Ice Fishing was my favorite part of our trip…read more We did a lot of fun things on our trip to Alaska and ice fishing was by far my favorite. My husband may disagree but that's only because I caught more fish than him... Dustin is the shop owner and an all-around cool guy. He had a great set up for us before we even got to the location - a heated shelter, cameras so we could see below the ice, and rods all ready to go. We enjoyed chatting with him about his experiences fishing all over the world (he won't brag...but he's kind of famous). We're always looking to support Veteran-owned businesses and we're glad to have found The Bait Shack! Don't worry, all of the big char went back into the water to swim another day. But man was it fun! It was so exhilarating to watch these fish come up from the ice. Dustin also made sure they were handled gently and watched for any signs of distress from the fish as we were sending them home. We're fully committed to a summer trip so we can fish out a few Kings with Dustin and his crew. If you're looking for a fishing adventure near Anchorage, call The Bait Shack!

What a great first ice fishing experience! Dustin put us on plenty of fish and we caught fish all…read moreday. Dustin made everything super easy and made sure we had everything we needed for our first experience. We did the DIY package, and we were catching fish within a few minutes of fishing. Would definitely come back again- highly recommended and a great genuine guy.

The experience of a lifetime doesn't begin to summarize this place. An all-inclusive lodge with…read morerustic cabins, coursed dinners, all of the fishing gear you'll need & EXPERT local knowledge makes WPL the best experience for amateurs & experienced fishers. "Hospitality" is too light of a word to describe the staff's attention to detail, remembering your names , bending over backwards to accommodate any reasonable request & whim of a guest. Big shout out to Mary & Caitlyn, Chef Dave & his culinary team and the fun, hilarious & masterful guides like Erik, Damo, Ryan & Noah. Remember to sweep and SET.

Second time staying at Wilderness place lodge, and the fishing and service were absolutely…read moreexceptional! The guides and staff go above and beyond to ensure you have a good trip. Between catching over a hundred salmon a day and the world-class cuisine, wilderness place lodge is a must-stop destination.

Potter Marsh was my last activity in Alaska. Having arrived back in Anchorage, following an epic…read moreroad trip back from Seward, I was staying my last night near the airport before an early flight the next day. Wanting to stretch my legs, I had decided to make an after dinner stop at Potter Marsh. Having passed it earlier in the day, I had seen a large bull moose from the road, as he enjoyed grazing in the tall grasses. Later on, when I actually had time to stop, no moose sightings. However, the walk along the well maintained boardwalk offered epic views and a peaceful, quiet evening walk. Lots of locals out enjoying the first sunny day, all week. Nicely done placards with info and complimentary spotting scopes to see any visiting bird life. It's a quick but worthy stop in Anchorage if you are looking for a simple outdoor activity.

Beautiful park with great views of the mountains and the water! Nice viewing of different wildlife…read moreas well. Nice boardwalk with information signs. Easy and free parking!

Too many people. Too many loose dogs. Fish hooks everywhere. The area is clean due to people…read morecleaning up the poop from dogs. The nature is ok.

Best thing about this lake: it has a beaver in it! (and the worst thing about it, for all you tree…read morefans out there) It's also connected to the Campbell Creek trail system. Great for a when you want to hike after work but...the weather looks iffy. You can still move your legs back and forth, but bail pretty easily. King Street Brewing is also right next door, jussayin'.

This is a great, less well-known spot to see the sunset or walk the "beach"…read more I accidentally ended up here after a long walk south from Kincaide Park proper. But, you can also drive right here. (it's right next to a dirt bike track) Bring a telephoto lens, the views of the Aleutians, Tordrillos, and Fire Island (and its windmills) are pretty incredible!

