Planning a trip to the mainland of Alaska this or next summer? Great! There are so many fun, adventurous, beautiful things to do from Homer to Fairbanks and everywhere in between. Summer activities in Alaska include hiking, fishing, wildlife tours, rafting, kayaking and just taking in the views. We’ve put together some of our favorite summer things to do in Alaska that you can easily add to your trip, whether you’re planning a 7 day road trip or doing 2 weeks in Alaska.
Have you been to South Central Alaska in the summer before, or have you only done the Inside Passage on a cruise so you need ideas for things to do? No matter your past experience visiting AK, we’ve no doubt got some fresh ideas for activities that will make your summer visit special. If you have any questions about visiting Alaska in the summer or need additional recommendations for things to do, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!
Things to Do in Alaska in Summer
No doubt, summer is the best time to visit Alaska. Let’s dig into all of the great things to do in Alaska in summer. You’ll find that the long days give you a certain energy that will help you keep going and keep exploring despite having already seen and done so much. There’s just something about the quite mornings that feel like afternoons, and the late evenings that feel a little like sunrise that both messes with your mind and inspires you to enjoy every minute just a bit more. After we cover all the fun things to do in Alaska in summer, we have some tips for making summer trip a little easier, because it really can be an adjustment for a lot of visitors.
We’ve arrange our recommended activities and things to do in Alaska from South to North, as most visitors to the AK will be flying into Anchorage and then heading to the Kenai Peninsula (Home and Seward) first. We wrap our suggested activities up into the Fairbanks area, where you can easily fly back to whence you came or take the train back to Anchorage (more on that below).
Things to Do on the Kenai Peninsula
I love the Kenai Peninsula and actually used to live in Cooper Landing on the Kenai River. When I can get people to spend a little extra time enjoying the Kenai, I feel like I’ve done my job to show visitors the best of Alaska. Here you’ll find Kenai Fjords National Park, the beautiful Kenai Lake, the picturesque Russian Orthodox churches on the coast, and of course, the Homer Spit.
Kenai Fjords Glacier & Wildlife Cruises (Seward)
No matter how many glacier cruises and wildlife boat tours we do, Kenai Fjords Tours consistently is my favorite thing to do in Alaska in the summer. It’s one of the most popular tours in the whole state and is also one of the best. It’s a great combination of wildlife watching and time at tidewater glaciers. It’s easy to add to a road trip or cruise itinerary, and you can choose for a variety of tour lengths. You’ll love it! These day cruises are all about calving glaciers and marine wildlife including whales, sea otters, and puffins withing the boundary waters of Kenai Fjords National Park.
Best time: June through September, with peak season June 1 through August 31 because the whales start leaving mid-August.
Check out all Kenai Fjords Tours options here!
Halibut & Salmon Fishing (Homer or Seward)
Doing a fishing charter from either Homer or Seward to catch halibut and salmon is on a lot of people’s Alaska summer bucket list. It really is fun and getting to take fresh fish home or cook it same-day back at your lodging is really special. When it comes to getting out on the water for halibut, you might also pull in some cod, rockfish and even salmon. For river fishing, you’ll likely be either on a drift boat or fly fishing from the river banks. Fishing guides are awesome people and they do a great job at making sure that the visitor fishing experience is both fun and successful.
Best time: May through September for halibut; sockeye salmon have the earliest season usually going May-August, Chum running mid-July to mid-August, and then with king salmon usually going until July (unless ADFG calls it early) and silver salmon mid-July through mid September.
Book Homer Multi-Species Fishing here Book Seward Multi-Species Fishing here
Exit Glacier Hiking (Seward)
Exit Glacier in Seward, Alaska is one of the most accessible glaciers you can visit, but you can’t just drive up to it like you used to be able to. The only car-accessible part of Kenai Fjords National Park, this is a great thing to do when you come to Seward. The hike is pretty easy and the views are worth it. Also, there’s a great visitor center at the start of the Exit Glacier trail.
Best time: June through September when trails are snow-free, but the road is open from mid-May to mid-October.
