Alaska Itinerary by Car – You Don’t Need a Cruise

When you think about how to travel in Alaska, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a cruise. Next would probably be a railtour. What most don’t realize is that it is possible and very easy to tour Alaska by car. I lived there for 18 years so I saw a bit of the state myself by car.

There are many ways of seeing the Last Frontier, but I wanted to put together a sample Alaska itinerary of how I personally would see Southcentral Alaska. I tend to go hard and fast, trying to be efficient with time. You can take this as a guideline and slow down or speed up the trip, take things out or add things in; there’s no right or wrong answer here.

So here we go! My Alaska itinerary!

Alaska Itinerary at a Glance

First, let me list a shorthand of the itinerary by “location visiting”/”location sleeping”

• Arrive Anchorage/Palmer
• Hatchers Pass/Palmer
• Talkeetna/Palmer
• Drive to Seward/Seward
• Seward/Homer
• Homer/Homer
• Drive Anchorage/Anchorage
• Leave Anchorage

PALMER:  small town farmland colonized in 1935 surrounded by mountains, known for its high winds off the Knik Glacier, and home of the National Tsunami Center.

HATCHER’S PASS: drivable mountain range that reeks of Middle Earth 

TALKEETNA: less than 1,000 people live in this tiny town, a jumping off point for hikers scaling Denali or tourists catching a flightseeing tour. 

SEWARD: coastal town to access the Kenai Fjords, home of the Mt. Marathon race

HOMER: another coastal town famous for its halibut fishing, where the Deadliest Catch’s boat Time Bandit was moored, and an overrated money-lined dive bar.

ANCHORAGE: the biggest city in the state where locals come for their day-trip shopping and moose treat the roads as their own private highway. 

Alaska Itinerary in Detail

On to the nitty gritties. 

Here’s a Google Map with everything listed so you can use it to assist in composing your own itinerary if you are making plans to travel in Alaska:

I am only listing restaurants I feel comfortable recommending. If I didn’t list one you’ll have to research some options that might appeal to you. 

I’ve also listed approximate driving times for the day between destinations.

In regards to places to sleep, Alaska offers everything from the budget-minded to the luxury traveler so you are sure to find something in your price range. (Shameless Plug: if you prefer to stay in Wasilla instead of Palmer, my buddy Ben has a beautiful Alaska themed cabin for rent) 

Alaska Itinerary Day 1: Anchorage

1hr driving

• Arrive in Anchorage – pick up car rental and drive to Palmer
• Sleep Palmer

Alaska Itinerary Day 2: Matanuska Valley

1hr driving

• Breakfast at Vagabond Blues – a cozy cafe with baked goods and coffee; order a healthy lunch-to-go
• Hatcher’s Pass –
  • keep an eye out for beaver dams in the river 
  • tour Independence Mine State Historical Park – gold mining operation of yore; ghost town buildings and abandoned mines.
  • hike up any mountain that suits your fancy (you will think you have entered Middle Earth)
  • picnic with the marmots
• Downtown Palmer – browse and shop boutique shops
• Matanuska Brewery & Bleeding Heart Brewery  – two breweries next door to each other for beer tasting
• Sleep Palmer

Alaska Itinerary Day 3: Talkeetna

3hrs driving

• Breakfast-to-go at North Star Bakery – the Morning Bun is HEAVEN!
• Perfect Start Espresso – insta-worthy rainbow Redbull smoothie for the road
• Kahiltna Birchworks – one of the few places in the world to get birch syrup and confections
• Talkeetna Lodge – great pit stop for a view of Denali on a clear day
• Downtown Talkeetna –
  • Pop in to Alaskan gift shops and beautiful art store 
  • Walk along the Railroad Bridge across the Talkeetna River
  • Flight tour – if you’re feeling fancy this is your chance to fly over Denali for once in a lifetime views
• Lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie – get a 30 topping pizza!
• Denali Brewing Company – grab a brewski and chillax
• Little Millers Ice Cream – get the famous flavor swirled soft serve ice cream; apple is my favorite
• Sleep Palmer

