I'm not a big tour gal- lots of people/ Cheesy announcers…read more This was NOT that. We did the 5 hour tour that included lunch, a ton of gorgeousness, lots of glaciers and WHALES. This one is worth it.

I had limited time while working in Anchorage so I booked the 26 Glacier Cruise and Bus from…read moredowntown Anchorage. All in it was close to $400 and while difficult to rate "value for money" on a flavor cruise I'm very glad that I did it. The bus takes a couple of hours to get you to Whittier with a couple of scenic spots stops along the way. The welcome on board the cruise vessel was warm and friendly with lots of interesting facts announced over the course of the day. The chowder that was served was passable so pack some additional food or you're stuck with a limited offering at the snack bar. The highlight was Harvard Glacier where we we spent about 30 minutes and we were lucky enough to see some spectacular "caving" - when the ice breaks off the front of the glacier and falls into the water. And then a Gin & Soda over glacier ice that the crew had fished out of the water.

There are many different sections to Chugach State Park, like…read more... - Potter Creek - McHugh Creek - Beluga Point - Falls Creek - Indian Creek - Bird Creek You can spend a lot of time discovering all these incredibly vast areas of the park. What really stood out for me was making a brief stop here at milepost 96.5 along Seward Highway (35 miles south of Anchorage) for BIRD POINT TRAIL. I believe coming to Bird Point will help provide a glimpse into the magical setting of the Turnagain Arm waterway within the Cook Inlet part of the Gulf of Alaska. According to the entrance sign near the trailhead, Bird Point is... "A place to reflect and enjoy." "See wildlife foraging in scenic surroundings." " Smell the richness of earth and see." "Hear the whoosh of a beluga's breathing or the rush of a 6-foot bore." "Touch land that was once tropical ocean bottom." Welp, I don't know about all that wildlife because I didn't see anything during my visit...but definitely walking the easy 1.9-mile trail will allow for plenty of opportunities to appreciate nature and the great outdoors. It's a $5 fee for parking. Then, there'll be plenty of viewpoints on the paved connector pathway for picture moments of the Kenai and Chugach Mountain Ranges. When I was here towards the end of June, there was still some snow covering the mountain peaks which added to the beautiful backdrop and that was even, still, on an overcast day. I didn't hike the full length of the trail, maybe I used 30 minutes in total, but it was enough to get a feel for how special this part of Southcentral Alaska is. And just past here at Bird Point are still more exciting roadside pullovers along the Seward Highway journey to appreciate the sights before arriving in the town of Girdwood, where I highly suggest riding the Alyeska Resort Tram. Overall, Bird Point is a scenic stretch of Chugach State Park that's not difficult for exiting your car and taking time to walk around and explore.

If you're like me, you want a hike that doesn't make you climb 1000 feet in 5 minutes. I prefer a…read moregentle slope and that's what you will find in Chugach State Park. It is a nice rolling trail with footbridges to avoid rough ground and crossing streams. I'm no expert on mushrooms, but there were a lot of them. Not sure that you were allowed to pick them, but some mushroom foragers were doing so. I've included some pictures for you mycologists. The trail had a nice spruce like smell that was pleasant. And we saw plenty of dogs at walking their owners. There were also benches along the trail in case you wanted to take a break. We saw wild berries and other native plants. It took use about 90 minutes to walk about 3 miles.

Black Bear Campground is a very small, 10 site campground located in the Chugach National Forest…read moredown the road from Portage Glacier. The sites are spacious and open, so they do not afford much privacy. Each space has a fire ring, a parking spot, a picnic table and enough room for several average sized tents. The campground is in a conifer forest, so there's plenty of trees to attach tarps and whatnot to, which would be wise given there is LOTS of light, but persistent precipitation in this part of Alaska. Although this campground is located in valley, you really can't see the mountains or glaciers that ring the location because of the abundance of trees. Despite that, I personally think these campsites are prettier than those located over at Williwaw Campground. There are bear dumpsters on site, hand pumps for potable water and outhouses. There is no firewood or campsite host here; however, the campsite host is located less than 1 mile down the road at Williwaw. Black Bear Campground is located along the Trail of Blue Ice: http://www.alyeskaresort.com/Alyeska/SiteAssets/files/mountain/Trail%20of%20Blue%20Ice.pdf . The campsites with the highest numbers (8,9, 10) are closest to the river, so keep this in mind if you have small children. The sites are big enough to accomodate a RV, but the Williwaw campsites are set up more with RV's in mind. Black Bear Campground certainly isn't the best campground in the area, and for $18 a day, I'd probably stay somewhere else. However, that being said, if you plan to spend time hiking the very easy, very family friendly Trail of Blue Ice, or plan to spend a day in Whittier or Portage, this is a very convinient location to make base camp for a day or two. After that you will have exhausted the activities in the area. To reserve a spot in advance log on to: http://www.recreation.gov/. In addition to the $18 they charge a booking fee of $9. Otherwise the campsites are first come-first served. During July, without a reservation you run the risk of arriving and finding all the campsites taken.

I've been here multiple times. Get there early during the summer months to grab a spot. There are…read morehiking trails and bike paths nearby. Always a good time. Bring your rain jacket because between those mountains can get rainy sometimes.

So while I stand by my initial review of the campground, the trail here is incredible. It's one of…read morethe most bang-for-your-buck hikes I've ever done in Alaska. The first mile and a half is fairly flat and has a spectacular view of the creek, mountains, flowers and berries I've ever seen in such an accessible location. It then shifts to an gentle uphill hike without boreal shade. I recommend a machete if you plan on going further. The Devils Club is wicked beyond this point unless it's fall. There is absolutely no cell service here so be sure to bring emergency supplies and appropriate preparation for Alaskan animals and volatile weather.