Sea Kayaking (Resurrection Bay/Kenai Fjords)
There are a few options for sea kayaking on Resurrection Bay in Seward. If you’re going to be here for a few days, it’s a must. You might not get the breaching humpback whales like you see out in the Gulf of Alaska, but you may see orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, seals and sea otters while kayaking. It’s gorgeous and not usually a very difficult paddle. The weather might be iffy, but the moodiness just adds to the experience.
If you have a full day and want a really cool adventure, you can book kayaking at Bear or Aialik Glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. Tidewater glaciers are amazing and the setting of this paddle is EPIC. Sunny Cove Kayaking does the coolest kayaking trip on a catamaran to the glacier and then paddling at the face.
Best time: June through August for calmest conditions and best chances of a sunny day.
Book Aialik Glacier kayaking here Book Bear Glacier heli kayaking here
Sterling Highway Sightseeing
There are so many stops you can make on the Sterling Highway between Homer and the Seward Highway. I used to live just off the Sterling in Cooper Landing and my favorite thing to do besides fishing on the Kenai and riding horses (I was a horseman at Alaska Horsemen Trail Adventures before it closed) has always been to spend time bear viewing at Russian River Falls. This is an easy place to hike down to the river and often see bears and eagles catching salmon alongside the fishermen. I love it, but my kids think it’s a little too close for comfort when it comes to seeing bears.
Two more great stops to make as you go between Homer and the Seward Highway are Skilak Lake and Juneau Falls. The Skilak Lake Road is a long, intense gravel road, but it’s beautiful and there seem to always be moose. There are other lakes to see too, so it’s a great drive. A pretty, easy hike to Skilak Lake that doesn’t take too long is the Hidden Creek trail. For Juneau Falls, this is actually a hike, but it’s not crazy difficult if you’re in shape and have the time. It’ll take you about five hours, so pack a lunch and good hiking shoes for your day. You’ll love it!
Visiting Southwest Alaska: Kodiak, Katmai and Lake Clark
This is the part of Alaska that everyone has heard about but very few visitors get to visit. Due to the remote nature, it seems like it would be impossible or cost prohibitive to visit Southwest Alaska, but in reality, getting to Kodiak or King Salmon is easy on Alaska Airline or the Alaska Marine Highway. What’s much more costly are the day trips where you fly in on a seaplane, but for a lot of people, that’s the best option, either due to time restrictions or because it’s just straight up on their bucket list.
For fly-in visits to Lake Clark or Katmai National Parks, we recommend Rust’s Flying Service from Anchorage. They are awesome and it’s such a cool experience for some of the best bear viewing in Alaska.
CHECK OUT RUST’S FLYING SERVICE
When booking online or over the phone, use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage!
Lake Clark National Park from Anchorage
It’s hard to explain how phenomenal of an experience it is to visit Lake Clark National Park. It’s so very remote and the wildlife is amazing. You can either visit Chinitina Bay, Redoubt Bay or Lake Crescent. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Yes, this is a premium price activity ($800-1400 per person) but it’s so stunning that you won’t regret it. If it’s in your budget, you’ll find it very worth the cost. Also, if you want you can even stay over at the Redoubt Mountain Lodge in Lake Clark National Park, which just adds to the amazing experience. It’s one of the coolest lodges in Alaska.
Best time: for Chinitina Bay or Redoubt Bay, the bears are most active in July and August. Lake Crescent is most active in August and September. Options are available starting in May though!
Book Lake Clark, Redoubt Bay or Chinitna Bay – use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage
Katmai National Park Day Trip or Overnight
When you think if brown bears fishing in a river or you see the images of 30 bears all together surrounded by sockeye salmon, that’s what happens in Katmai National Park. You can only get here via float plane or boat, and the human side of things is very controlled. There are so many bears that before you’re allowed to do anything you have to do a short bear safety class. Once you’ve done it though, you can visit Brooks Falls or do some of the trails from the central area and explore a little on your own. You must be very bear-aware and practice bear safety at all times.
Best time: July and September for Brooks Falls when salmon are running, with the season running June through September
Book it here! – use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage
Exploring Kodiak Island
Kodiak is another interesting Southwest Alaska destination that is a bucket list spot for a lot of summer visitors. It seems wildly far away but it is actually easily visited in the summer months. There are lots of things to do and unique tours from Kodiak, as the island as a whole is known for its concentration of wildlife. The Kodiak brown bear is a subspecies of grizzly and is the largest of the bears in Alaska sometimes growing bigger than polar bears! The Kodiak Bear Bus is an easy way to get out into the wilderness to see wildlife without breaking the bank.