Alaska Itinerary Day 4: Seward

3hrs driving

• Breakfast at Noisy Goose Cafe – local favorite for a diner breakfast
• Pull Offs on Seward Hwy –
  • so many places to stop and take in scenery, waterfalls, and wildlife 
  • if you see a hoard of people looking at the mountain to the left then you can bet there are goats; if you are lucky they are looking to the right at belugas
• Alyeska Resort –
  • take the tram up the mountain for a fantastic view of the inlet and surrounding mountains and hike down OR
  • hike Winner Creek Gorge Trail (Lower Winner Creek Trail): northernmost temperate rainforest in US, easy walking trail to Glacier Creek. Start at the trailhead off of Crow Creek Rd instead of Alyeska for a shorter hike.
• Portage Glacier Visitor Center – learn about glaciers and geology and maybe see a block of glacier they’ve towed for viewing
• Whittier Tunnel – longest highway tunnel in North America (2.5miles); there’s not much to see on the other side so just turn right back around to go through the next departure
• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center – check off your Alaska animal bingo with this drive thru zoo to see bear, moose, and caribou.
• Finish the drive to Seward – more pull outs along the way as you see fit.
• Sleep Seward

Alaska Itinerary Day 5: Seward

3.5hrs driving

• Sightseeing cruise – get out into the Kenai Fjords to see otters, puffins, maybe whales, glaciers and more
• Alaska SeaLife Center – if you didn’t take a cruise this is a good alternative to see under-the-ocean life up close
• Gift Shops – pop into gitchy shops for an Alaskan souvenir
• Exit Glacier – 1mile roundtrip paved hiking trail right up to a glacier
• Drive to Homer
• Sleep Homer

Alaska Itinerary Day 6: Homer

• Breakfast at Two Sisters Cafe – pastries and coffee; stroll on Bishops Beach afterwards
• The Spit – 4.5 mile random strip of land jutting out into the inlet
  • peruse gift shops, 
  • see fishers weigh their catch
  •  count the cash pinned to the walls in the Salty Dawg Saloon
  • make friends with a starfish while exploring low tide
• Lunch – find halibut fish and chips!
• Homer Brewing Co. – beer tasting
• Bear Creek Winery – wine tasting, my favorite is their Spring Harvest Rhubarb Wine
• Sweetgale Meadworks & Cider – mead and cider tasting
• Sleep Homer

Alaska Itinerary Day 7: Anchorage

4.5hrs driving

• Stop at anything you might have missed on your way
• Kenai River Brewing Company – beer and lunch
• Kenai River – if it’s fishing season stop and watch the chaos
• Dinner at Moose’s Tooth – Thai or Amazing Apricot Pizza with a pint of Apple Ale; worth whatever wait there is!
• Sleep Anchorage

Alaska Itinerary Day 8: Anchorage

• Breakfast at Snow City Cafe – a local favorite for a hearty meal and a chance to eat crab or reindeer with your eggs
• Coastal Trail – work off breakfast by taking a stroll-with-a-view of Cook Inlet and saying hi to the Captain on the way
• Anchorage Museum or Alaska Native Heritage Museum – learn about Alaskan history and see historical artifacts
• Anchorage Market & Festival – if it’s the weekend this is a chance to shop for local goods and meet the creators
• Alaska Wildberry Products – World’s largest chocolate waterfall! Watch a chocolate factory in production 
• Leave Anchorage – return your car and fly home

Alaska Itinerary Conclusion

And there you have it folks! A Southcentral Alaska itinerary I would follow. If you have any questions please reach out, I’d love to answer them!

One thing you may notice is that I didn’t include a trip to Denali. Why you ask? A few reasons.

One, you have about a 30% chance of seeing the mountain from the park. If you are in Talkeetna on a clear day you will already have seen it.

Two, as far as terrain goes, it’s very similar to Hatcher’s Pass tundra so you won’t have missed out on that.

Three, it’s a lot of driving.

However, if you really want to see some bears, sheep and caribou in the wild this is probably the best chance of seeing them. It’s all about priorities and Denali isn’t mine.