Alaska by road:
anchorage, Seward, glaciers & the places worth stopping for
Alaska is one of those places where the drive is part of the trip.
Actually, sometimes the drive is the best part of the trip.
You can fly into Anchorage, rent a car and within a few hours be surrounded by glaciers, mountains, waterfalls and water so blue it looks Photoshopped. This is not a trip where I would plant myself in one hotel for a week and call it done.
Get the car.
You’re going to want it.
Flying Into Anchorage
For this itinerary, fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC).
Anchorage is the easiest jumping-off point for both Seward and the Matanuska Glacier area, and having your own vehicle gives you considerably more freedom than trying to build the trip around transfers and tour buses.
Traditional rental-car companies operate from the airport’s Rental Car Center, but there’s another option worth checking before you book: Turo at Anchorage International Airport.
Check Turo Before Booking a Traditional Rental Car
Alaska rental cars can get expensive, particularly during summer.
I’ve found Turo can be the better rate, so it’s worth comparing the total cost—not just the advertised daily rate—with the major rental companies before booking.
Turo currently allows Anchorage airport pickup, with hosts arranging vehicles at approved airport parking areas. The exact pickup and return instructions come through your host in the app.
One piece of advice: don’t automatically rent the biggest SUV you can find because you’re going to Alaska.
For this particular itinerary, you’re primarily traveling established highways. Pick something comfortable and appropriate for the season, check the tires, understand your rental’s rules about unpaved roads, and save the monster-truck fantasy for another day.
Anchorage to Seward: Don’t Rush This Drive Technically, Anchorage to Seward is about a 2½–3 hour drive. I wouldn’t plan on doing it in 2½ hours. Not because the road necessarily takes longer—but because you’re going to keep wanting to stop. The Seward Highway follows Turnagain Arm before continuing through the mountains toward the Kenai Peninsula. It’s the kind of drive where “I’ll just pull over for one picture” becomes half an hour remarkably quickly. Give yourself the better part of the day if you can. This isn’t dead time between destinations. This is Alaska. Look out the window. Where to Stay in Seward My pick is Hotel Seward. Hotel Seward The hotel dates to 1905 and sits right in historic downtown Seward, within walking distance of the Alaska SeaLife Center, restaurants, shops and the waterfront. It has considerably more personality than a generic chain hotel, which is exactly what I want somewhere like Alaska. One thing to pay attention to when booking: Hotel Seward has different room styles, including its historic accommodations, so read the exact room description rather than assuming every room has the same setup. The hotel currently lists complimentary parking, Wi-Fi, guest laundry and an on-site seasonal restaurant. What to Do in Seward Seward is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, and this is where I’d spend money on experiences rather than trying to fill every hour with inexpensive little attractions. You came all the way to Alaska. Get near the ice. Exit Glacier, Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords are the obvious starting points, and wildlife viewing can include whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions, puffins and eagles depending on the excursion and plain old luck. And then there’s kayaking.
Liquid Adventures: Get on the Water Liquid Adventures is a locally owned Seward paddling company that’s been operating since 2004. They specialize in small-group kayak and paddleboard trips around Kenai Fjords, including some genuinely spectacular glacier experiences. Liquid Adventures One of the standouts is Bear Glacier iceberg kayaking. Their current trip is roughly 5½ hours, with about 2½ hours paddling, and groups are kept small. You’ll travel out toward Bear Glacier Lagoon and paddle among the icebergs rather than simply looking at the glacier from a boat. For a bigger day, look at their Aialik Glacier wildlife cruise and kayaking trip. It’s roughly a 10-hour excursion combining the trip through Kenai Fjords with several hours of kayaking. They also run the Aialik/Northwestern Explorer, overnight kayak camping and other longer adventures. Their current site lists the Aialik/Northwestern Explorer from $419 per person, although prices and seasonal offerings can change. And if arriving at the ice by boat isn’t dramatic enough for you… They offer helicopter-access Bear Glacier paddling as well. The current helicopter-access option is listed around $750 per person. Because apparently simply kayaking around icebergs wasn’t sufficiently Alaska. Yes, Take a Helicopter Seward is one of those rare places where paying for a scenic flight actually makes sense to me. Seward Helicopter Tours offers everything from scenic glacier flights to glacier landings, glacier dog sledding, alpine hiking and even excursions to Bear Glacier Lagoon. Their current scenic options start around $279 per person, with longer Bear Glacier and Grand View flights costing more. Because coastal weather can interfere with flying, the operator recommends scheduling a helicopter excursion early in your Seward stay so there’s a chance to reschedule if weather cancels your flight. That is one Alaska splurge I’d build into the budget from the beginning rather than deciding at the last minute. Where to Eat in Seward Alaska is not the place where I want to eat at restaurants I could find anywhere else. For a proper dinner, start with The Cookery. It’s a small Seward restaurant with a seafood-focused, seasonal approach—and one of the places I’d actually make a point of eating rather than simply stopping because I’m hungry. For something considerably more casual, The Porthole is down by the Small Boat Harbor and is known for breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches and coffee. It’s exactly the sort of place I want before getting on a boat at an unreasonable hour. Then there’s Ray’s Waterfront for seafood with harbor views, and Exit Glacier Salmon Bake if you’re heading toward Exit Glacier and want something rustic rather than polished. And when you’ve eaten enough seafood to temporarily become one yourself, Lone Chicharron Taqueria gives you tacos, burritos and tortas instead. Now Drive North: Matanuska Glacier