Gaft, I cannot pronounce this place!!…read more Ptarmigan is part of the Chugach National Forest off Mile 23 on Seward Highway. If you're on your way to Harding Icefield/ Exit Glacier or back to Anchroage, Ptarmigan is worth a stop! So thanks to my hyper active bladder and my constant imbibing of crisp glacier water, I really needed to pee!!!! Thankfully, toilets were not far off and found ourselves here. Toilet is standard outhouse thing. Nothing fancy. But what IS cool is that there is fish viewing from Aug-Sept!!! FREE OF CHARGE!! We saw some tours wanting to charge for this, psh!!! Anyway, we got to the side of the creek... and saw red sockeye salmon swimming against current... waiting to mate, lay eggs and die =(. There were so many of them too!!! Here's something I didn't know...salmon gets its red color when they are spawning (so you don't want to eat these since they are old). When they are young, they are silver in color. Huh! =) Also (didn't know this), but apparently there is an abundance of rainbow trout during mating season. They come and eat up the salmon eggs (roe). Luckily, people are able to fish for rainbow trout and dolly varden fish (june 11 - may 1st). Absolutely no salmon fishing all season!! We did see some fishers there, but they told us that they were there for catch & release only.

Oh my goodness…read more Unlike most people, when I'm super-excited, I don't cuss. I use granny phrases like "Heavens!". I'm so excited about this trail, I can't believe I'm just now hiking it. Bird Ridge starts at a big trailhead with blasted-out rockwalls from when the Seward Highway was widened. It has bathrooms at the parking lot and then another (emergency?) bathroom about 1,000 ft up the trail. After the second bathroom, you start going up! And up! And up! There's a lot of gain here in a short amount of time. If you do it in the winter, micro-spikes (choose your favorite brand) are pretty much mandatory (it gets mighty slippery). I'd also HIGHLY recommend a pole of some sort. An ice axe would even be handy for the upper reaches. I'd also recommend you STAY OFF THE CORNICES, people have DIED. But, if you stay off the corniced ridges, this trail is still decently safe to do in the winter. You're on a ridge which is, by definition, one of the safest places to be in avalanche terrain. You'll get amazing views of Penguin Peak (which I recommend NEVER doing in the winter, it is VERY avalanche-prone) to the east and of Indianhouse South Suicide North Suicide Homicide Avalanche Mountain to the West. To the north, you can keep taking this ridge for miles, although it looks like it gets increasingly gnarly. I can't comment on what it's like in the summer, but I've heard it's beautiful. This is a great place to get above the clouds in the winter. You'll have sun on your face while everyone at lower elevations ferments in the gloom! As a bonus, the trailhead is plowed.

Drive south on AK1. pass Indian Valley meats on your left, and you will see a sign for "Bird Ridge"…read moretrail parking lot. (Sign will be on your Right, but the parking lot is on your left when you head south on AK1.) $5 for parking or use your park pass. uphill work out with a fantastic view once you climb up over 3000 feet. If you are fit, you can ascend in less than 2 hours to the top. The trail continues behind along the ridge towards girdwood possibly. Also often times you can spot eagle soaring when you look back towards Turnigan Arm/Inlet. Everything becomes so small when you are up at the peak. It's challenge but you will be rewarded with the view.

Sprawling park in the heart of Girdwood!…read more Home to the annual, free, forest fair. (It's a hippy thing) Big trees and mountain views!

What is otherwise normally  a quiet, community park becomes a living tribute to art, music and self…read moreexpression every July during the Forest Fair.  Camping is normally forbidden,  but during the fair the park resembles Woodstock, replete with mud, tye-dyes and people sneaking off to smoke dope.  There's concerts,  events for the kiddos, tons of food, and a LOT of Alaska made crafts (pretty much anything you can imagine.)  It's hard not to love the fair. But I also enjoy the park when it's not crammed with people during the fair.  The park is flanked by creeks and there are all kinds of wonderful plants and wildflowers growing. The trees here are huge, which is fairly unusual in this part of Alaska.  At the fore of the park,  there's the usual playground equipment.  Across the street there's a picnic area with tables, bear trash cans and grills.  There are also a few little trails tucked amongst the trees that offer some delights as well, some of which can only be discovered if you're willing to get your feet wet.

This site was horrible for mosquitos where you couldn't be outside using the picnic tables or fire…read morepits. There is zero cell signal here. No hookups to water or electric anywhere. Two pumps only for drinking water, and they are hand pumps.

A must stop campground if traveling through Alaska. The location is absolutely breathtaking!…read moreTrails, rivers, creeks, and mountians. The location does not have electric hook ups and no water hookups. During the season there is a host on site and the pit toilets are well maintained. This spot is in the heart of nature and you'll find yourself among all the critters of Alaska. Reservations can be made on recreation.gov and there are 25+ first come first serve sites available. If you're looking for the a 5 star hotel this isn't it, this is the wild and absolutely worth the stop!

Thanks to their help, my group had an unforgettable adventure to Blackstone glacier! They were…read moreincredibly helpful and instructive. Could not have asked for a better experince ​

If you are in Whittier you must see this museum; detailing the history of how this place came to…read morebe. It's not a long museum as it's technically one room. But the memorabilia, photos, and diagrams is certainly worth the visit.