National Parks near Anchorage. When you think about the Last Frontier then think about glaciers, national parks, the vast wilderness, Northern lights and the midnight sun. Alaska’s got it going on!
In this article, we’ll familiarize you with the incredible national parks near Anchorage.
I’ve been to so many of these amazing places since retiring from teaching in 2018. Did I mention that I taught history? I spent a lifetime teaching about the history behind these momentous sites. Then I got to see them firsthand. And now I’m sharing the stories of these incredible places with you. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Now let’s go ahead with 5 reasons why you’ll want to travel from Anchorage to one of these incredible places.
Table Of Contents | Anchorage National Parks
- Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Anchorage?
- Meet The Parks Brothers
- Which of Alaska’s National Parks Can You Drive To?
- Denali National Park
- Katmai National Park
- Kenai Fjords National Park
- Lake Clark National Park
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
- Map Of National Parks Near Anchorage
Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Anchorage?
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Meet The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
Which of Alaska’s National Parks Can You Drive To?
You can drive to 3 of Alaska’s 8 national parks. The Alaska national parks you can drive to are Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell St Elias National Park.
Denali National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park are both accessible by train and bus.
The parks that are exclusively accessed by small planes are Lake Clark National Park, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Katmai National Park.
Best National Parks Near Anchorage
1. Denali National Park
Distance From Anchorage: Four hours via AK-3 N.
Alaska’s flagship national park named for its tallest mountain which happens to be the highest peak in North America, Denali is on every park-goers bucket list. The breadth of this mountain is hard to appreciate and so is the size of the park itself at 6.1 million acres.
Denali also happens to be one of the most accessible Alaskan national parks with limited driving access, bus access that gets you further, visitor center, campgrounds, and the famous car lottery.
Best Things to Do Denali National Park
- Bus Tour – Take the bus deep into the park and experience America’s greatest frontier up close and personal.
- Bike Tour – Rent a bike and take it past where the private cars can go experiencing all of the park’s greatest wonders in the open air.
- Hike the Savage Alpine Trail – If you’re feeling adventurous then we highly recommend you hike the Savage Alpine Trail (8miles RT / 1500ft elevation gain). This hike is widely considered one of the best hikes in the park and is accessible via the Savage River area.
- Wildlife – Denali is home to a wide array of apex predators and unbelievable wildlife including grizzly bears, bald eagles, caribou, porcupines, and more.
- Camping – Take the bus to a campsite and spend the night in Alaska’s flagship national park on a bucket list experience.
To learn everything you need to know before traveling to this national park check out our article:
8 AMAZING Alaska National Parks: Helpful Guide For Visiting
2. Katmai National Park
Distance From Anchorage: 253 miles.
You can not drive to Katmai, Brooks Camp, or King Salmon from Anchorage, Alaska. Most destinations in Katmai National Park & Preserve are directly accessed via air taxi flights from Anchorage, Dillingham, Homer, King Salmon, Kodiak, and other nearby Alaska towns and villages.
Katmai National Park is one of the most famous Alaska national parks given the amount of social media traffic it gets each summer and fall.
We’ve all seen the famous bearcam of the grizzlies savagely hunting salmon at Brooks Falls, and we all want to see that in person (safely behind the plexiglass viewing area) along with the countless other hard-to-fathom landscapes that exist within this amazing park.
Best Things to Do Katmai National Park
- Brooks Falls Bear Watching – The world famous Katmai National Park bear camera resides at Brooks Falls. Getting to Brooks Falls is not cheap requiring yet another non-commercial flight. From King Salmon it the cost to Brooks Falls is around $300. Once here, behold the best bear viewing on the planet via a safe viewing platform.
- Fishing – There is a reason the bears congregate in such numbers at Brooks Falls – world class salmon runs down the Brooks River. This makes for world class fishing opportunities.
- See the Valley of 10,000 Smokes – Katmai National Park is home to some epic volcanic landscapes, perhaps none as famous or breathtaking as the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. From Brooks Camp, bus tours are available to this spectacular valley. The tour costs about $100 round trip with lunch included.
- Flight-Seeing Katmai National Park – The best way to get a grasp of the scale and scope of Katmai National Park’s epic volcanic landscape is via the air. Flight-seeing tours from Brooks run just over $200 per person for an hour of flight time.
To learn everything you need to know before traveling to this national park check out our article:
8 AMAZING Alaska National Parks: Helpful Guide For Visiting
3. Kenai Fjords National Park
Distance From Anchorage: Two hours & 15 minutes via AK-1 S & State Hwy 9.
