What Do Alaskans Do on a Hot Day?

When the temperature pushes into the 70s or higher (Fairbanks can crack 90°F in July), locals drop everything and head outside. A proper Alaskan summer day feels like a gift, especially after the long, dark winter — and we treat it like one.

And a hot day in Alaska doesn’t necessarily end when the sun sets. If you visit in June, it doesn’t set. Or barely does. Locals who spend the whole day outdoors often find themselves still on the lake or the trail at 11 p.m. with plenty of light left. It’s disorienting in the best possible way. Bring sunglasses and don’t make commitments for the evening.

So what does a typical hot day look like? Here’s what we Alaskans do.

Hit the Beach

Alaska has more than 33,000 miles of coastline, but most of the beaches are cold, rocky, and windy—and absolutely nobody is swimming. That doesn’t stop Alaskans from heading to the water, though. We go for the views, the bonfires, the beachcombing, and the simple fact that standing near the ocean on a sunny day feels good anywhere in the world.

Near Anchorage: Kincaid Beach

Kincaid Beach is Anchorage’s little secret. Getting there requires a roughly two-mile hike through Kincaid Park from the Kincaid Chalet, but what you find at the end—a wide, sandy beach overlooking Cook Inlet, with views of the Kenai Mountains and nearby Fire Island—feels improbable for a city of 300,000 people. On a hot day, locals spread out blankets, kids dig into the fine sand, and friends build beach bonfires. Learn more about Kincaid Beach.

Anchorage’s Swimming Lakes

For swimming, Anchorage locals skip the ocean and head to the lakes. Goose Lake, right off Northern Lights Boulevard in midtown, is the city’s most popular hot-day destination. It’s small and the crowds arrive early. More peaceful is Little Campbell Lake, at the northeast corner of Kincaid Park, which has a dock and sandy bottom. Jewel Lake, off Dimond Boulevard, draws families with a playground and fishing pier. And Mirror Lake, out in Chugiak, is a longer drive (about 25 miles north on the Glenn Highway), but the water warms up nicely on sunny days and becomes of sea of sunbathers on pool floats.

Homer and Kachemak Bay

Bishop’s Beach in Homer is one of the state’s most walkable beaches—wide and dramatic at low tide, with views of snowy Iliamna and Redoubt volcanoes across Cook Inlet. You can walk for miles along the coast at low tide. On a warm evening it’s one of the best places in Alaska to breathe in the ocean air.

The Homer Spit itself is worth an afternoon on a hot day. You’ll find miles of walkable shoreline, a busy small boat harbor, restaurants serving delicious halibut and chips, and the quirky, history-filled Salty Dawg Saloon. It gets lively in summer.

For more beach options across the state, see our full guide to the best beaches in Alaska.

Stand-Up Paddleboarding

SUP has taken off in Alaska over the last decade. On a calm, sunny day, you’ll find boards on nearly every lake in Anchorage, and rental outfitters have sprung up to meet the demand. Near Homer, the calm coves and protected waters of Kachemak Bay are particularly well-suited to SUP on flat days. The calm water on the bay side of the Spit, as well as the protected coves across the bay near Halibut Cove and Seldovia, offer quiet paddling with gorgeous mountain backdrops.

The Bucket List Option: Glacier Paddleboarding

For visitors willing to spend more for something genuinely one-of-a-kind, glacier SUP tours have become one of the more talked-about Alaska experiences. You helicopter out to a glacier, squeeze into a dry suit, and paddleboard across a meltwater pool that sits atop ancient ice. A few operators run this out of the Anchorage/Palmer area on Knik Glacier.

If you want to take the polar plunge after—jump in to the glacial water in your dry suit—guides will facilitate it. The water is around 34°F and the suits keep you dry, but the shock is real.

For the best Stand-Up Paddleboarding options throughout the state, click here for our full guide.

Sea Kayaking

Alaskans kayak and raft in any weather, but turnout goes up dramatically when the sun comes out. The sun on the water, the absence of rain gear, and the ability to actually dry off if you get wet changes the whole experience.

You’ll find kayak rentals and tours throughout Alaska listed here.

River Rafting

Like sea kayaking, river rafting is much more enjoyable on a warm sunny day. The Kenai River in Cooper Landing sees lots of action on hot days—guided float trips through Kenai Canyon (about two hours south on the Seward Highway) are a popular excursion from Anchorage. For whitewater, the Sixmile Creek canyon near Hope is the most technical accessible run in Southcentral Alaska, with Class IV–V rapids. Several outfitters run guided trips out of Cooper Landing and Hope.

In the Interior, the Nenana River near the entrance to Denali National Park has good rafting with Denali views on clear days. Multiple outfitters operate out of the area. In Fairbanks, the Chena River is popular with SUPers, canoes, and rafters.

For the best river rafting options throughout the state, click here for our full guide.

Get Ice Cream

When the degrees go up, so do the lines at ice cream shops. Alaska has some excellent small-batch creameries. Wild Scoops in Anchorage started in 2015 from a chest freezer at Anchorage farmers markets and now operates two scoop shops in the city: a downtown location at 429 E Street (seasonal, summer hours) and a year-round midtown location at 530 E. Benson Blvd. in the Metro Mall. All ice cream is made in small batches, and the flavors lean into Alaska like wild blueberry, birch syrup, spruce tip, and local honey.

If you’re in Fairbanks on a hot summer day—and it can get genuinely hot—Hot Licks on College Road is a mandatory stop. They’ve been making small-batch homemade ice cream since 1986; mention them to any Fairbanks local and watch their face light up. Flavors include Alaska blueberry, Alaska mixed berry, a chocolate double called Prudhoe, beer ice creams made with Silver Gulch Brewing’s local stouts, and rotating specials. Seating is outdoors with mountain views, which is appropriate for a place this quintessentially Alaskan.

Outdoor Dining

For such a short outdoor dining season, Alaska has many dining establishments with outdoor patios. In Anchorage, the outdoor seating at Midnight Sun Brewing (off Spenard Road) or 49th State Brewing downtown draws a crowd. In Fairbanks, Silver Gulch Brewing—Alaska’s northernmost brewery—has a patio that fills up fast when summer arrives. In Homer, Grace Ridge Brewing has outdoor seating with Kachemak Bay views. See our list of restaurants, and look for those with outdoor seating.

Farmers Markets

Warm Saturdays bring out the Anchorage Downtown Saturday Market in full force. It’s not just a farmers market—there’s also food, crafts, and live music—but it’s where locals like to be on a sunny morning before the temperature peaks. The South Anchorage Farmers Market (Dimond area) and the Eagle River Farmers Market are smaller and more produce-focused. In the Mat-Su Valley, the Palmer Farmers Market is worth a trip. You’ll also find farmers markets in Homer, Seward, Fairbanks, Juneau, Haines, Skagway, and elsewhere.