If you like quirky parks with loud jets flying over, this is the perfect place! I stumbled upon it…read morewhile exploring around Anchorage, and it was such a fun spot to spend some time on a beautiful sunny day. There's a large parking lot, complete with a couple of outhouses and (at least on the day I visited) a hot dog vendor, too. The parking lot sits well above the beach area, where I walked around and did plenty of people-watching before heading out to the point and the very colorfully painted structure that (maybe?) I think has something to do either with airplane or sea navigation. Surrounding the point were zillions of painted rocks. It was local art gone wild and I loved it! At regular intervals, giant jets flew over upon takeoff from the airport (which is mere yards away). If you don't like loud jets, I would not recommend this beach. But if you do, well, you've come to the right place!

A dead moose carcass…read more Graffiti, mostly colorful. Didn't close enough to see if it was also tasteful. Slippery clay and mud - lots of moments where I thought I might slip and fall to the ground. Definitely something to watch for. Small granulated particles sliding down the sandy hill. Crazy to see erosion in action. Just a few of the many exciting things along this walking area. Beautiful breeze off the inlet. Lots of great views of downtown Anchorage. Lots of parking available and a wonderful place to get to see a brilliant sunset. Bring a chair and a cooler!

The trail Joy G describes, is also known as "Ship Creek Trail" but it is very much an…read moreunderdeveloped wilderness trail near the Arctic Valley ski area (much higher up), you can read more about it here: https://alaskahikesearch.com/hikes/ship-creek-trail The trail I'm going to be describing starts north of downtown, at very low elevation, near the Ship Creek "urban" mucky fishing area. From there, it goes east for a couple miles. It's beautifully thought-out and well-maintained, but it soon peters out. It's a shame. It would be wonderful to have this trail cross-cut the entire town from West-to-East. My favorite feature is a pedestrian/bike only bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. If you want to extend your walk/ride, you can easily link this into a walk/ride of the Coastal Trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tony-knowles-coastal-trail-anchorage

This trail is something of a secret. Ask most Anchorage-ites about this trail and they'll look at…read moreyou quizzically and think you mean Ship Creek outlet down by the Port of Anchorage, which is famous for summer time combat salmon fishing. No, this trail is at the other end of Ship Creek, high in the mountains closer to where it starts. Well, I say high, but it's actually below the tree line, but potentially below the low clouds that stick to the mountains in Arctic Valley like thistles in a dog's fur. This makes for a very moist and potentially magical hiking experience. There were times I felt like I was in some mystical realm when the clouds would come and kiss the mountains. It's very surreal and dreamy at times. I say that, but it also isn't my favorite trail by a long shot. I hike here for one purpose, watermelon berry picking in late summer and early fall. I've never seen them as abundant anywhere else as here. I hear that somewhere in the Arctic Valley there is also the mother lode of blueberries, but I couldn't find a single one. Anyway, about the trail. It's not highly used and not maintained. But enough locals use it to keep the first few miles of weeds squished down so that the trail is easy to follow. It does fork off into 2 trails about 1.5 miles in. I take the left fork that follows Ship Creek because we like to play in the water. Someday I will scope out the right fork.... I understand that this trail is favored as a cross country skiing trail. It's gently sloped downward for the first few miles. I turn around and hike back after the trail gets harder to follow. I hear you can actually hike it 22 miles to Indian if you like bushwacking and mud. We just go as far as this cool old abandoned bridge that had trees growing out of it and turn around. At one time this must have been an unpaved auto road because there are several abandoned cars along the trail. Nice little trail. I wouldn't make a special trip for it, but if you live in the area and want to experience new, check this neglected trail out.

Beautiful park with access to the costal trail! Saw a moose not too far from the parking lot. Nice…read morepaved paths and large parking lot. Public restrooms and maps available.

This year I spend most of winter exploring Kincaid park via my cross country skis…read more Holy cow the park is HUGE! Previously I've only really explored the paved trail going down to the beach and connecting to Earthquake Park. If you are a beginner xc skier, I recommend starting at the stadium and slowly doing the smaller mize loop. This is where I built my confidence for 2-3 weeks before moving to the "blue rated" Jodphur loop. Kincaid has so much to offer and I am so glad I had the opportunity to explore it from the perspective of my skis!