Hitchhiking in Alaska

“I’d Kill My Daughter If She Did That”: Hitchhiking in Alaska

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The wide acceptance and casual attitude towards hitchhiking in Alaska is a metaphor for all the reasons it’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever been to in my life. 

First of all, it’s legal. Secondly, a few people told me that a driver can be ticketed if they don’t stop to help someone requiring assistance, and that if you wave down a train, they have to stop even if there’s no platform (online search results to confirm this are few and mixed; some say it’s only after certain dates in the winter). Everything is so far apart and the country is so gnarly, that a person stranded or lost in the wilderness could be in real danger. So locals understand, and they pay it forward. Law or not, it’s unwritten code to help your neighbor and there’s a real sense of community. At the same time, they also let you be. You say you’re going on a climb alone and the response is just, “have fun!” without batting an eye. When I tell people in the lower 48 that I’m doing anything alone, I hear about it (does that only happen to women or is it everyone?). Contrastingly in Alaska, it’s understood that everyone’s doing their own thing and taking on their own risk.

I also found that hitchhiking isn’t just tolerated, it’s encouraged. As a traveler, people may even look at you weird if you suggest renting a car or taking a train. Within each city you can walk anywhere, and between cities drivers are more than willing to pick you up (in the more populated areas, at least; much of Alaska is very remote and difficult to access except by boat or plane). When I was working at an Alaskan hostel, anytime a guest wanted to get to another town, we would tell them where we kept the cardboard and markers. In fact the first second I walked into Base Camp Anchorage hostel, there was a guy writing out “DENALI” on a makeshift sign. He hit the streets in the next 5 minutes and was off. It was so fun a few weeks later when he checked back in (“it’s that guy!”) and regaled us with everything that had happened during his adventures.

A benefit of the hostel work exchange was that volunteers and staff would have enough time off for their own adventures, too. For instance, Corey (who bought a $400 car off Craigslist once he arrived in Alaska so he could go on longer trips) and Nessa went up to McCarthy to crampon their way up the ice and skinny-dip in a glacial Blue Pool. You’re supposed to go with a tour guide, but they went it alone and didn’t bring any equipment. An employee at their hotel told them they were crazy, but they successfully found the pool.

Check out my “Resources” page for tips on finding work exchange opportunities around the world through platforms like Workaway, WWOOF, or Worldpackers.

I went a different direction – my favorite week was when a guest told me she wanted to try hitchhiking, so the two of us took off for Seward. The journey took three different drivers who all had totally different stories to share with us. One was on his way to save his sinking boat that was apparently taking on water in Whittier. One was going gillnetting for salmon. He explained that each Alaskan family has an allotment of salmon fishing they’re allowed to carry out to live off of (for eating, but I don’t think for selling), and anything past that quota is harmful to the salmon populations. He was an economics professor. The next guy was definitely some kind of outlaw criminal hiding from the lower 48. He said he lives in a cottage out in the woods and only comes out to hunt bears at night around 2AM when no-one will catch him (that’s called poaching, dude). Surprisingly this guy’s demeanor wasn’t as creepy as it sounds, although he started to disclose more and more questionable and incriminating information. 

Hitchhiking in Alaska
Seward-bound

Once we were in Seward we parted ways so that I could go hike and camp Lost Lake and she could go on a kayaking excursion. Lost Lake is a 14 mile trail that deserves its own blog post. My friend’s kayaking adventure sounded like a blast, too. She ended up meeting a family that invited her to stay with them on the opposite bank where they partied and fed her salmon. 

The next day we got back together and some locals dropped us off at a free, secluded riverside camping spot down the road from Exit Glacier. The river is actually the runoff as the glacier melts, and at night we could hear masses of ice breaking off into the water. In the morning we coincidentally got a ride from a group of people from my hometown in Texas. Strangely, this wasn’t the first time. Back at the hostel one guest I met was from nearby Orange, Texas, and had just gone looking for the Chris McCandless bus. He reported that the stories about how treacherous the river is are true, and that he almost died. What saved him was when he noticed a hiker on the opposite bank, and they devised a pulley system with ropes to get each other and their packs across. 

When trying to hitchhike back from Seward it took a lot longer to flag someone, but finally one man stopped and blessed us. He drove us the entire distance back to Anchorage. He kept saying how he loves picking up hitchhikers because he loves to show off “My version of Alaska”. He stopped off at roadside attractions along the way, including Portage Glacier, a spigot on the side of a mountain where everyone pulls over to fill up jugs with natural glacier water melting down through the topography (when the Base Camp hostel owner Olé would return from trips, he’d always bring a couple jugs to keep in-house; they say it’s purer than tap), and his favorite bakery where he bought us both slices of pie.

I learned a lot from him. When he drove us by Turnagain Arm he explained about the massive tidal wave that draws surfers from all over the world. He expanded my mind politically in that he offered an alternative way of thinking about gun control, since I had never considered how necessary they might be for survival in a place like Alaska, which is still the Wild West. He took us to the residential hills where rich people have plane garages instead of car garages so they can just fly right off their driveways. Because of the difficulty in reaching some of those remote areas, pilots are in high demand.

Portage Glacier Alaska
Near Portage Glacier

The worldview of Alaskans resonated with me. I treasured the freedom, camaraderie, and the try-everything, you-do-you attitudes. I bowed at the majesty of the landscapes, especially when shrouded in that misty haze so special to the Pacific Northwest. In those brief months, “My Alaska” gave me autonomy.

