Best Things to Do In The Mat-Su Valley, Alaska (Palmer & Wasilla)

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley, also called the Matsu Valley, is one of the most popular areas for locals to enjoy the great outdoors in Alaska. Especially locals living in the Anchorage or Eagle River areas. In addition to having plenty of things to do, the Matsu Valley also houses many annual events like the Alaska State Fair and the Alaska Scottish Highland Games!

​My Essential Alaska Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are my favorite websites and resources to help plan an incredible trip to the 49th State.

For flights, I recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to Alaska.

Car rentals, arguably the best way to see Alaska, are best through Discover Cars!

I always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, I always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required), and always use NordVPN to stay safe while connecting to different wifis.

For fun things to do, I recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my Alaska packing list for your travels to the Last Frontier.

Getting to the Matsu Valley & Where to Stay

Getting to the Matsu Valley is fairly easy, especially for those flying into Anchorage - you'll just need to head North on Highway 1. On the way you'll drive past Eagle River, which is another great spot to base if you're looking for some outdoor activities (my personal favorites are the Eklutna Lake & Eagle River Nature Center areas).​

Once you get to the Palmer/Wasilla area, you might be looking for a place to stay - especially if you're wanting to base in the Matsu Valley for some of the more epic, underrated adventures near this area (see below). I've listed some of my top recommendations here :

• Hatcher Pass Lodge - these adorable cabins at the base of Hatcher Pass are dry cabins, but a bucketlist stay nonetheless, they also have a sauna onsite with some of the most incredible views!
• Alaska Glacier Lodge - this heli lodge has adorable cabins with incredible views, and offers multiple adventures that begin right onsite!
• Mountain Field Farm - an adorable airbnb that also doubles as a wedding venue!
• Best Western Lake Lucille Inn - this hotel offers incredible views of Lake Lucille and the Chugach Mountain Range, it's also the most budget friendly​

There are also plenty of delicious places to eat in the area! I won't share my entire list here, but some of my personal favorites are Vagabond Blues, Tacos Cancun, The Fern AK and of course Big Dipper Homemade Ice Cream for dessert.

My Favorite Tour in the Matsu Valley Area : 
- Matanuska Glacier Tour

Best Things to Do in the Matsu Valley

1. Explore Hatcher Pass
​This is easily one of the best places to explore if you're looking to spend some time outside. You can go explore Independence Mine, head out on one of the many hikes, enjoy the cool alpine lakes, or visit the adorable Hatcher Pass Lodge.

2. Visit the Reindeer Farm
​A great family friendly activity is to head out to the Reindeer Farm! You can explore the farm on your own pace, meet and feed the reindeer, and even stop to see many of the other animals on the farm (like the adorable highland cows). They have different types of tours throughout the year, and various leveled tours depending on how much interaction you want with the reindeer. If you visit in the Spring, you might even meet some of the new calves!

3. Or the Musk Ox Farm
​Just 15 minutes down the road you can find Alaska's Musk Ox Farm, another family friendly activity that's free for kiddos under the age of 5. Here, you'll be lead on a guided tour of the working farm (that produces qiviut - the under fur of a musk ox that's claimed to be 8x warmer than wool), and you can also explore the Musk Ox Museum & gift shop onsite!

4. Walk the Llamas
​One of the more unique activities you can do in the Matsu Valley is to actually take some llamas out on a walk! At Last Frontier Trail LLamas you can choose whether you just want to meet the llamas, walk the llamas, or have a fun photoshoot with the llamas!

5. Hike Matanuska Glacier
Hiking the Matanuska Glacier is my favorite glacier experience I've ever done. My husband and I went with Glacier Tours, but now a days you can find an all inclusive tour with round trip transportation from Anchorage. On the tour you'll be led on a round trip hike out onto the glacier itself, complete with crevasses, glacier pools, and stunning running waterfalls. If you're lucky, you'll even be able to fill up your water bottle with fresh glacier water and try a straight from the source glacial mud mask!

6. Explore the Knik River Valley
​Depending on which season you're visiting, the Knik River Valley might just be your new favorite spot. The Fall and Spring months in Alaska are notorious for the incredible Northern Lights shows, and truth be told this is my go-to spot for Northern Lights viewing. The sky is expansive, clear, and quiet - perfect for aurora viewing. Even in the summer months, the views are absolutely stunning here!

7. Try Four Wheeling & ATVing
​Another unique opportunity in the Matsu Valley area is to try Four Wheeling, ATVing, or Snow Machining! Depending on the season, you can choose which adventure you'd like to experience then head out on a guided tour. These types of tours allow you to explore more of the back country of Alaska that you might not get to experience - including in places like Hatcher Pass. Last fall I went out with Hatcher Pass ATV Tours on their heated & fully enclosed UTV tour and the fall colors were just stunning.

8. Hiking
​Not too surprisingly, there's also plenty of hiking trails in the Matsu Valley. Naming them all would be quite the list, but here's some of my favorite short hikes in the area. Wherever you're choosing to hike in Alaska, I always recommend carrying bug spray, renting bear spray (and knowing how to use it and reviewing bear safety tips. I also recommend downloading a map trail in case you don't have service.

9. Visit the Alaska State Fair (& Other Events)
​Palmer is home to multiple fun annual events in Alaska - from the Scottish Highland Games to the Palmer Colony Days. However, my most favorite of course has to be the Alaska State Fair. Held at the end of every August, here you can try fair versions of delicious Alaska foods - like crab cakes, king crab legs, salmon quesadillas, and of course, Talkeetna Spinach Bread. You can even see the giant vegetables (like a 2,051 pound pumpkin) and other random oddities like the rat races!

Watch my Hatcher Pass Adventures here!

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Other Alaska blog posts you might be interested in : 
-> 15 Easiest Alaska Glaciers to Visit
-> Where to Rent Bear Spray in Alaska
-> 7 Best Tours in Alaska

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