Free Things to Do in Anchorage: 12 Picks That Cost Nothing

The best free things to do in Anchorage, Alaska are outdoors: the 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Earthquake Park, the Potter Marsh boardwalk, Kincaid Park and the salmon runs on Ship Creek downtown. Indoors, the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and the Z.J. Loussac Public Library cost nothing, and the Anchorage Museum is free from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. The Alaska Zoo, the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center are not free on a normal day, and we explain exactly what each one charges below.

Here is the short version: the Alaska Zoo charges for its moose, and Kincaid Park doesn’t.

How did we choose these free picks?

Every pick on this list was checked on its own official site, or on the official site of the agency that runs it, in November 2026. A place made the list only if you can walk in or walk up without paying admission. We left out anything that charges a parking fee: the Glen Alps trailhead for Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park, for example, carries a $5 daily parking fee according to Alaska State Parks, so it is not on this list. Every pick is inside Anchorage, and we say so plainly when something sits at the edge.

Treat every time below as typical and check the official site before you go.

12 free things to do in Anchorage

1. Walk or bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (Downtown to Kincaid Park)

The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is a paved path that runs about 11 miles along Cook Inlet from Downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park, according to Visit Anchorage. For an easy sampler, start at Third Avenue downtown and walk to Westchester Lagoon and back, roughly 3 miles in all. On a clear day you can see Mount Susitna, the Sleeping Lady, across the water, and sometimes Denali and Mount Foraker. Eagles and moose are regular trail traffic. Why go: in our view it is the best free view in Anchorage, and it links half the picks on this list.

2. Stand on the ground that moved at Earthquake Park (Turnagain)

Earthquake Park in Turnagain, West Anchorage, tells the story of the Good Friday earthquake of March 27, 1964, which Visit Anchorage says measured 9.2 and was the largest quake ever recorded in North America. Interpretive displays explain what happened that day, and a short loop trail starts at the parking lot and joins the Coastal Trail. What to do: walk the interpretive trail and look for the oddly rippled hills in the forest below the bluff. Those ripples are the earthquake, still visible decades later. See the Earthquake Park page and our Turnagain area guide.

3. Go moose-spotting in Kincaid Park (West Anchorage)

Kincaid Park covers about 1,400 acres of rolling, forested hills at the end of Raspberry Road in West Anchorage, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it can be one of the best places to see moose in Anchorage. The Municipality of Anchorage lists the Kincaid Outdoor Center at 9401 W. Raspberry Road. What to do: walk the trails at dawn or dusk, give any moose a very wide berth, and finish at the overlook for views toward Fire Island and Mount Susitna.

4. Watch salmon swim under the Potter Marsh boardwalk (South Anchorage)

Potter Marsh sits at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, off the New Seward Highway just past the Rabbit Creek exit, about 15 minutes south of downtown Anchorage. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says a wooden boardwalk winds 1,550 feet from the parking area. From late April through September you can watch Canada geese, pintails, grebes and other waterfowl, Arctic terns join them from May to August, and over the same May-to-August window spawning salmon move through Rabbit Creek right under the boardwalk. Fishing is not allowed here. Why go: it is the easiest wildlife viewing in the city, with no hiking required.

5. Skate or stroll at Westchester Lagoon (South Addition)

Westchester Lagoon, at 1824 W. 15th Avenue in Anchorage’s South Addition, is the city’s winter living room. The Municipality of Anchorage runs a Westchester Lagoon Family Skate on Saturday afternoons in January and February, typically 1 to 3 p.m., that it describes as free to attend, with warming barrels and hot chocolate, ice conditions permitting; see the family skate page for this season’s dates. In summer, watch nesting birds on the small island and salmon from the boardwalk. Bring your own skates. Nearby: Downtown & South Addition.

6. See king salmon in Ship Creek, downtown (Downtown)

Ship Creek runs through Downtown Anchorage near the Alaska Railroad depot, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says king salmon are present from late May through July and coho salmon from August through mid-September. What to do: watch anglers and fish from the Ship Creek Overlook, reached via Whitney Street, or walk the Ship Creek Trail. Upstream, the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery at Reeve Boulevard and Post Road is open to the public for self-guided tours at its Ship Creek Fisheries Center; ADF&G lists typical summer hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from May 1 to September 30, with reduced winter days. One firm rule: never walk on the mudflats at the mouth of the creek.

7. Plan your trip at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center (Downtown)

The Alaska Public Lands Information Center is at 605 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 105, in the historic Federal Building in Downtown Anchorage. The National Park Service says entry is free and no pass is required, and its films and programs are free to the public. The Park Service lists typical hours of Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; check before you go. What to do: browse the exhibits on Alaska’s parks and refuges and ask the rangers for trail and road conditions before you head out of town.

8. Visit the Anchorage Museum free on First Friday evenings (Downtown)

The Anchorage Museum at 625 C Street in Downtown Anchorage normally charges admission, but its official hours and tickets page says admission is free from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. The museum also lists free admission for children 5 and younger, for enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, and for visitors who show an EBT card, including the Alaska Quest Card; WIC cards are also accepted. The museum publishes extra free days each year, so check the page before you go.