🏨 Find budget hostels in Anchorage here and standard hotel options here.
🏕️ Find free or paid campsites near Anchorage or Seward via The Dyrt.
✈️ Coming to Alaska from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.


More insights on “My Alaska”:

Taco Bell Airlifts a Ton of Tacos Into Remote Alaskan Village
Want to Escape a Criminal Past? Move to Alaska (Like I Did)
Trump administration moves to end a ban on Alaska hunting practices that many say are cruel
Massacre in McCarthy
The Chris McCandless Obsession Problem
Chilkoot Charlie’s
Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Homelessness in Alaska: Life & Death on the Freezing Streets
Dangerous (But Beautiful) Mud Flats
US Cities That Will Pay You To Live There
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
Essential Guide To Biking the Anchorage Coastal Trail
How To Hike the Flattop Mountain Trail in Anchorage
The 7 Best Places In Alaska To See The Northern Lights


Related:

Into the Wild movie
Into the Wild
The Call of the Wild Jack London
The Call of the Wild
Fodors Alaska
Fodor’s Alaska
Garmin InReach Mini
Garmin InReach Mini
Bear Spray
Counter Assault Bear Deterrent Spray
HitchHiking 45000 Miles to Alaska
Hitchhiking 45,000 Miles to Alaska

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Alaska Hitchhiking

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23 Comments

  1. Bob Cranwell says:

    What a great account of travelling in AK – I spent 3 months leading camping tours there (mainly the paved loop), and loved the place. It’s easy to feel ‘exposed’ cos it’s such a wild region in lots of ways, but the fact that folks have an easygoing attitude and it’s part of living there to help out your neighbours means you can be easygoing too ! 😍

    1. That must have been a blast to lead camping tours there! What a life. What’s the paved loop? I would love to go back and experience more of the state. I never got over to Denali or Fairbanks. Totally, without taking a cue from the locals, it could maybe feel scary to be in remote areas of Alaska alone, like it’s all so much bigger than you. But you see how the locals handle things and it puts you in the right frame of mind!

  2. earth to connie says:

    I don’t think Id ever feel comfortable hitchhiking – Ive heard too many bad stories. But it looks like you had an amazing adventure, perhaps it is worth being brave and doing it once.

  3. Christina says:

    This is a great story. I like that you were able to get such great stories from people while hitching a ride. I would be nervous that something would happen to me while hitch hiking. Something about Alaska though makes it seem safer. The pictures you have are beautiful

  4. What an amazing adventure! I don’t know if I’d ever have the nerve to do that but I love reading about your experiences. So cool! And your photos are beautiful!

    1. Thanks Gwen – I wish I had taken more photos, it was so gorgeous there! I was trying to travel light and didn’t bring a camera :/

  5. Alaska seems so wild and remote, I really really want to make a trip up there! It seems as if its a totally different world from the rest of the US!

  6. Oh my gosh! I feel like you could write a book about your adventures while hitchhiking! This is fabulous. Although I’ve never done this (always been in the lower 48), I would definitely give it a try in Alaska!!

    1. I think it’s a good place for a first-timer! Or along any thru-hiking routes, like the PCT or Appalachian Trail. People in those nearby towns are really helpful and used to backpackers.

  7. Miss Filatelista says:

    I would think it’d be pretty safe to hitchhike in Alaska and maybe one of the few ways to get around! I’ve hitchhiked in some faraway places like Costa Rica and Albania!

    1. Badass, that’s awesome! I’ve visited Costa Rica, I imagine it’d be pretty easy there. Not very familiar with Albania at all. Would love to hear your stories, going to look up your blog!

  8. Roxanne Weijer says:

    What a great adventure! Hitchhiking is way more fun than going by public transport, you meet so many great people. Love that hitchhiking is legal in Alaska, didn’t know that.

    1. Absolutely, the commute itself becomes a part of the journey! I recently listened to a podcast that illuminated for me that it’s legal in a lot of states, actually, just with various caveats (mainly, don’t stand on the side of highways). I don’t think most hitchhikers are that concerned with rules in the first place, but I’m excited to research more. Always better to know.

  9. July Rocha says:

    I didn’t know about hitchhiking in Alaska being so ok! I need to confess that I’m a bit afraid of hitchhiking as a female solo traveler, but love reading about your adventures! Such a nice and enriching experience! Thanks for sharing it!

    1. Thanks July! I feel you, I still get nervous in anticipation of it sometimes, but for some reason once I’m actually on the road in the swing of things it all goes away.

  10. Never done hitchhiking ever in my life before but I guess it’s a great way to know the locals who would to show tourists their country. Alaska will be a great place to start.

    1. I definitely got a greater understanding of the state and it’s people than I would have if I had traveled by car.

  11. If there was one place where I feel the people would encourage hitchhiking you are right it would be Alaska. What an amazing experience and I can imagine the people you met there. Such beautiful landscapes.

    1. Totally, it never occurred to me until I was actually there, but the state has the perfect storm of conditions lending people to a positive outlook on hitchhiking.

  12. I had no idea that hitchhiking was so common in Alaska! That is so interesting and cool. I think I might still be too afraid to try it, but who knows!

    1. Maybe one day you’ll just get caught up in the moment; I don’t think I actually planned to hitchhike the first time I did it haha.

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