The Perfect 5 Day Alaska Trip Itinerary

Alaska has been on my bucket list for so long and I am very glad that I got to celebrate my birthday in this beautiful state recently. This state is huge and is perfect for an ultimate road trip with unbeatable views. If you are looking for a quick 5-day fall or winter road trip in Alaska, you have come to the right spot! I cover all the things you can do around Anchorage and Fairbanks in this blog.

Read along for our itinerary where I share what we did during our trip with all the details and helpful tips. This post also has a lot of suggestions and recommendations that you can use to extend your Alaska vacation! Also, head out to my Instagram Alaska story highlights to see travel tales from our trip.

Did you know that this beautiful state has about 100,000 glaciers?

QUICK TIPS FOR A FALL TRIP IN ALASKA

1. September and October are the fall months in Alaska and the temperatures are around  50°F to 35°F in the southern part of Alaska (Anchorage, Seward, Homer).
2. Make sure to dress in layers as the weather is very unpredictable and changes drastically in a span of few minutes.
3. While there is a good chance to view the Aurora Borealis during this shoulder season, the winter months of November to March offer a better chance of spotting the northern lights.
4. You can expect snowfall in as early as mid-September in Alaska, so make sure to check for road closures and conditions as you plan your trip

With that being said, let’s jump into the 5-day fall trip itinerary to Alaska!

Day 0: Fly into Anchorage

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. Though it is urban compared to other parts of the state, Anchorage is equally beautiful and offers gorgeous views of snow-capped mountains and glaciers right from the airport! We got our rental car and checked into our hotel to get some good rest before we venture out on a very memorable road trip.

DAY 1: KNIK GLACIER

Drive to Knik River Lodge

It is about an hour’s drive from Anchorage to the Knik river lodge. The drive is very scenic and you are greeted by mountains and glaciers throughout. In Alaska, the journey is as beautiful as the destination no matter which location you are headed to so make sure to give yourself enough time to make impromptu pit stops along the way. The helicopter tours to the Knik Glacier start from the Knik River lodge.

Glacier Landing Tour

The helicopter glacier landing tour is my most favorite part of our Alaska trip and I highly recommend taking this tour. The Knik Glacier is 25miles long and 5miles across. Just being there surrounded by the majestic glaciers is one of the most surreal things I’ve ever experienced. Here is everything you need to know about the Knik glacier landing tour :

• The Knik Glacier is a 400-foot wall of ice in the Chugach Mountains.
• The helicopters take off from the Knik river lodge which is about an hour drive from Anchorage.
• We did the 60 minute Knik landing tour which costed around $400 per person.
• The pilot acts as a guide upon landing and also provides crampons/spikes for shoes for us to explore. It’s very slippery without those.
• You get to see glacier pools, witness ice breaking off from the glacier walls and taste pure glacier water.

Turkey Red

As the restaurant in the Knik River Lodge restaurant is only open on weekends, we headed into Palmer for lunch. Turkey Red is a really cute restaurant that serves organic, local food! Their hot chocolate is pretty famous and was perfect after the glacier tour. We tried their grilled polenta with pesto, portobello mushroom sandwich and cauliflower soup. Do save some space for dessert here after your meal, we loved the chocolate mousse tart!

Hatcher Pass & Hatcher Pass Lodge

This is truly a hidden gem in Alaska! Have you heard of the Hatcher pass? Like the name suggests, it is a mountain pass through the southwest part of the Talkeetna Mountains connecting the towns of Palmer and Wasilla. This drive is very scenic and is a must-do on your Alaska road trip! Also, the Hatcher pass is open between July and September. So make sure to check for road and weather conditions.

While driving along the Hatcher Pass, make sure to stop at the Hatcher pass lodge. It’s a row of pretty little red cabins surrounded by mountains and makes for a perfect dreamy storybook location.

DAY 2: SEWARD HIGHWAY

It’s about 1.5 hours drive from Anchorage to Seward along one of the most scenic highways in Alaska. You get to see gorgeous views of the Pacific ocean, glaciers, mountains, whales, waterfalls and so much more along this drive. Irrespective of the season that you visit, definitely make this a part of your Alaska road trip itinerary.

Turningarm lookout

You can enjoy views of the Turningarm shoreline for almost 50 miles along the Seward Highway. This beautiful mountainous coastline has multiple viewpoints and lookouts that you can pull into.

Beluga View Point

This lookout point is great for whale watching. Usually, it’s easier to spot whales here during late spring and summer but we were lucky to see a beluga whale during the fall.

Virgin Creek Falls

If a waterfall hike through a magical rainforest sounds exciting to you, then you must definitely add Virgin Creek Falls to your list of stops on your Anchorage to Seward road trip. Alaska is filled with so many hidden gems and the Virgin Creek falls is one of them! These beautiful waterfalls located in Girdwood transports you into something out of a fairytale. It’s a short hike with extremely rewarding views and can be done in under 30 minutes.