Kenai Fjords is perhaps the most accessible of Alaska’s national parks. Unlike most other national parks in Alaska, there is actual driving in the park (however limited) that allows access to hiking trails.
At Kenai Fjords you go on epic hikes, take once in a lifetime boat tours, see massive glaciers, spot stunning wildlife, and more.
There’s also regular boat tours out of Seward that take visitors by many of the most breathtaking areas and sites.
Couple that with it’s close proximity to the major city of Anchorage with regular commercial flights and we’ve got ourselves a real winner.
Best Things to Do
- Hike The Harding Ice Field Trail – This is the most popular hike in Kenai Fjords National Park. The entire hike is 8 miles round trip and is considered strenuous as there is over 4000ft of elevation gain.
- See Exit Glacier – Alternatively you can do the shorter route up to exit glacier which is an easy hike that gives hikers great, up close views of a live glacier!
- Go on a scenic ferry tour – Take a day to tour the park the best way, via ferry! This is the best way to see the park as you cover a lot of ground and see some incredible wildlife and scenery up close.
- Go Kayaking – Kayaking is available in Resurrection Bay via water taxis (for a backcountry trip) or via a guided tour from Seward.
To learn everything you need to know before traveling to this national park check out our article:
8 AMAZING Alaska National Parks: Helpful Guide For Visiting
4. Lake Clark National Park
Distance From Anchorage: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is located north of Katmai National Park, 65 air miles northwest of Homer, and about 120 air miles southwest of Anchorage.
Lake Clark is home to some of the most extraordinary landscape scenery on the planet. This Alaska National Park is another one sculpted by glaciers and volcanic activity.
Add in the vast array of wildlife present in the park and you’ve got a real home run.
The only problem, as is the case with most of the Alaska parks, is getting there. Getting to Lake Clark, while not quite as difficult as Gates of the Arctic or Kobuk Valley, is still pretty darn tough. Visitors must take a small plane to reach jumping off points into the park.
The cost for all this? Substantial.
Best Things to Do
- Proenneke’s Cabin – Visit this historic cabin featured in a PBS documentary set in the stunning wilderness of Lake Clark National Park.
- Wildlife Viewing – Lake Clark National Park is one of the brown bear viewing capitols of the world not to mention moose, eagles, and all sorts of other spectacular wildlife.
- Canoeing & Kayaking – Lake Clark National Park is home to some of the most breath-taking water activities on the planet. Take a canoe or kayak out onto Lake Clark itself and experience it for yourself.
- Fishing – Wild salmon and beautiful trout are the name of the game in this world-class fishing.
- Day Hikes – Take a scenic hike through beautiful Alaskan scenery from Port Alsworth.
To learn everything you need to know before traveling to this national park check out our article:
8 AMAZING Alaska National Parks: Helpful Guide For Visiting
5. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Distance From Anchorage: Four hours & 30 minutes via AK-1 N.
Wrangell is an Alaska national park full of superlatives and a world unto itself. It is a park of otherworldly and seemingly impossible landscapes.
The difference at Wrangell vs some of Alaska’s national parks is that you can take a car and drive to some of them.
Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest in the US at over 13 million acres. The park features 9 of the 16 tallest mountain peaks in the country.
If Wrangell were a state, it would be larger than Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
Best Things To Do
- Explore the Historic Kennecot Mine – Many (if not most) of the photos you’ll see of Wrangell St. Elias National Park feature the beautiful and historic Kennecot Mine. Take the shuttle to the mine and soak it in!
- Hike the Root Glacier Trail – Just past the Kennecot Mine is the incredible (and massive) Root Glacier. The trail up to and out on the Glacier is incredibly scenic and not to be missed!
- Drive the McCarthy Road or Nabesna Road – If you’ve got the right (4WD) vehicle we highly recommend a drive down one or both of the park’s roads. Wildlife, camping, scenery, and hiking abound with few other folks.
- Take a Scenic Flight – The absolute best way to make the most of your time and see the park’s grandeur is by air. If you’ve got the budget, flight-seeing in Wrangell is nothing short of epic.
To learn everything you need to know before traveling to this national park check out our article:
8 AMAZING Alaska National Parks: Helpful Guide For Visiting
Map Of National Parks Near Anchorage
List Of National Parks Near Anchorage
- Denali National Park
- Katmai National Park
- Kenai Fjords National Park
- Lake Clark National Park
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
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