From white-water rafting to whale watching and dog sledding, there is no shortage of things to do in Alaska with kids. It’s especially ideal for older kids and teens with an adventurous streak.
How you choose to spend your time in Alaska depends a lot on your kids and their interests. If they love animals, take them to see brown bears hunting wild sockeye salmon.
If they’re curious about history, let them pan for gold at an old mining facility from the Klondike Gold Rush. If they’re looking for thrills, send them whizzing along the world’s longest zipline.
Here are just a few of the many things to do in Alaska with kids.
Visit Marine Life at the Alaska SeaLife Center
Alaska SeaLife Center
Many of Alaska’s most charismatic critters dwell under the frigid ocean waters. While a whale-watching cruise is a great way to spot some, your kids may want to get closer.
That’s why the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward is a must-see attraction for families. If your family loves animals, you can also feel good knowing that the center supports them. It runs rescue and rehabilitation programs for injured or stranded marine animals of all kinds.
The center is home to plenty of crowd-pleasing creatures, including Steller sea lions and spotted seals. There are also moon jellies, red king crabs, and a wide array of birds. Arguably, the star of the show is the giant Pacific octopus.
Alaska SeaLife Center
As the largest known species of octopus, these remarkable invertebrates can get up to 100 pounds. They’re also incredibly intelligent and a little shy, with individual personalities and highly developed emotions. Since it’s almost impossible to see one of these rare creatures in the wild, the Alaska SeaLife Center provides a really special experience.
While a regular visit to the center is both educational and fun for all ages, for something truly different, consider booking a private encounter with one of the animals. These small-group visits are available for seals and sea lions, the giant Pacific octopus, and puffins. The money goes to further wildlife education efforts.
Ride the Mount Roberts Tramway
Mount Roberts Tramway
Travelers of all ages can appreciate a view, even if their legs are a little too small to tolerate a lengthy hike. That’s why the Mount Roberts Tramway in Juneau is perfect for the whole family. The ride starts right in the downtown area and zooms 1,800 feet up the side of the mountain.
The views of both the city and the Gastineau Channel are nothing short of breathtaking throughout the entire ride. Through the glass walls, you’ll see the dense foliage of the world’s largest temperate rainforest. Once you reach the top, there are short, relatively flat hiking trails where the whole family can roam around with ease.
See the Northern Lights
Fairbanks
Caused by Earth’s magnetic field and energized particles from the sun, this natural phenomenon is truly awe-inspiring. The aurora borealis lights up the sky with dazzling ribbons of green, blue, purple, pink, orange, and red. Children are sure to find this experience every bit as magnificent as their parents do.
For most people, seeing the northern lights is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For residents of Fairbanks, however, that might just be a Tuesday. Travel towards the end of the season when the days are shorter, keep an eye on the forecast in the area, and you may very well get lucky.
Ride a Real Dog Sled
Dog sledding in Alaska
When it comes to keeping the family happy, it’s hard to imagine an easier win than playing with puppies. That’s exactly what they’ll get to do when they go on a dog sledding adventure out of Skagway. The trip packs a ton of action and activity into a single day. Travelers will start with a ride in a TEMSCO helicopter, which whisks you up onto a glacier.
Once there, your family will be greeted by a team of highly trained sled dogs. Sit back and take in the sight of the snowy Coastal Mountains rushing by from the back of the sled. During the trip, you’ll also have the chance to see how these courageous canines live. At the end, kids get to pet and play with extremely cuddly puppies.
Dog sledding in Alaska
Along the way, kids will also learn all about the history and importance of dog sledding in Alaska. While this mode of transportation may seem like a novelty to outsiders, up here, dog sleds are still very much part of life. During the winter months, National Park Rangers often use dog sleds to navigate to places unreachable by road.
Meanwhile, The Iditarod draws thousands of spectators and mushers each year. The nearly 1,000-mile dog sled race takes place from Anchorage to Nome. It commemorates when dog sled teams carried a life-saving anti-diphtheria serum in 1925. At the end of the tour, your children will walk away with a greater appreciation for this feat of bravery.
See Birds of Prey at the Alaska Raptor Center
Bald eagle
Alaska is home to an astonishing array of avian life. This non-profit center in Sitka offers kids and their parents the unparalleled chance to meet the state’s most majestic birds. Each year, the center provides care and treatment to around 200 predatory birds.
When visiting, kids will be able to see hawks, falcons, owls, and, of course, bald eagles up close. Many of these birds will be released back into the wild when they’re able to fend for themselves. Those that have been too badly injured stay on to help educate visitors about the importance of wildlife conservation.
Check Out Incredible Public Art in Juneau
Downtown Juneau
There’s so much to see and do around Juneau that travelers often forget to spend time in the city itself. Luckily, if you have an hour or two between excursions, there are a number of ways to keep kids entertained within downtown Juneau. Arguably the best is simply to walk along the Juneau Seawalk, which is both scenic and lined with art.
