Think Like a Local: 12 Tips for Avoiding Tourist Faux Pas in Alaska

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A trip to Alaska is a once in a lifetime vacation for many visitors. And for many this means packing in as much as they can during an often too short visit to America’s largest state.

Once there, the FOMO can set in big time, which can lead visitors to make unwise decisions that put a big red tourist arrow above their heads.

Ignoring bad weather, getting too close to wildlife, and planning a trip that involves more driving than actual sightseeing. The list of mistakes goes on.

If you want to avoid being labeled as a tourist during your visit to the Last Frontier then here are some tips for blending in with the locals.

Underestimating the Weather

Hiking in the rain wearing rain poncho, Chugach State Park, Alaska
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Alaskans know that you need to be prepared for any weather; one year, summer may be warm and sunny, while the next, it’s a neverending stream of cool weather and rain. This means that most Alaskans own at least one pair of Xtratuffs and a set of rubber raingear.

If you’re headed out on the boat or into the backcountry on a hunting trip, there is only so long that fancy, breathable, waterproof gear will last before it inevitably succumbs to the relentless wetness.

Plenty of tourists have returned from whale-watching cruises or hikes nearly hypothermic because they were not adequately prepared for the truly awful weather that beset this land, even during summer.

Approaching Wildlife

A bear walking out of the bush full of red berries. People holding bear spray and walking poles. Bear encounter at Exit Glacier track. Kenai Fjords National Park. Alaska.
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There is a reason why many locals venturing into the backcountry will carry a gun with them. The local wildlife in Alaska is big, wild, and doesn’t like to be surprised.

While most folks know to steer clear of grizzly bears, it is actually the moose that scare many Alaskans the most.

These docile-looking animals can get angry in a hurry, and there is no outrunning a moose once it has its sights set on you.

This goes the same for bison, sea lions, mountain goats, and many other animals that call Alaska home. So next time you come across one of these magnificent creatures, give it a wide berth.

Ignoring Local Advice

Fisherman holds huge red king crab
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Living in Alaska, especially in the more remote sections of the state, can take grit, determination, and a little luck. Knowing when to press your luck and when to call it is something that most locals learn, sometimes the hard way, over years and decades of living here.

So when a local tells you that you shouldn’t head out in your kayaks or to wait until the next day for that hike up a mountain pass, you should probably heed their advice.

Remember that in the days before cell phones and internet many fishermen, loggers, miners, and backcountry explorers had to learn their territory like the back of their hand in order to survive.

Driving Without Preparation

dalton highway in alaska at north slope
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Alaska is home to some truly bad roads, and getting stranded along some can leave you waiting for hours, if not days, for another car to pass by if you happen to break down.

Most of the state’s rental car companies won’t even allow you to take their cars on roads like the Dalton Highway and the road to McCarthy!

If you’re driving your own vehicle make sure you have the tools and supplies to make simple repairs if something does come up.

A spare tire that is actually inflated, a tire pump, jumper cables, extra gas, etc, can all mean the difference between wasting the day standing by the side of the road or continuing on with your journey.

Feeding Wildlife

Brown bear family next to the Brooks River, fall landscape, Katmai National Park, Alaska
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While those sea otters, deer, moose, and even black bears may look cute, the worst thing you can do for any animal is start feeding it.

It doesn’t take long for animals to start associating food with humans, and once they start getting a little too comfortable around people, that is when problems arise.

All too often, these animals end up being put down, which is just a bummer.

Not Respecting Indigenous Cultures

Alaska totem pole carving art sculture store in tourist travel attraction town on Alaska cruise. Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway stores and shops selling native paintings and art. Closeup of an Eagle.
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Indigenous culture is front and center all over Alaska. In Southeast you’ll find totem poles, petroglyphs, and the remains of old fish traps scattered throughout the towns that make up this coastal area.