Portage Glacier

Portage Glacier is located about 40 miles from Anchorage and the entire area around the glacier and the Portage lake is very beautiful. We were short on time and couldn’t do this but you can take a boat tour to the Portage Glacier to get closer views.

Kenai Fjords National Park tips

This gorgeous national park with miles of glaciers is a fantastic summer destination. You can choose from various cruise options to explore the glaciers and view the wildlife or you can also hike the Exit Glacier which is is gorgeous. I can’t wait to go back during the summer specifically for this National park and to experience the midnight sun in Alaska.

DAY 3: FAIRBANKS & NORTH POLE

Fly to Fairbanks

Since we were short on time, we took a flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The flight is around 45minutes. If you don’t want to fly, you can easily continue with the Alaska road trip and extend your vacation by 2-3 days and drive to Fairbanks. Make sure to add Denali to this Anchorage to Fairbanks road trip itinerary and a couple of other potential stops such as Matanuska Glacier, Valdez, or Glacier View depending on what you want to explore.

Museum of the North

It’s a great way to start your Fairbanks trip with the Museum of the North to learn about the history, culture, wildlife, and native art of Alaska. This pretty museum is located on a hilltop with a view overlooking Fairbanks. It’s $16 per person and you can plan to spend around 2 hours in this museum.

North Pole

Visiting the North Pole in Alaska was such a fun experience! This cute little town close to the Arctic circle is very charming and has the most adorable street names. Who wouldn’t want to live on Snowman street or Mistletoe lane? Don’t miss out on taking a picture at the ‘Welcome to North Pole’ sign while you are here. Also, make sure to stop at the North Pole Crepery for some yummy crepes.

Santa House

A big attraction at the North Pole is the Santa Haus where you can buy some Christmas goodies, enjoy hot chocolate, tour the elves workshop and actually meet Santa!! You can also send out postcards from here to friends and family around the world with the North Pole stamp.

DAY 4: CHENA HOT SPRINGS & DALTON HIGHWAY

Drive to Chena Hot Springs

Chena hot springs are located about an hour away from Fairbanks. We visited Fairbanks in the last week of September and I did not expect to land in a winter wonderland! But the drive from Fairbanks to Chena hot springs turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip! We were literally driving through a winter wonderland and the views were stunning. I had to pull over and get a road shot in this magical winter paradise!

Lunch at Restaurant

The Chena Hot Springs restaurant is a super cute place that serves local Alaskan food and we loved every bit of our experience here. The restaurant area also has a cute gift shop with a lot of local crafts and souvenirs.

Aurora Ice Museum

One of the unique experiences that the Chena Hot Springs resort offers is the Aurora ice museum. This museum has ice chandeliers, sculptures, mini castles, and a complete ice bar with cool neon lighting and ice stools to enjoy your drink! The entry costs $15 per person and it’s another $15 to get an appletini drink in the museum. I would recommend getting the drink as well as it’s a very fun experience to sit at a bar completely made of ice and sip the martini out of a glass completely made of ice.

Hot Springs

Chena Hot Springs are the most accessible hot springs in the area and I loved my experience here!! The combo of freezing temperatures and a warm hot spring soak is an indescribable feeling. Here’s everything you need to know for your visit to the Chena Hot Springs:

• The water here stay around 106F all year long
• You don’t have to stay in the resort to access the hot springs
• You need to have swimwear to enter the hot springs
• Cost: $15 for the hot springs, $5 for the towels and $1 for the locker

Dalton Highway & Arctic Circle

The Dalton Highway is one of the northern-most roads in the world. It is 415miles long and it crosses the arctic circle. There are many tours that head out from Fairbanks for a day trip to the Arctic circle. It takes about 14 hours total trip time and you also get a “Cross the Circle-Certificate” at the Arctic circle. This is a cool thing to do if you have time. You can also alternatively fly from Fairbanks to the Arctic circle.

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)

Fairbanks is one of the top 5 best places in the world to view the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights. November to March are the best months to see the green lady in its full glory. There is a good chance to see the northern lights in the shoulder period of September – October and in April depending on the activity. It was very cloudy when we visited towards the end of September and we couldn’t see the lights though the activity was high. Even if you don’t see the lights with your naked eye, take a picture if the sky is clear and the chances are that your camera will capture the lights. There are also multiple tours from Fairbanks that head out every night to various viewpoints around the city. It’s recommended to stay in Fairbanks for at least 3 nights to improve your chances of seeing the Aurora.

In Conclusion, Alaska is an amazing place to visit no matter the season and you will be greeted with breath-taking views! If you have an Anchorage or Fairbanks recommendation that’s not on my list, let me know in the comments section below. And if you have any questions about my trips or are looking for any specific Alaska trip information, feel free to DM me on Instagram.

Happy Exploring! ♥️

ABOUT ME

Hello, I am Deeksha! A passionate Instagram travel & lifestyle blogger, sharing my experiences and travel tips from across the globe. The Travelista Tales is the visual expression of my travel tales, personal style and lifestyle picks. Believing in the motto of ‘Dream, Discover & Explore’, my goal is to create an interactive and engaged community of travel lovers.

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