This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and brands that I have used and loved.
Girdwood sounds like the name of a place that Robin Hood would live, and it kind of looks that way too. After some marine adventures in Seward, we headed to Girdwood, Alaska for some beautiful hiking trails through the forests.
From Seward, we drove to Hope and Whittier for some brief stops. There wasn’t much to see in Hope, but we drove through a 2.5-mile tunnel that leads to Whittier, which is pretty cool to experience. Whittier is a small town and there wasn’t a lot going on, but it was cute to see and we grabbed a quick-lunch while we were there.
There is so much to see and do in Girdwood, Alaska. It is a hikers dream, with trails galore.
Girdwood: Day 1
Hiking and Dining
Our first stop was at Alyeska Resort where we checked out not only the resort but some of the trails that you can hike in the area. The resort is beautiful and during the winter months has some ski slopes that you could enjoy.
We decided to walk the Winner Creek Trail, which is an easy hike through the woods. It is a nice trail, but it is pretty long, and a lot of the best views are on the opposite side. This had us turning back for dinner, and planning to start at the trail-head on the other side the next day.
We had dinner at Jack Sprat, which has a delicious and diverse menu. As it turns out, we ended our hike at a good time, because it was pouring rain by the time we reached the restaurant. After a great dinner at Jack Sprat, we headed to our Airbnb, also known as Timberline BnB. It is a lovely chalet nestled in the woods. Our stay was excellent. I would recommend looking up Molly and Dan if you are ever looking for a place to stay in Girdwood.
Day 2: More Hiking and Learning about Wildlife
Virgin Creek Falls
The Virgin Creek Falls walking trail is only a short walk from the Timberline Drive BnB. The trees are covered in moss and there is just something magical about the woods when the trees are old and covered in green. This is a great trail for pictures.
I recommend taking some bug spray with you because the mosquitoes are in fine form. It is a very moist area, and mosquitoes love that. I like to wear a We decided to head over to see the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center after lunch. They have so many animals to see in very open enclosures. This is the only place we got to see wolves since they are so elusive in the wild. The bears were pretty active, and we got to experience bear feeding time. They also had Elk and black-tailed deer, as well as moose and musk ox. There is a herd of Wood Bison, which were actually thought to be extinct until they found a herd in Alaska. The Conservation Center is trying to increase the population and has the only captive herd in North America. They successfully released 130 Wood Bison into the wild back in 2015! All in all, the center is very well laid out and it is definitely an educational experience. The work that they are doing is very important in preserving the creatures that are native to Alaska. Definitely make a stop here if you get the chance. From the other side of the Winner Creek trail, you will find the hand tram. The hand tram takes you across a gorge that is absolutely beautiful. The only catch is that you have to pull yourself across. This is basically a trap for men who would get stuck helping to pull people to the opposite side. Worth it. This side of the trail is a slightly more strenuous hike than the other side, but it is equally gorgeous. Crossing the ravine on a hand tram is an exciting and partially nerve-wracking experience. After our long day of hiking and learning about wildlife, we had dinner at Chair 5 in Girdwood, which is a pizza joint that has great pizza as well as some other tasty entrees. After all that hiking, you will probably be as exhausted as we were. After Girdwood, we ended our adventure in Anchorage. Girdwood is a great quiet place to stay with plenty of things to do and is technically part of Anchorage, so if you just want to stay in the Anchorage area, go ahead and hit up Girdwood for the hiking and the good restaurants. If you are planning a trip to Alaska, make sure to read my posts about Palmer and Denali as well! Like this post? Pin it!
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Winner Creek Trail: Take 2
