FAQ
FAQ
Travel Information
Alyeska Resort is located 40 miles from Anchorage, Alaska in the town of Girdwood. The region is referred to as Southcentral Alaska. Alyeska Resort is home to over 300 luxurious guest room property offering slope-side access and full-service guest amenities.
In the winter, Alyeska Resort offers in-bound skiing and snow boarding, as well as signature services at The Spa at Alyeska. In the immediate area, you can also participate in helicopter and snow-cat accessed skiing and riding, dog sledding, snowmobiling, flightseeing, ice climbing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
During the summer season, Alyeska Resort features easy access to nature trails for hiking, biking and berry picking. You can also take wildlife and glacier cruises, guided fishing, sea kayaking, glacier hiking, and rafting trips, as well as helicopter flightseeing, bear viewing, dog sledding and much more!
Reservations for your stay at Alyeska Resort are highly advised to ensure availability for your desired trip dates. For activities, if you have your heart set on a specific tour or trip, we recommend advance reservations in order to guarantee availability. Reservations for Seven Glaciers Restaurant are also recommended.
There are several transportation options from the Anchorage airport to the Alyeska resort in Girdwood:
1. The resort can make arrangements for taxi and/or car service. Contact the concierge to make arrangements 24 hours in advance at guestservices@alyeskaresort.com.
2. Car rental
3. Take a train to Girdwood, then the local Girdwood transit. It is a 15-20 minute taxi/Uber ride in Anchorage from the airport to the train depot in Anchorage. In the summer the train runs twice a day from Anchorage to Girdwood and twice a day from Girdwood back to Anchorage. The Girdwood bus schedule can be found here.
Southcentral Alaska has four distinct seasons. Summer can be mild with temperatures ranging between 40°F and 75°F. Winters see temperatures between 15°F and 40°F. For a complete list of temps and other climate resources.
Current Weather Forecast
In the heart of winter (December to January), Alyeska receives 5.5 hours of daylight per day. Around summer solstice, Alyeska sees more than 20 hours of daylight each day. Click here for an annual daylight chart.
The Girdwood Clinic is located at the Girdwood New Townsite, about three miles from Alyeska Resort. They can be reached at 907-783-1355 or visit their website.
- There are several transportation options from the Anchorage airport to the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood:
-
- The resort can make arrangements for taxi and/or car service. Contact the concierge to make arrangements 24 hours in advance at guestservices@alyeskaresort.com.
- Car rental
- Take a train to Girdwood, then the local Girdwood transit. It is a 15-20 minute taxi/Uber ride in Anchorage from the airport to the train depot in Anchorage. In the summer the train runs twice a day from Anchorage to Girdwood and twice a day from Girdwood back to Anchorage. https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/schedules.
- The Girdwood bus schedule can be found here: Click Here to view PDF
Skiing
Alyeska Resort is known for steep lines and abundant snowfall. Located at sea level, Alyeska’s snowfall has a heavier water content, allowing it to stick better to these steep faces of the Chugach Mountains. In the recent past, the resort’s ownership has invested heavily in family-friendly skiing and riding amenities including two Magic Carpets, two new high-speed quad chairlifts, and physical terrain changes to open up key traffic areas.
On average, Alyeska Resort receives 650″ at the summit annually.
Alyeska is open from mid-December to mid-April (conditions permitting).
Alyeska Resort is Alaska’s premier destination resort. All winter, the resort sees a lot of local traffic from Anchorage. Vacationing skiers and riders tend to visit Alyeska starting mid-February and President’s Week. By late February, Alyeska starts receiving more hours of daylight than the continental US. The Iditarod Race kicks off Spring the first week of March. Spring skiing is very popular with locals, heli & snowcat skiing guests and other avid skiers and riders.
Chugach Powder Guides offers helicopter assisted skiing right from Alyeska Resort. They operate guided heli-ski trips from mid-February to late April.
Events & Activities
Alyeska Resort is home to a 60-passenger aerial tram that takes guests up 2,300 ft in elevation. This scenic ride takes up to seven minutes and stops at the Upper Tram Terminal on Mt. Alyeska. Click here to learn more about the tram.
Alyeska Resort is a playground for all ages year-round. In addition to skiing and riding, Alyeska Resort offers family-friendly nature trails designed for hiking, biking and berry picking (in season). Alyeska also hosts a variety of events in the summer and winter seasons
In the summer, you may not see the northern lights due to the long hours of daylight. In the winter months, on a cold clear night, you have about a 20% chance of seeing the northern lights.
Fishing in Alaska can be a life-long endeavor. Alyeska Resort is situated along the Seward Highway and the gateway to the Kenai Peninsula, home to world-class salmon and halibut fishing. Fishing season typically runs from May to September, with July the peak fishing season for visitors. Winter fishing is also available and is typically a local, avid fisherman’s sport. In season, there are multiple runs of King, Sockeye and Silver salmon. Other fish local to the area include varieties of trout (Dolly Varden, Rainbow, Steelhead), halibut and hooligan. As many local fisherman will tell you, on the Kenai River and elsewhere in the region, timing is indeed everything, and prudent anglers do their homework. For guests, we highly recommend guided fishing—from day trips to week-long fly-in tours, let a local expert take you out for the most rewarding fishing experience. The Concierge Desk can help you identify the best outfitter for your desired fishing adventures.
Chugach Powder Guides offers helicopter assisted skiing right from Alyeska Resort. They operate guided heli-ski trips from mid-February to late April. CPG also offers guided snowcat skiing, a very affordable way to ski and ride intermediate to expert terrain in the Chugach range.
About Alaska
“Alyeska” is an Aleut word meaning “Great land of the white to the east”.
Captain Cook supposedly entered the Cook Inlet only to find that the inlet did not connect to Prince William Sound. He was forced to turn around; therefore, the area is now known as Turnagain Arm.
The world-famous marathon dog-sled team race is held the first week of March. Anchorage celebrates the start of the annual event with the Fur Rendezvous, a two-week event that includes family-friendly festivities and demonstrations. Don’t miss the Running of the Reindeer! For more information about the Iditarod, click here.
Juneau, located in Southeast Alaska, is the only U.S. state capital accessible only by boat or plane.
This is the Alaskan term for snow mobiles.
Look for the “Made in Alaska” symbol indicates that the article is made in Alaska. The “Silver Hand” emblem guarantees that it was hand crafted by an Alaska Native.
In addition to being a starter used to make bread, sourdough has come to mean any person who has lived in Alaska for a significant period of time and has established themselves in the lifestyle which is typical of the frontier Alaskan and outdoors man.
This traditional Eskimo woman’s knife is a fan shaped tool made for scraping and chopping.