Sea kayaking, fishing, walking tours and just exploring places like Abercrombie State Park on your own are all options too. Kodiak is a place that you can visit and enjoy either high end or on a budget.
Southcentral Alaska Summer Activities
The area all around Anchorage, including Palmer, Girdwood/Portage, Whittier and up to Talkeetna is the most popular area to visit in the summer besides doing an Alaska cruise. From Anchorage as you head south on the Seward Highway you’ll travel along Turnagain Arm through Girdwood to the Portage Valley and then through the Anderson Tunnel to Whittier. Leaving to the north you’ll travel along the Knik Arm to the Matanuska Valley. This is both farm country AND adventure country.
Matanuska Glacier Rafting, Hiking & Ice Climbing
I have to start with visiting the Matanuska Glacier because it’s one of the best glaciers to actually go on, second only to the Root Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. The Matanuska Glacier is only accessible through private land, so you can only do tours to go glacier walking or ice climbing, but it’s amazing. This is some of the prettiest ice I’ve gotten to explore. Flowing from the glacier is the Matanuska River, which is one of the most fun stretches of whitewater in Alaska. This is a great adventure with kids and adults, with Class III and IV rapids.
Best time: Late May through early September, particularly impressive during summer when deep blue crevasses contrast with surrounding greenery or fall when it turns yellow in the valley.
Book a Matanuska Glacier tour or rafting here!
Use code MyAKtrip10 for a 10% discount on adventures with NOVA Alaska.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Portage Valley)
Visiting the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is always a good idea, and it’s such a fun place to get to see wildlife up close. Even though there are lots of animals everywhere you go in Alaska, you might miss them sometimes, so getting to see moose and bears in a controlled setting and learn about them too is great. This is a very good thing to do in the summer with kids.
Open year-round, best viewing June-August when the weather is nice and the wildflowers are in bloom.
Prince William Sound Cruises (Whittier)
A great summer activity for people visiting Anchorage but not Seward, or who aren’t going on a big cruise, there are some great boat tours that go out of Whittier. The Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise explores to the end of College Fjord and Harvard Glacier, while the smaller Lazy Otter Tours does a more specialized small group glacier tour and even does a landing when the time and tides are right. There is so much marine life in Prince William Sound, so getting out on the water is a must.
Best time: June through August for wildlife and glacier viewing, then September for mostly glaciers and waterfalls as the whales have started heading south again.
Book the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise here!
Flightseeing Tours (Anchorage/Talkeetna)
One of the best summer activities in Alaska that people always leave happy that they did is flightseeing to Denali. That’s right TO DENALI, not at Denali. Leaving from Anchorage or Talkeetna, K2 Aviation has been the #1 flightseeing for seeing Denali and doing glacier landings on the mountain for many years. They have several different flightseeing options with different durations and highlights, so depending on your budget and schedule, there are ways to including flightseeing around Denali on your Alaska trip.
Best time: June through August for clearest weather and views of Denali, but this is one of best ways to see Denali in the winter too!
Check out K2 Aviation here! Use code 2traveldads for a 10% discount on your passage!
ALTERNATIVE: You can also do a floatplane sightseeing tour out of Talkeetna for views of Denali, the Talkeetna Mountains and Susitna River Valley. Book floatplane flightseeing here!
Midnight Sun Activities
Some of the best activities to do in Alaska in summer happen late at night, simply for the fact that it’s light so late and it’s just a trip. Hiking at 10pm and enjoying endless twilight is really cool and beautiful. Starting your day at 3am because you’re already awake and being out on the river before anyone else is kind of magical. If you’re visiting Alaska during the month on either side of Summer Solstice, you’ll have over 19 hours of sunlight and 22 hours of functional daylight. It’s weird and wonderful.
Interior Alaska in Summer
Heading north from Anchorage and the MatSu Valley, you’ll drive on the Parks Highway towards Denali National Park. This part of Alaska is completely different as you drive through plateaus and mountain passes. Watch for moose, caribou and bears as you make your way to a whole playground of summer activities.