Thanks to a significant revamp in the last decade, the winding walkway is lined with 10 abstract sculptures called the Aquileans. In the later afternoon and into the evening, a burst of LED lights transforms these works of art into an homage to the northern lights.
The standout piece, however, is a life-sized bronze humpback whale that appears to leap out of the water. Titled Tahku, the Juneau Whale Fountain is the work of Native Alaskan artist R.T. “Skip” Wallen.
Tell your kids to keep their eyes peeled for the Downtown Totem Pole Trail, a series of 13 intricately carved totem poles by Native Alaskan artists. Each pole is a masterpiece of craftsmanship laden with symbolic meaning.
Feel the Adrenaline on the World’s Largest Zipline
ZipRider in Icy Strait Point Photo by Werner Bayer on Flickr, licensed under CC0 1.0
If your kids love rollercoasters, just wait until they try zooming through a temperate rainforest at high velocity. At 5,495 feet, ZipRider at Icy Strait Point is one of the longest ziplines in the world, as well as one of the most scenic. Picture sweeping views of snow-capped mountains rising over the tops of Sitka spruce trees as far as the eye can see.
It’s a lot to take in at 65 miles per hour. While the 1,320-foot vertical drop may not be for the faint of heart, it’s sure to be a hit with adrenaline-seeking teens. Since six riders can go side-by-side at once, it’s perfect for families and one of the most thrilling things to do in Alaska with kids.
Pan for Gold & Learn About the Klondike Gold Rush
Gold panning in Alaska
After Skookum Jim found gold in the Yukon Territory in 1896, hundreds of prospectors swarmed north with hopes of making their fortune. Today, the Klondike Gold Rush is but a memory, but it forever reshaped Alaska.
If you want to give your kids an interactive crash course in Alaska’s gold rush history, there’s no better place to do it than at Gold Dredge 8 in Fairbanks. This site, which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, once excavated millions of ounces of gold.
Today, kids can try their hand at panning for gold after touring the museum. The best part: you’re allowed to keep any nuggets you find.
See Bears Fishing at Lake Clark
Lake Clark National Park
Both black and brown bears—the inland equivalent of coastal-dwelling grizzly bears—frequent the protected forests of Lake Clark National Park, making it one of the best places to see bears in Alaska.
Bears spend much of their summer season foraging and fishing in order to fatten up for their winter torpor. These protected lands have plenty of berries for them, in addition to a bounty of sockeye salmon in season.
While it’s generally safe to go bear-watching with kids and teenagers, it’s important to exercise common sense and basic precautions. Make sure that your whole family knows to stick with the group and follow your guide’s instructions.
That being said, bears generally would rather be left alone and are unlikely to get aggressive, provided you give them and their cubs a wide berth. Stay on the trails, carry bear spray, avoid taking trail snacks, and marvel at these highly intelligent mammals.
Watch Humpback Whales Breach at Point Adolphus
Point Adolphus
If your kids think whale-watching is boring, that’s just because they haven’t done it in Alaska yet. At Point Adolphus at Icy Strait Point near Glacier Bay, it’s not a question of if you’ll see a whale, but rather how many of them you can spot. Orcas hunt in these waters and it’s common to see a Dall’s porpoise leaping in the spray of a boat.
The area is one of the best places to go whale watching in Alaska. It’s especially renowned for pods of humpbacks, which migrate to gorge on krill in the summer months before swimming back to Hawaii.
Guides can identify individual humpbacks and their family members, thanks to decades of documenting tail markings. If you’re lucky, you may see a humpback breach and then splash back into the water. Younger whales are particularly fond of showing off and playing around boats.
Float Down the Talkeetna River
Talkeetna River
If you’re looking for the ultimate Alaskan rafting experience, look no further. The roaring, glacial-fed rapids of Talkeetna River offer plenty of thrills. While some groups go out on the Talkeetna River for days, a shorter day trip is a great option for a family.
One of the reasons the Talkeetna River is so popular is that it varies enormously in different sectors, meaning there’s something for every taste. If you’re looking for whitewater rapids and a white-knuckle ride, you can find that here. More relaxed floats along the lower Talkeetna River, in contrast, are leisurely affairs, sometimes accompanied by history and nature lessons from guides.
Whichever type of rafting trip you choose, you can rest assured that you’ll have unbeatable views the entire journey. On rare clear days, this is the perfect spot from which to see Denali, the highest peak in North America. There’s also often wildlife easily visible on the shoreline.
Wander Along the Homer Spit
Homer Spit
The Homer Spit, a spindly peninsula that extends over four miles into Kachemak Bay, is a great place to take the whole family for an afternoon stroll. The length of the Homer Spit also happens to be lined with restaurants, cafés, and art galleries, meaning there’s lots to see and do. Be sure to stop for homemade ice cream at Flagship Creamery along the way.
The scenery is nothing short of stunning, with snowy peaks reflected in the mirror-smooth waters of the bay. It’s also a perfect spot to check out wildlife without leaving town. Tell kids to keep on the lookout for rafts of cute sea otters holding paws. Bald eagles are a common sight here, as are other large birds of prey.
Talkeetna River
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