Head north, and you’ll find villages still subsisting on whale, ringed seal, salmon, and caribou, just as they have for thousands of years. Just because the native Alaskans have a right to live as they have doesn’t mean you have the same rights.

While many natives are happy to share their cultures and ways of living, don’t be intrusive and assume that they are there as a tourist attraction rather than people just living their lives.

Disrespecting the Wilderness

dramatic autumn sunrise in the Chugach mountain range surrounded by colorful autumn foliage in Alaska.
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Alaska is a vast and beautiful place, but human impacts can be found everywhere. From tire tracks in the tundra where a truck drove offroad a decade earlier to trashed vehicles along streams, don’t be that person who thinks the state is so big that you can’t have an impact on its landscapes.

When you’re in the wilds of Alaska practice leave no trace principles. Pack out what you pack in and leave the land better than you found it for the next person.

The locals, your fellow visitors, and the wildlife thank you for it.

Expecting Fast Service Everywhere

The Alaska Marine Highway System is a vital transportation network for the southeast island communities, yet shutdown has frequently been threatened due to budget.
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I was born and raised in Alaska, and waiting for things was just part of the game. Delayed flights, canceled ferry service, Christmas presents stuck in Seattle, and the food barge running behind schedule.

When you rely on delivery service or transportation by air or water, delays are just a part of life. So, if you need that one Amazon package ASAP, you’re probably going to end up disappointed.

Roll with the punches and accept that sometimes things go wrong, and that’s all part of the fun of visiting this amazing state.

Trespassing on Private Property

Colorful views near Petersburg in southeast Alaska and the inside passage
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While much of Alaska is public land don’t treat that as universal. There are tourists who visit and think that the entire state is a theme park and there exclusively for their entertainment.

This can mean walking through yards, onto private docks, and into working areas like canneries where public access is strictly forbidden.

Take a look around and think about the places you’d go in your hometown. It’s no different in Alaska, so don’t treat it as such.

Overloading Your Itinerary

Far away Car on the Alaska Highway
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Alaska is a massive, massive state. The sheer amount of driving required to get between, say, Homer and McCarthy is the same as driving from Seattle to Sacramento!

No one would consider driving from California to Seattle just to see the Space Needle, so don’t assume that driving across the state of Alaska to see a single sight (as cool as the Kennecott Mine is, it isn’t that cool) is the best use of your time either.

It is easy to get excited about everything to see in Alaska, but you’ll enjoy the trip a lot more if you don’t spend 75% of it in the car.

Skipping Travel Insurance

The City of Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. Juneau's population can increase by roughly 6,000 people from cruise ships between the months of May and September.
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Did you know that while many towns across Alaska have their own hospitals, they often can only perform basic services, and most medical emergencies require a medical evacuation flight to Anchorage or Seattle?

This means that healthcare costs on a trip to this vast state can add up fast!

Travel insurance is absolutely necessary, especially if you’ll be visiting remote areas where a medical emergency will certainly mean a ride in a plane or helicopter just to get you back to the road system.

Being Unprepared for Outdoor Activities

A man in his mid-20's hikes with a daypack down a steep trail overlooking the Little Susitna River in the Gold-Mint Trail Valley of the Hatcher Pass area in the Talkeetna Mountain Range of Alaska.
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The sheer size of Alaska’s wilderness is daunting yet often underestimated by visitors.

A hike to a glacier overlook can mean exposing yourself to the wickedly cold chinook winds that can blow down these ice fields.

Or a hike to an alpine hut can result in the weather quickly changing overnight, as forecasting the weather can be very hit or miss depending on how far you are from town.

Being prepared for the outdoors means knowing that you could need to spend the night, call for help with no cell service, or handle an encounter with a wild animal on your own.

This isn’t the country to practice ultralight backpacking principles, as those extra ounces and pounds can save your life.

About the author
Derek Carlson
Pacific Northwest native, cross-country skier, hiker, mountain biker, wannabe fly fisherman, writer and owner of Roam the Northwest