Denali National Park Wildlife Tours
I used to work at Denali National Park and all of my free time was spent on the buses in and out of the park, hiking in the tundra and enjoying one of the most magical places in Alaska. Summer in Denali National Park is incredible and you will want to visit again. Access to the park is all via bus, either on a tour or the transit bus. The tours sell out months before their date, so as soon as you know you’re visiting Denali get your tour reservations. If you can’t get the Wilderness or Natural History Tour reservation, you can get Transit Bus tickets for exploring the park. Read up on tundra off-trail hiking before you do this adventure!
Best time: Mid-June through mid-September for wildlife viewing and park access.
River Rafting (Nenana, Talkeetna Rivers)
With all the activities in Alaska in the summer, and especially around Denali National Park, it’s tough to choose what to but you won’t regret rafting on the Nenana River, or if you’re not coming all the way up to Denali, on the rivers near Talkeetna. There are some great runs with Class III to V rapids, but mostly III and IV. In the summer, rafting in Alaska is just to fun, and the scenery here in the Parks Highway corridor is beautiful.
Best time: June through August.
Book Denali Whitewater Rafting here!
Midnight Sun Baseball Game (Fairbanks)
Held on June 21, starting at 10:00pm on summer solstice, the Midnight Sun Baseball Game is where the Alaska Goldpanners play an entire game under the midnight sun without artificial light. They play against minor league teams and exhibition teams, different every year. It’s fun and goes late into the night.
Chena Hot Springs
Open year-round, Chena Hot Springs is a popular summer and winter destination near Fairbanks. The big outdoor hot pool is the main attraction, but there’s also cabins and hiking trails, and there’s a ton of wildlife all around. There are lots of activities and if you can visit in summer and winter, you’ll see how it’s such a completely different experience.
More Summer Activities in Alaska
Of course there are lots more great things to do in Alaska in the summer. The activities we’ve shared are just a jumping off point for planning something wonderfully fun and adventurous. Use these other suggestions as ideas for plotting out different parts of your trip and you’ll put together a great itinerary.
Alaska Railroad Journeys
Adding a trip on the Alaska Railroad is a fun way to either see a different side of Alaska or to travel from place to place. You can ride the train from Anchorage to Seward, Whittier, Talkeetna, Hurricane, Denali and Fairbanks. You can do a two hour journey on the Alaska Railroad or ten hours. Check out our Guide to the Alaska Railroad for planning options.
Best time: Mid-May through mid-September with daily service.
Hiking & Backpacking
Hiking and backpacking around Alaska can be an amazing experience if you have the right gear and the proper planning. Understanding bear safety, how to use bear spray and trail conditions are all an important part of hiking in the back country. From Hatcher Pass to the state parks or Wrangell-St Elias National Park, there’s so much ground to cover.
Best time: Late June through early September when trails are accessible.
Fishing (Interior Rivers)
It’s a quintessential Alaska experience to do river fishing at some point during your visit. Copper River fishing is a blast, but if you have the gear and the knowledge, you can plan your own fishing trips from Palmer, Cooper Landing or Fairbanks. There are so many beautiful rivers with salmon runs, trout, dolly varden and other species, if you like fishing, you’ll have a blast.
Best time: Peak season for salmon runs from May through September, with different species throughout
Dog Sledding on Glaciers (summer mushing)
I love getting to do helicopter flightseeing, but it’s one of those Alaska activities that really comes at a premium price. It’s so much fun, and then when you add in the dogsledding element to it it’s so special. From Seward and Godwin Glacier to Girdwood and beyond, there are quite a few opportunities for glacier dog sledding in the summer. Yes, you usually have to access mushing camp via helicopter, but the whole experience is worth in.
Best time: June through August via helicopter to glacier.
This is a great collection of activities for Alaska in the summer. Choose a few or do them all, and you’ll have a great time. I recommend choosing a destination and then seeing what activities are best during the season you’re visiting, but Alaska is so diverse you can have a great experience anywhere. If you have any questions about our recommendations or need additional suggestions, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great Alaska trip!
