Things to Do

children walk along a trail with park rangers during Denali Kids Camp
Taking a walk with a park ranger is a great way to spend a day in a national park. These kids are enjoying Family Camp in Denali National Park & Preserve in 2014.

NPS Photo/Josh Spice

In need of some inspiration? There are tons of great activities to enjoy in Alaska's national parklands. Visit a park website or discover things to do below to see some of the ways you can experience Alaska with the National Park Service. To find information on transportation and guide services in the parks, visit the Directory of Commercial Visitor Services Providers.

Looking for trip planning? Learn about Trip Ideas in Alaska's national parks.

Showing results 1-10 of 107

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Experience the Huna Tribal House

    • Type: Self-Guided Tours - Walking
    • Locations: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
    • Duration: 1-3 Hours
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Bartlett Cove
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day
    a large building with traditional alaska native carvings on the front at sunset

    Take a walk on the Łingít trail to see the first permanent clan house in Glacier Bay since Łingít villages were destroyed by an advancing glacier over 250 years ago.

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Sightsee on a Denali Tour Bus

    • Type: Bus/Shuttle Guided Tour
    • Duration: 4-6 Hours
    • Reservations: Yes
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Varies
    • Season: Summer
    • Time Of Day: Day
    a bus driving on a dirt road on the side of a mountain

    Summer sight-seeing in Denali is mainly done by bus, and there are several trips to choose from. Narrated tour bus trips are more expensive than non-narrated transit buses. From high up in a bus, it becomes possible to look over roadside brush, allowing you to enjoy the incredible scenery (and wildlife sightings, too!).

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Explore Mountain Vista & Savage River

    • Type: Front-Country Hiking
    • Duration: 2-6 Hours
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Savage River
    • Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day, Night, Dawn, Dusk
    a shallow river flowing between mountains

    While most of Denali’s sole road is restricted just to bus traffic, anybody can drive out to Mountain Vista and Savage River. Located about 15 miles inside the park, the area is scenic, featuring several trails (some short, one long) and a picnic area.

    • Type: Junior Ranger Program
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: Yes
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day
    the cover of a Jr. Ranger Book with a stylized image of three totem poles

    Become a Junior Ranger! Learn about Tlingit culture, the rainforest, Russian American history, and the coastal environment. You'll earn an official badge so that you will not forget how important you are to the National Park Service.

  • Katmai National Park & Preserve

    Become A Katmai Jr. Ranger

    • Type: Junior Ranger Program
    • Duration: 30-90 Minutes
    • Reservations: No
    • Age: 5-99 years old
    • Pets: No
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day, Night, Dawn, Dusk
    Front cover of the Jr. Ranger Book featuring Jr. Ranger badge, artistic rendering of a bear and moun

    Take your stewardship to the next level by earning your Junior Ranger Badge.

  • Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

    Fishing at Wrangell-St. Elias

    • Type: Fishing
    • Duration: 1-8 Hours
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: Yes
    • Location: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
    Person fishing at a lake

    Sport fishing in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park offers many opportunities. Arctic grayling, dolly varden, lake trout, steelhead/rainbow trout, whitefish, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, and chinook salmon are widespread. Nothern Pike, cutthroat trout, chum salmon and pink salmon are also available in select areas. Local residents catch burbot, lake trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish through the ice in the winter.

  • Kenai Fjords National Park

    Explore Kenai Fjords by Boat

    • Type: Boat Tour
    • Duration: 3-9 Hours
    • Reservations: Yes
    • Pets: No
    • Location: The fjords of Kenai Fjords National Park
    • Season: Summer
    • Time Of Day: Day
    passengers on a tour boat watch a humpback whale jump out of the water.

    Boat tours depart Seward's small boat harbor daily during the summer months, making it easy to travel deeper into the park.

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Kayak the Beardslees

    • Type: Kayaking
    • Duration: 1-3 Days
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Beardslee Islands
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day
    an aerial image of the beardslee islands on a clear day

    If you’re visiting Glacier Bay on a budget, one of the more accessible wilderness areas of the park is the Beardslee Islands. Kayak through these peaceful, wild waters and look for wildlife along the shoreline for a true Glacier Bay adventure.

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Hike the Trails at Bartlett Cove

    • Type: Hiking
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Bartlett Cove
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day, Dawn, Dusk
    a wooden boardwalk in a dense, mossy rainforest

    Bartlett Cove has the only developed trails in the park. The forests and shorelines offer great hiking opportunities through a beautiful setting and a chance to see all manner of wildlife. Spend some time, stretch your legs, and discover the wonders of the park!

  • Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

    Camp at Bartlett Cove

    • Type: Camping
    • Duration: 1-3 Days
    • Reservations: No
    • Pets: No
    • Location: Bartlett Cove Campground
    • Season: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    • Time Of Day: Day, Night, Dawn, Dusk
    a blue tent at a wooded campsite

    The Bartlett Cove Campground is steps away from incredible views of the Fairweather Mountains and the bay. Spend a night in this enchanting rainforest campground and listen to whales from where you sleep.

Last updated: April 8, 2022