residence Inn, Sheraton, Hilton, and the Holiday Inn. Anchorage also has some hometown favorites, such as the Hotel Captain Cook, the LongHouse Alaskan Hotel, and the Anchorage Historic Hotel.

The average cost of a hotel in Anchorage is $151 per day.

There are also RV parks and campgrounds located through Southcentral Alaska. Recreational vehicles are also readily available to rent at the following locations: A & M Motors, ABC Motorhome & Car Rentals, Alaska Panorama RV Rentals, and Sweet Retreat Motorhome Rentals. Campsites generally cost $5-$10 per night and RV hookups cost $10-$15 per night.

A trip to Alaska would not be complete without the opportunity to see some wildlife. Bears, moose, caribou, and mountain goats are among the most frequently seen mammals, along with the occasional coyote or wolf, Dall sheep, beaver, otter, mink, or snowshoe hare.

Bird-watchers delight in the eagles and many kinds of hawks, jays, owls, grouse, and ptarmigan, as well as the migratory waterfowl that come north to nest each summer. More bald eagles live in Alaska than in all other states combined.

There is also a tremendous abundance of marine mammals found along Alaska’s 47,000 miles of coastline- dolphin, Pacific walrus, porpoise, sea otter, eight varieties of seal, sea lions, and 18 species of whales. Most of these species can be found year-round, however some are migratory.

Although Alaska has an amazing, diverse wildlife population, most visitors visit Alaska with one thing in mind – bear viewing.

There are three types of bears found in Alaska: the black bear, brown/grizzly bear, and polar bear. Black bears frequent the mainland forests of southeastern Alaska, Prince William Sound and the boreal forests of the interior; brown/grizzly bears are found throughout most of the state, and polar bears frequent the pack ice and tundra of western and northern Alaska.

Bears generally avoid people; visitors who sight a bear in the wild are extremely lucky. There are, however, a few preserves and sanctuaries around the state where bears gather and can be viewed by visitors under controlled and fairly protected circumstances. The closest on these to Anchorage are McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

Events

During the Fur Rendezvous winter carnival in mid-February, people from around the state anxious for a break from the long, cold winter come to Anchorage for one of North America ’s largest winter festivals.  

The first Fur “Rondy” festival kicked off in 1935, a time when miners and trappers from around the state came to Anchorage for an opportunity to sell their furs. Heavy with the rewards of successful sales, the salesmen would linger in Anchorage for a week or more and spend the profits of their hard work on entertainment, goods and services.

Today the famous Fur Rondy 10-day celebration, set for February 20, 2004 through March 7, 2004, includes a carnival, World Championship Sled Dog Races, International Ice Carving Competition, a snow sculpture contest, snowshoe softball games, the annual Miners and Trappers Ball, Masked Ball, an Eskimo Blanket Toss exhibition and many other opportunities for fun, frolic and celebration of Anchorage history.  For more information about the Fur Rondy celebration, including a complete list of activities, visit www.furrondy.net.

The first Saturday in March focuses the eyes of the world on 4^th Avenue in downtown Anchorage for the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  This test of endurance challenges mushers and their dogs to traverse 1,049 miles from Anchorage to Nome , crossing two mountain ranges, the Yukon River and the Norton Sound ice pack. The 2004 Iditarod is scheduled to begin downtown on Saturday, March 6.

The Tour of Anchorage, a long-distance cross country ski race across the city unites thousands of skiers of all abilities in the American Ski Marathon Series on Sunday, March 2, 2003 .

In April, many Anchorage residents and visitors travel 40 miles south to Girdwood for the popular Alyeska Spring Carnival and the Slush Cup event held at Mt. Alyeska. Thrill-seeking skiers and snowboarders in costume attempt to ski or board across a large, slushy pond at the bottom of the slope. Rarely does one make it across the water without sinking.

May is one of Anchorage’s busiest months for civic events and activities. When the ground thaws, the flowers bloom, and the daylight lasts, local residents are ready to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the anticipated Alaska summer.

Popular May events include the annual Gold Nugget Triathlon and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce City wide Clean Up. For the past 34 years, the Anchorage Chamber and representatives from the business community coordinate a weeklong, city-wide beautification effort. More than 8.3 million pounds were collected in 2002.

The Saturday Market runs from mid-May through mid-September and is a well-attended weekly bazaar featuring unique Alaskan products and crafts. It’s a great place for Alaska gift shopping on a warm summer Saturday.

June is a beautiful month in Anchorage, and Alaskans enjoy several noteworthy festivals.  The “Three Barons Renaissance Faire” kicks off the second weekend in June on the APU campus with medieval tents and games, arts and crafts, and plenty of good food.  Suited knights and a festival queen assemble for jousting and other contests.

To celebrate the longest day of the year in the Land of the Midnight Sun on June 21, the Summer Solstice Festival celebrates exceptionally long days and nights featuring a variety of events, fairs and outdoor activities.  The “Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon,” will celebrate its 30^th year in 2003 and is a celebration of Anchorage ’s 19-hours of daylight.  The popular race is a qualifier for the famous Boston Marathon.

Fourth of July in Anchorage is celebrated with a traditional-style parade, an array of outdoor activities and the finale is a spectacular fireworks display.  Mulcahy Stadium offers a great viewing location for spectators. 

The Bear Paw Festival, hosted by the Chugiak/Eagle River Chamber of Commerce in Eagle River is just a 10- to 15-minute drive north on the Glenn Highway from Anchorage.  The festival features a large community parade, carnival, pageant, car show, ice show, arts and crafts, the Bear Paw Boogie 5K run and many other family events.

The Alaska State Fair kicks off in late August at the Fairgrounds in Palmer every year. Set in the picturesque Matanuska Valley 40 miles north of Anchorage, the Alaska State Fair offers nearly 700 events, more than 375 booths, and hosts more than 280,000 visitors. Main attractions include headliner entertainment, a rodeo, the largest horse show in the state, unique handicrafts and agricultural exhibits featuring giant fruits and vegetables.

In September, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce celebrates its annual Gold Pan Awards. The oldest and most prestigious award program in the city, the gala is a formal dinner and community service awards program.  The Gold Pan Awards is an opportunity to honor a few volunteers who make a difference in the city.

In November, basketball fans look forward to the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.  It is one of the nation’s top pre-season collegiate men and women’s basketball tournaments.  The 2002 tournament marked the 25^th Shootout with as usual, the University of Alaska Anchorage men’s and women’s teams competing against several Division 1 teams. The four-day event was scheduled during the Thanksgiving holiday and has been televised nationally by ESPN and ESPN2; and is attended annually by approximately 30,000 enthusiastic fans.