ANCHORAGE – GOLD RUSH TOWN AND GATEWAY TO INCOMPARABLE NATURAL BEAUTY
Just traveling to Anchorage to get to know any travel destination in the USA? Very few visitors come to Alaska’s largest city for such a simple reason. Anyone who takes this long journey has more plans.
According to campingship, because Anchorage is the ideal starting point to get to know the northernmost and easternmost state of the USA in all its beauty and scenic drama. Five really breathtaking national parks (for example Denali National Park) can be easily reached from there. Nevertheless, with all the love for the wilderness and adventure, one should definitely not neglect the city itself. Despite its young history, Anchorage has a lot to offer that is unique and worth seeing. It starts with the skyline in front of the snow-covered chain of glaciers and does not end with “fellow human beings” such as bears, elks, wolves and foxes in the middle of the city.
From tent city to international hub
Almost 300,000 people live in Anchorage, which is both the economic and cultural center of Alaska. The city is still very young, it was only officially founded in 1915. As is often the case in the US, Anchorage owes its existence to the construction of the railroad. The “Alaska Railroad” set up their headquarters here. Where previously so few people had lived that their family names are still known today, a tent city was now being built at breakneck speed. Not only the railway construction workers lived here, but also gold prospectors. At the end of the 19th century America had bought the area from the Russians; only a few years later there were the first gold discoveries. Thanks to the economic rise, the tent city quickly transformed into a collection of solid, functional functional buildings, which did not have great architectural demands. But even of them there is hardly anything left today. On Good Friday 1964, Anchorage was struck by a devastating earthquake that destroyed most of the buildings. The oldest structure that still stands today was designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was inaugurated in 1924. Despite the great entrance hall in the style of Art Deco, visitors don’t necessarily want to get to know the building. This is the “City Hospital”. comes from the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was inaugurated in 1924. Despite the great entrance hall in the style of Art Deco, visitors don’t necessarily want to get to know the building. This is the “City Hospital”. comes from the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was inaugurated in 1924. Despite the great entrance hall in the style of Art Deco, visitors don’t necessarily want to get to know the building. This is the “City Hospital”.
What scared the residents back then is now a destination for tourists. In the “Earthquake Park” at Point Woronzof (Northern Light Boulevard) one not only has an unforgettable view of three active volcanoes, but also of the “Cook Inlet”; the bay on which Anchorage stretches. It was named after Captain James Cook, who discovered it in 1778. Speaking of water: Anchorage is of central importance to Alaska not only because of its international airport. The city is also home to the largest sea airport in the world.
About whales, musk ox and moss
Anyone who has always wanted to take off or land on the water in an airplane has come to the right place at the “Lake Hood” water airport. The offices of the so-called bush pilots, with which you can start day trips, crowd around the liquid runways. This is also a wonderful opportunity for people who are not very good on foot or with children to get an impression of the nature of Alaska. There are about half-day excursions from Lake Hood that lead to bear watching in Lake Clark National Park – to name just one example.
The flora and fauna of this state can of course be experienced up close in the national parks. But it is also possible to do this in Anchorage more comfortably and, above all, without any risk. In the “Fort Richardson Wildlife Museum” (Glenn Highway, alaska.org/detail/alaska-wildlife-museum) visitors encounter specimens from the region; those who are interested in plants are in the “Alaska Botanical Garden” (Campbell Airstrip Road, alaskabg.org) correct. There the visitor gets to know in an entertaining way all those trees, bushes, mosques, flowers and herbs that can compete with the harsh climate of Alaska.
Back to the often majestic wildlife of Alaska. In spring and autumn, the “Resolution Park” (3rd Avenue / L-Street, alaska.org/detail/resolution-park-captain-cook-monument), to which Captain James Cook is dedicated, to watch beluga whales. At the “Alaska Zoo” (O’Malley Road, alaskazoo.org) over 35 species of wild animals live. The spectrum ranges from black and brown bears to musk oxen to wolves and local sheep.
At night the bear is tapping in Anchorage
If the impression now arises that Anchorage has something to offer exclusively for nature lovers, then that is wrong. In this big city the visitor can of course also go out and shop – after all, you’re in the USA. The city’s fish restaurants, for example, enjoy an excellent reputation, and their products are hard to beat in terms of freshness and purity. From the simple fish roast kitchen to the gourmet temple, there is something for every taste and budget. Not infrequently, along with a good meal, the guest is also offered great views over Cook Inlet or the skyline of Anchorage. Or a giant stuffed polar bear greets guests in the lobby. This is about in the “Captain Cook Hotel” (5th Avenue / K-Street, captaincook.com) whose rooftop restaurant has some of the best views in town.
After dinner, you won’t get bored in Anchorage either. In this city people traditionally pass the long nights with a lot of live music and swing their legs enthusiastically. So it’s no wonder that guests can choose from various saloons. The establishment “Chilcoot Charlie’s” (1071 West 25th Avenue, koots.com), which can also be rustic. Night after night the bear tapers on three dance floors (only proverbially!), And thirst is quenched at eleven counters. Was it so hot among the native people of Alaska? If you want to learn something about them, visit the “Alaska Native Heritage Center” (8800 Heritage Center Drive, alaskanative.net), which also offers the opportunity to meet the indigenous people.
Anchorage in a nutshell
- Ideal starting point for tours in Denali National Park, Katmai National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park
- Enjoy the view of the Cook Inlet and the active volcanoes Mount Susitna, Mount Redoubt and Mount Spurr from the “Earthquake Park”
- Visit the largest water airport in the world at “Lake Hood”
- Alaskan wildlife awaits – stuffed – at the Fort Richardson Wildlife Museum
- In the “Alaska Botanical Garden” the entire flora unfolds
- Watch beluga whales in “Resolution Park”
- Bears, musk ox and wolves live in the “Alaska Zoo”
