Katt’s earliest memories were as a toddler on Kodiak Island where her dad was stationed in the Coast Guard, but had never been back. We decided to “break the mold” by doing a four-day trip to Anchorage in February 2025.
Anchorage – Day 1
On day one we flew non-stop on Alaska Air to Anchorage, 2:57 from takeoff until landing. During the flight, I could see a mountain rising far above the clouds off to our right that I immediately suspected was Mt St Elias at over 18,000 feet. Correct! What the 48 states considers mountains are merely foothills in Alaska!
ANC is a great airport and we were soon packing our skis into the rental car and driving to our locally family-owned hotel Snob Hollow Inn. Snob is a fantastic hideaway just a couple of blocks away from downtown and is highly recommended. 49th State Brewing is only a 3-minute walk away.
Our initial plan was to drive to Hilltop Ski Area the day we arrived on Presidents Day (Monday) to do some night skiing and get our ski legs under us. However, I apparently can’t read websites so when we arrived to an empty parking lot and closed ski area we were a little sad. Oof!
Dejected, we returned to the hotel and decided to walk a block to 49th Street Brewing for dinner. Although they have good food and beer, they seem more catered to the tourist crowd as opposed to a true locals pub. That said, their service was fantastic! Expect to spend a few dollars here.
Arctic Valley Ski Area – Day 2
Arctic Valley Ski Area is owned by the 501(c)(3) non-profit Anchorage Ski Club and is only 30 minutes from downtown! We paid $58 for lift tickets and skied our brains out in beautiful but firm conditions. The lodge has the same feel as Lookout or Lost Trail in Montana: family friendly, inexpensive chili, hot dogs, beer, and other concessions.
The ski area is adjacent to a ski area that was built by WW2 soldiers, see here: Arctic Valley Ski Bowl
We had a great day at Arctic, but our day wasn’t done! We drove back to Snob Hollow for a quick nap and then made off for our second ski area of the day, something we’d never done before!
Hilltop Ski Area – Day 2
20 minutes from the hotel at the edge of the city is the adorable Hilltop Ski Area, also a local non-profit. Hilltop has one fixed-grip triple lift, a Poma (platter) surface tow, beginner’s rope tow, and notably, some giant Olympic-size ski “yumps”- the Karl Eid Ski Jumping Complex (closed except for special events). Hilltop boasts 15 trails and a vertical rise of 294 feet!
We paid $28 for the last two hours of night skiing and thoroughly enjoyed the groomers, the view of Anchorage, a couple beers around the fire, and most entertainingly, the fact that we were certainly the only adult non-parents on the hill! A true family area!! Absolute blast!!
We were certainly the only adult non-parents on the hill
Hatcher Pass – Independence Mine State Historical Park – Day 3
Day 3 saw us driving about an hour north to Hatcher Pass, a popular backcountry ski area that, similar to Sno-Parks in the PNW, is plowed year-round. In the parking lot, there are opportunities for skiing in literally every direction- one is surrounded by countless peaks, couloirs, and tours!
We paid the nominal parking fee via credit card at the parking lot kiosk and skinned up the road toward the abandoned mine works. There’s a nice groomed loop cross-country skiers can follow. Once above the mine, we scouted some good lines but were having issues with the absolutely flat light- zero depth perception- which calls for “survival skiing” – more by feel than by vision.
We could see better without sunglasses/goggles, but barely. We gingerly made some first turns and then we were soon back at the mine buildings, where the light conditions improved and we had a great ridgetop ski back to the car! A great first backcountry tour in AK!!
Heading home we stopped at Matanuska Brewing in Palmer for a dinner and some tasty barley pops. I ordered the French Dip and Brussels Sprouts and they were excellent. The food and service were great and we were soon back in Anchorage.
Alaska Native Heritage Center and Flight home – Day 4
On our last day we returned to the phenomenal Snow City Cafe for a fantastic breakfast burrito and Stuffed French Toast (??Katt??) before packing up and heading to the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
The museum is only a few minutes from downtown Anchorage and a perfect way to fill a few hours after lunch before we made the short drive to the airport. Remember Anchorage is a really small town and it is easy to get from anywhere out to the airport quickly. Although off-season and undergoing renovations, the museum was still quite the experience learning about indigenous cultures.
One of the things I learned was words like “eskimo,” “Aleut,” and other words were bestowed upon the indigenous peoples by outsiders and not what the people called themselves. As such, the center highlights the contributions of all tribes and honors them with the names they give themselves.
On the flight home we paid for the upgraded premium seats and they were worth it, for the legroom alone! Since the premium Alaska seats include free drinks, the net cost is only around $20 bucks! If you’re going to imbibe, throw down a 20-spot and stretch those dogs!
Recommended places to eat and drink in Anchorage:
- Breakfast: Snow City Cafe
- Dinner: Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria or 49th State Brewing
- Late Night: F Street Station
- Dive: Pioneer Bar
- Brewery: Matanuska Brewery and Taproom (in Palmer)
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