9. Spend a winter afternoon at the Z.J. Loussac Public Library (Midtown)

The Z.J. Loussac Public Library at 3600 Denali Street in Midtown Anchorage is the main branch of the Anchorage Public Library, a department of the Municipality of Anchorage. Typical hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. People Mover routes 25 and 85 stop there. What to do: check the events calendar for free talks and kids’ programs, or simply settle in somewhere warm when it is dark at 4 p.m. More on the neighborhood: Midtown.

10. Watch floatplanes at Lake Hood (Spenard)

Lake Hood Seaplane Base, next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Spenard, is the world’s busiest floatplane base, with over 350 float slips, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Visit Anchorage notes that Lake Hood and Lake Spenard are popular places to watch planes. What to do: park somewhere legal along the public roads around the lake on a summer evening and watch bush planes take off on floats. Stay off the docks and the ice; this is a working airport. See Spenard.

11. Explore the Campbell Creek Science Center trails (Campbell Tract)

The Campbell Creek Science Center at 5600 Science Center Road is run by the Bureau of Land Management inside the 730-acre Campbell Tract, which has more than 25 miles of trails in the middle of Anchorage. The BLM says the public may use the center’s modest exhibits and restrooms during operating hours, typically Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it lists no admission fee. Access is off Elmore Road. Why go: forested trails and a salmon creek that most visitors never find, right in the middle of Anchorage.

12. Picnic and sled at Russian Jack Springs Park (East Anchorage)

Russian Jack Springs Park covers about 300 acres just east of Merrill Field airport in East Anchorage, according to Visit Anchorage. It has playgrounds, picnic areas, a popular sledding hill and about 9 miles of bike and ski trails that connect to the Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail and, via a bike boulevard, to the Ship Creek Trail. The name comes from Jacob Marunenko, known as Russian Jack, who homesteaded the land in the early 1930s. The park’s 9-hole golf course is separate and not part of this free list.

Are the big attractions free?

No: the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska Native Heritage Center, the Alaska Zoo and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center all charge on most days, though some have free slots. Here is what their official sites say.

• Anchorage Museum (Downtown): Not free on a normal day; adult admission is $25 and Alaska residents pay $20 with ID. Free on First Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m., and always free for children 5 and under. Details on the museum site.
• Alaska Native Heritage Center (Northeast Anchorage): In the winter season the center at 8800 Heritage Center Drive asks for a suggested donation of $15 instead of regular admission, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer admission is paid, with children 3 and younger free. The center’s Ch’k’iqadi Gallery hosts a monthly Third Thursday evening celebrating contemporary Alaska Native artists, which is free and open to the public. See the visit page and Northeast Anchorage.
• Alaska Zoo (Hillside area, O’Malley Road): Not free. Daytime admission is $25 for non-resident adults and $18 for Alaska resident adults; children 2 and under are free. The zoo’s Wildlife Wednesdays lectures are free, typically on the second Wednesday of the month from October to April at 7 p.m. See the zoo rates page.
• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Portage Valley): Not free. General admission is $30 and children 3 and under are free. It sits at Mile 79 of the Seward Highway in Portage Valley, at the far southern edge of the Municipality of Anchorage, so it is a drive rather than a city outing. See alaskawildlife.org.

How do you spend a free First Friday in Anchorage?

This route costs nothing but gas or a bus fare, and it ends at the Anchorage Museum just as admission turns free. It works any month; in winter, swap the boardwalk for skating if the lagoon is open.

1. Morning: Drive south to Potter Marsh and walk the boardwalk while the birds are active.
2. Late morning: Head to Kincaid Park with a packed lunch and walk a forest loop looking for moose.
3. Early afternoon: Stop at Earthquake Park and find the rippled ground below the bluff.
4. Mid-afternoon: Walk the Coastal Trail from Westchester Lagoon to Third Avenue, about 1.5 miles one way.
5. Late afternoon: Look over Ship Creek from the overlook off Whitney Street, then warm up downtown.
6. 6 to 9 p.m.: Walk into the Anchorage Museum at 625 C Street for free First Friday admission.

If you are here Monday through Thursday instead, swap the museum for the Alaska Public Lands Information Center on 4th Avenue. For more ideas on any given week, check our events calendar and the weather before you set out.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Anchorage Museum ever free?

Yes. The Anchorage Museum offers free admission from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, and children 5 and younger are always free. Visitors who show an EBT card such as the Alaska Quest Card also get in free, according to the museum’s official site.

Is the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage free?

No. The Alaska Zoo charges daytime admission, typically $25 for non-resident adults and $18 for Alaska resident adults, with children 2 and under free. Its Wildlife Wednesdays lecture series, held from October to April, is free to the public.

Is the Alaska Native Heritage Center free?

Not usually. In winter the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage asks for a suggested donation of $15 instead of regular admission, and summer admission is paid. Its gallery’s monthly Third Thursday evening for contemporary Alaska Native artists is free and open to the public.

Where can I see moose in Anchorage for free?

Kincaid Park in West Anchorage can be one of the best places to see wild moose for free, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Potter Marsh are also good bets, especially early and late in the day.

What is free to do in Anchorage in winter?

In winter you can skate at Westchester Lagoon, where the city’s Saturday family skate in January and February is free to attend, sled at Russian Jack Springs Park, and walk the Coastal Trail. Indoors, the Z.J. Loussac Public Library and the Anchorage Museum’s First Friday evenings are free.