Northern Lights News Spring/Summer 2005 - 2006

Wild Salmon On Parade Walking Tour

2005 Wild Salmon on Parade - FREE
Operates: June – August

Wonderful and wacky salmon exhibits throughout downtown. Maps are available at the Log Cabin Visitors Information Center at 524 W 4th Avenue. Download the map online, take a virtual tour and cast a vote for your favorite fish at www.Anchorage.net/salmon.

Catch a Show

Part of the beauty of Anchorage is its easy access to Alaska’s wilderness and the access to some of the state’s best restaurants, brewpubs, nightclubs, concerts and galleries.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/events.

Take a Hike

Chugach State Park is Anchorage’s backyard playground with a half-million acres of wilderness available for a multitude of recreational activities, and miles of hiking trails that access natural features such as Willawaw Lakes, Eagle Glacier and Wolverine Peak. The Park may be accessed at several points. Eagle River Nature Center is at the trailhead to the Crow Pass/Historic Iditarod Trail that extends 26 miles south and terminates in Girdwood. The Glen Alps trailhead accesses Powerline Pass, the Willawaw Lakes and Flattop Mountain, and is located at the end of Upper Huffman Road.

For more information on hiking in Anchorage, explore www.Anchorage.net/hiking.

Play Golf

Golf in the Last Frontier? You bet. Anchorage visitors have access to more than five golf courses. And with the Midnight Sun, tee times can range from 6:00 a.m. until nearly midnight.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/golf.

Fish For Salmon

There is a popular salmon fishing waterway in downtown Anchorage at Ship Creek – within the shadow of Anchorage’s skyline. Local business people are known to slip on hip waders over suits and cast a few lines on their summer lunch breaks. Ship Creek is home to the King Slam'n Salm'n Derby in June and Silver Slam'n Salm'n Derby in August.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/fishing.

Smell the Flowers

Anchorage explodes in a riot of color when spring arrives. Private and public gardens display an amazing variety of flashy annuals and perennials in virtually every corner of the city. Hanging baskets with marigold and lobelia grace downtown light fixtures and Town Square Park comes alive in interesting arrangements of dahlias, black-eyed susans, shasta daisies, pansies, impatience, snap dragons and mums. A public rose garden is located at Delaney Park Strip and Alaska Botanical Garden offers visitors a look at 150 varieties of native plant species and 1,100 perennials in a beautiful boreal forest on the Chugach foothills.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/cityofflowers.

Visit a Museum or Cultural Center

Visit Anchorage museums for an introduction to the area’s fascinating blend of Russian, Native and pioneer history.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/museums.

Pan for Gold

Anchorage is the crossroads for Alaska where gold rush adventurers met Russian and Native culture, where a tent city in the wilderness blossomed into the state’s largest city, and where folks can still pan for gold and learn about Alaska’s pioneers.

Explore www.Anchorage.net/goldpanning.

Need More Ideas

For more ideas on what to do in and around Anchorage with a day or more, see page 4, or explore www.Anchorage.net/activities.