This deserves its own day. Matanuska Glacier is not near Seward, so don’t look at a map of Alaska, see two points and assume you’re popping over after breakfast. Alaska laughs at plans like that. The glacier is northeast of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway. If you’re combining Seward and Matanuska, I’d route the trip so you travel back through the Anchorage area and continue toward Palmer/Glacier View rather than treating it as a casual Seward day trip. And there are two very different ways to “visit” Matanuska. You can stop at the state recreation site for distant glacier views, but that does not provide access onto the glacier itself. To actually get onto the ice through the private access area, plan on a guided experience and verify current access rules before going. Current published information puts the state recreation site’s day-use vehicle fee around $7. Private glacier-access and guided-tour pricing is substantially higher and can change by operator and season. One current 2026 guide lists private access at $55 for adults and a discounted $30 category for Alaska residents, military and seniors, with guided tours adding roughly $100–$249 per person. Veterans should specifically ask whether the current military rate includes veterans before booking, because I couldn’t verify an official policy that explicitly says it does. That’s one discount I would never assume. Call first. Stop at the Noisy Goose Cafe And yes—Goose, not Otter. 😂 On the Palmer side of the Matanuska trip, stop at The Noisy Goose. It’s a local, old-school breakfast-and-lunch kind of place: big portions, comfort food and the sort of slightly quirky Alaska atmosphere that’s infinitely more interesting to me than eating at a chain on vacation. If you’re around Palmer later in the day, Palmer Alehouse is another option for pizza, burgers and pub food. The Trip I’d Actually Build I’d give Alaska enough time to breathe. Fly into Anchorage. Pick up the Turo. Drive the Seward Highway slowly. Spend several nights in Seward. Give one day to Kenai Fjords and kayaking, another to exploring around Seward and Exit Glacier, and put the helicopter toward the beginning of the stay so weather has less opportunity to ruin your plans. Then drive north through Anchorage toward Palmer and Matanuska. Walk on a glacier. Eat somewhere local. Pull over when something is beautiful. And resist the urge to turn Alaska into a checklist. Because this is one place where getting from Point A to Point B isn’t something you endure so you can get to the attraction. Getting there is half the attraction. A Note About Alaska Prices Alaska is seasonal, and prices for rental cars, hotels and excursions can change substantially by date. The prices above are examples of published 2026 rates I checked while writing this guide, not promises of what you’ll pay for a future trip. Always check the operator’s current price and cancellation policy before booking. And don’t build an Alaska itinerary so tightly that rain, fog or wind can destroy the whole thing. Alaska gets the final say.
Anchorage to Seward: Don’t Rush This Drive Technically, Anchorage to Seward is about a 2½–3 hour drive. I wouldn’t plan on doing it in 2½ hours. Not because the road necessarily takes longer—but because you’re going to keep wanting to stop. The Seward Highway follows Turnagain Arm before continuing through the mountains toward the Kenai Peninsula. It’s the kind of drive where “I’ll just pull over for one picture” becomes half an hour remarkably quickly. Give yourself the better part of the day if you can. This isn’t dead time between destinations. This is Alaska. Look out the window. Where to Stay in Seward My pick is Hotel Seward. Hotel Seward The hotel dates to 1905 and sits right in historic downtown Seward, within walking distance of the Alaska SeaLife Center, restaurants, shops and the waterfront. It has considerably more personality than a generic chain hotel, which is exactly what I want somewhere like Alaska. One thing to pay attention to when booking: Hotel Seward has different room styles, including its historic accommodations, so read the exact room description rather than assuming every room has the same setup. The hotel currently lists complimentary parking, Wi-Fi, guest laundry and an on-site seasonal restaurant. What to Do in Seward Seward is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, and this is where I’d spend money on experiences rather than trying to fill every hour with inexpensive little attractions. You came all the way to Alaska. Get near the ice. Exit Glacier, Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords are the obvious starting points, and wildlife viewing can include whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions, puffins and eagles depending on the excursion and plain old luck. And then there’s kayaking.
