What can you do with a 12 hour visit to Anchorage? It turns out a lot! It all started with a three hour flight on Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska arriving just after 8am. My travel companion was the adventurous Nikki who braved the cold temps of Alaska with me.
Departing in the dark and seeing the sunrise at 35,000 feet is always worth the journey. I captured the morning glow with a hyperlapse on the AlaskaAir instagram which you can see here.
After getting our rental car for the day, we hit the open road and followed the Seward Highway to explore the outer regions of Anchorage. I had remembered Portage Bay from a past visit so we headed in that general direction. The best part of the roadtrip was the fall colors on the highway. Combine those with the snowcapped peaks…and it was photo moments the entire drive. With the cold temps, we did have to adjust to the temperature difference from 70s in Seattle to 30-40s in Anchorage.
Even though it was the offseason for visiting, we still were able to explore some great places like the Portage Bay Glacier and Girdwood. We skipped the conservation center this trip but snapped this shot of the Bison from the road.
One of my favorite stops was a random spot along a lake next to the Seward Highway. We ended up walking along a backroad to get this shot of the fall colors reflected on the lake. Truly beautiful!
By noon, we made our way back to Anchorage to collect our tour guide, Bill and head to lunch for delicious fish and chips Alaska style. It was quite a busy afternoon as we explored every spot imagineable in Anchorage. From the Air Museum, to plane spotting to the amazing chocolate fountain. We even checked out the new Alaska Airlines Center.
Eventually, it was time to call it a day and we made our way back to the airport for our 8pm flight out of Anchorage. We made sure to get our photo captured at the airport before departing. By 12am, we were back home in Seattle.
Exploring outside of Anchorage 
Checking out the glacier 
This sign marks the spot for the earthquake which demolished a town near Anchorage 
Checking out the wildlife preserve 
