Dreamy DayTrip 3: Girdwood
We had planned to explore Hope and Girdwood in the same day, but that’s far too ambitious. Don’t do that. Both are beautiful and deserve their own day of exploration. We made a quick stop at Girdwood on our way to Hope to drop off some of my amazingly talented host’s jewelry at a gorgeous gallery before it closed. The town looked so cute we knew right away that it was something we shouldn’t try to tack onto our adventure that day. The massive line outside the door at The Bakeshop confirmed the dozens of recommendations we had to stop in for their famous sourdough bread, so we decided to plan a future visit around that.
Girdwood was dreamy from the getgo. Adorable chalets and cabins dot the highway and we hightailed it past them to a late brunch at The Bakeshop after work one day. We got spectacular sourdough pancakes, a pretty delicious pastrami sandwich, and a loaf of sourdough to bring home for epic BLTs that week. We popped back into the gallery to admire the beautiful local handmade gifts. I couldn’t stop admiring the dinner plate dahlias and begonias the size of my head. It was a really lovely first stop. Across the parking lot, Jack Sprat and its charming “Come Hither” neon caught our eye with cozy firepits and laughing happy people, so we made mental notes to end our day there.
We headed toward the Alyeska Resort (with the world’s weirdest lobby with a painted aurora ceiling and stuffed polar bear to greet you) and went out to Winner Creek for one of my favorite hikes of the trip. Waterfalls, boardwalks, beautiful big trees, and danger aggressive bear signs! We didn’t take the trail all the way up to the hand tram over Glacier River as planned as the tram was closed for covid and that is where the angry bear apparently hangs out. We wandered a ways up the hills and enjoyed every moment of the quiet rainy woods. It was so cloudy and rainy, we didn’t try the aerial tram either, but the ride to the top is supposed to be stunning. We had an incredible time in the woods, I can only imagine what it must be like in better conditions. Don’t forget to go explore along the Glacier River, we had a marvelous time checking out the outwash and looking for the perfect souvenir rock along the bank.
We came back down to hang out (and work) at Girdwood Brewing, and while nothing in my flight was anything to write home about, the brewery itself is pretty spectacular. We met some really great travelers sitting on benches made from old skis around a beautiful custom firepit, and confirmed that Double Musky Inn was the place to go for dinner. It felt like a good sign when I saw an East Nashville Brewery sticker on the cooler as we headed out to dinner.
I promised the sweet mother daughter duo from the train that I would not leave Anchorage without a field trip to Double Musky Inn. She said they usually go and split a couple of appetizers and have a marvelous evening, so we went with that plan. We were there right when they opened and joined a queue of very grey haired people... and bikers. Granted it was 4:45- so the old folks really weren’t a shock, but blue hairs and bikers made a fun bit of people watching . We went early hoping to get in and out quickly and have ample social distancing space in this SUPER retro inn serving up cajun cuisine. We shared pepper steak tips, cajun meatballs, beer batter halibut, and hot crawfish cheese dip. An impressive feat considering my companion does not love seafood, lucky for us we both loved our food. We had a wonderful time before waving goodbye and heading down to the Crow Creek Gold Mine to walk off our dinner with the pups.
We got another alert that we had pretty strong odds for Northern Lights that night, and we thought it might be dark enough on Turnagain Arm to catch them. We headed back to Jack Sprat to hang out on the patio until closer to dark. We popped into Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard on a whim, and wound up purchasing locally made souvenirs for family and friends. We each left with tubs of their salve because it worked miracles on our beat up hands. If I had an Oprah style favorite things list, this would for SURE be on it. We enjoyed local beer on the patio, the pups made lots of new friends as they walked into the beautiful restaurant for dinner, and we watched the clouds roll in killing our chances at seeing the lights. We headed home happy and full, despite the disappointment of another night without Northern Lights.
Hope, Alaska
Despite my lack of photos or actual experience there, I hope you take a field trip to lovely Hope, Alaska. It’s a gorgeous drive down the other side of Turnagain Arm, and the sweet little village is charming. It is absolutely a must camp destination for outdoor enthusiasts. They are famous for white water rafting, fishing, and being an original gold rush town. We didn’t time our day trip quite right since not much was open when we arrived. We had a lovely lunch at the (only open) Creekbend Cafe and took a little hike on the Gull Rock Trail. The two and four legged members of our party were equally exhausted and we headed home after a quick drive through tour of town.
I had considered visiting Hope in Van GOgh and camping there instead of the going back to Anchorage en route to Denali, and that probably would have been the better way to go. It’s a PERFECT VanVenture destination. You can camp right on the water, there are some very scenic and beautiful spots to sleep and explore. I’m told Hope is a favorite place to keep a cabin for many locals and that it is quite a fun weekend spot in the summer. I wouldn’t put it on a daytrip destination list, but if you have the time to unplug and unwind, it’s a great place to do it.
The Alaska Railroad offers a ride from Anchorage to Girdwood, and had we not had the dogs we absolutely would have done it. The train takes you out for unbelievable views of Turnagain Arm, and you get as close to the Beluga whales as you can possibly get without being in the water with them. I can’t possibly more enthusiastically recommend a field trip to Girdwood, the journey is just as lovely as the destination.