Liquid Adventures: Get on the Water Liquid Adventures is a locally owned Seward paddling company that’s been operating since 2004. They specialize in small-group kayak and paddleboard trips around Kenai Fjords, including some genuinely spectacular glacier experiences. Liquid Adventures One of the standouts is Bear Glacier iceberg kayaking. Their current trip is roughly 5½ hours, with about 2½ hours paddling, and groups are kept small. You’ll travel out toward Bear Glacier Lagoon and paddle among the icebergs rather than simply looking at the glacier from a boat. For a bigger day, look at their Aialik Glacier wildlife cruise and kayaking trip. It’s roughly a 10-hour excursion combining the trip through Kenai Fjords with several hours of kayaking. They also run the Aialik/Northwestern Explorer, overnight kayak camping and other longer adventures. Their current site lists the Aialik/Northwestern Explorer from $419 per person, although prices and seasonal offerings can change. And if arriving at the ice by boat isn’t dramatic enough for you… They offer helicopter-access Bear Glacier paddling as well. The current helicopter-access option is listed around $750 per person. Because apparently simply kayaking around icebergs wasn’t sufficiently Alaska. Yes, Take a Helicopter Seward is one of those rare places where paying for a scenic flight actually makes sense to me. Seward Helicopter Tours offers everything from scenic glacier flights to glacier landings, glacier dog sledding, alpine hiking and even excursions to Bear Glacier Lagoon. Their current scenic options start around $279 per person, with longer Bear Glacier and Grand View flights costing more. Because coastal weather can interfere with flying, the operator recommends scheduling a helicopter excursion early in your Seward stay so there’s a chance to reschedule if weather cancels your flight. That is one Alaska splurge I’d build into the budget from the beginning rather than deciding at the last minute. Where to Eat in Seward Alaska is not the place where I want to eat at restaurants I could find anywhere else. For a proper dinner, start with The Cookery. It’s a small Seward restaurant with a seafood-focused, seasonal approach—and one of the places I’d actually make a point of eating rather than simply stopping because I’m hungry. For something considerably more casual, The Porthole is down by the Small Boat Harbor and is known for breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches and coffee. It’s exactly the sort of place I want before getting on a boat at an unreasonable hour. Then there’s Ray’s Waterfront for seafood with harbor views, and Exit Glacier Salmon Bake if you’re heading toward Exit Glacier and want something rustic rather than polished. And when you’ve eaten enough seafood to temporarily become one yourself, Lone Chicharron Taqueria gives you tacos, burritos and tortas instead. Now Drive North: Matanuska Glacier
This deserves its own day. Matanuska Glacier is not near Seward, so don’t look at a map of Alaska, see two points and assume you’re popping over after breakfast. Alaska laughs at plans like that. The glacier is northeast of Anchorage along the Glenn Highway. If you’re combining Seward and Matanuska, I’d route the trip so you travel back through the Anchorage area and continue toward Palmer/Glacier View rather than treating it as a casual Seward day trip. And there are two very different ways to “visit” Matanuska. You can stop at the state recreation site for distant glacier views, but that does not provide access onto the glacier itself. To actually get onto the ice through the private access area, plan on a guided experience and verify current access rules before going. Current published information puts the state recreation site’s day-use vehicle fee around $7. Private glacier-access and guided-tour pricing is substantially higher and can change by operator and season. One current 2026 guide lists private access at $55 for adults and a discounted $30 category for Alaska residents, military and seniors, with guided tours adding roughly $100–$249 per person. Veterans should specifically ask whether the current military rate includes veterans before booking, because I couldn’t verify an official policy that explicitly says it does. That’s one discount I would never assume. Call first. Stop at the Noisy Goose Cafe And yes—Goose, not Otter. 😂 On the Palmer side of the Matanuska trip, stop at The Noisy Goose. It’s a local, old-school breakfast-and-lunch kind of place: big portions, comfort food and the sort of slightly quirky Alaska atmosphere that’s infinitely more interesting to me than eating at a chain on vacation. If you’re around Palmer later in the day, Palmer Alehouse is another option for pizza, burgers and pub food. The Trip I’d Actually Build I’d give Alaska enough time to breathe. Fly into Anchorage. Pick up the Turo. Drive the Seward Highway slowly. Spend several nights in Seward. Give one day to Kenai Fjords and kayaking, another to exploring around Seward and Exit Glacier, and put the helicopter toward the beginning of the stay so weather has less opportunity to ruin your plans. Then drive north through Anchorage toward Palmer and Matanuska. Walk on a glacier. Eat somewhere local. Pull over when something is beautiful. And resist the urge to turn Alaska into a checklist. Because this is one place where getting from Point A to Point B isn’t something you endure so you can get to the attraction. Getting there is half the attraction. A Note About Alaska Prices Alaska is seasonal, and prices for rental cars, hotels and excursions can change substantially by date. The prices above are examples of published 2026 rates I checked while writing this guide, not promises of what you’ll pay for a future trip. Always check the operator’s current price and cancellation policy before booking. And don’t build an Alaska itinerary so tightly that rain, fog or wind can destroy the whole thing. Alaska gets the final say.
