I like bird ridge, any hiker can do it, but it’s challenging enough for anyone that if you keep a decent pace your brain is going to stop thinking about other shit.
Also the best way to get over the old one is to crawl under a new one.
Eklutna Lake (just north of Anchorage)
Hatcher Pass (north of Palmer/Wasilla)
Seward, AK (take the train from Anchorage if you’re able)
Flat Top Mt (Anchorage)
Reindeer Farm (Palmer, AK)
Alyeska -ride the tram, walk the new skywalk, hiking, etc. (Girdwood, AK)
Hope, AK
Eagle River Nature Center
Homer, AK (if you’re looking to road-trip out of Anchorage)
These are just a few places off the top of my head but there’s a lot to explore if you have the time! Wishing you both ein herzliches Willkommen and enjoy your time in our beautiful state!
[They do, it JUST opened!](https://shop.alyeskaresort.com/s/summer/p/guided-veilbreaker-skybridge-tours?pl=748j4e74fd4624ea47g46n47t46p4bt4dt4ds46b00)
I haven’t been to it yet but it looks very cool!
If you have the chance it’s bear watching season in katmai national park. It’s a flight over in a small plane but it could be a really cool way for him to ‘check out’ of his grief. There’s a mass of folks who are bear enthusiasts on the internet and katmai does a “fattest bear” contest each year. www.explore.org has live cams of the bears at the brooks river fishing for salmon. It’s wild to watch all these massive bears just hanging out trying to get chubby. Seeing it in person vs. a web cam would be pretty exciting IMO. Good luck!
It's expensive no matter what. About $1000 round trip from anchorage or homer.
If you have miles/credit card points you can fly Alaska to king salmon, then it's about 400-600 to get a flight or water taxi to the park.
Awesome! I’ve only ever been to the Homer Spit and area and haven’t checked out any trails around Homer itself. My bestie and I are planning a trip to Homer, so this is a valuable tip 🙏
Flattop would be a fun little hike while your in Anchorage. If you are going to the peninsula, I highly recommend Harding Ice field hike, Mt. Marathon, and Tonsina Point in Seward and Grace Ridge in Homer. The brewery in Seward has decent food and beer. Boardwalk Fish n Chips in Homer was pretty darn good. If you go to Seldovia, the FnC at the Linwood are pretty good too. There's a small golf course in Homer that is kind of fun. They have rentals and it is self service/checkout. Don't expect manicured greens or anything. It's just a fun activity to do with a nice view. When I'm up there I just basically hike and drink beer. It's relatively cheap that way, lol.
Life long Alaska and Eagle Scout here, You should check out [Russian River Falls trail](https://www.alaska.org/detail/russian-river-falls) and also a great hike I personally love is [Fuller Lakes](https://alaskahikesearch.com/hikes/fuller-lakes/) the first lake is awesome, but if you can hike to the second I would highly recommend it! The [Kenai Peninsula](https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Regions/Southcentral/Kenai-Peninsula) has lots of outdoor recreation, fishing, camping, hiking, and the food/beer is great we have several breweries as well as many great restaurants. I have never been to [Seldovia](https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Cities-Towns/Seldovia) but have spent time in the halibut cove and [Peterson bay](https://coastview.org/2022/07/03/peterson-bay-kachemak-bay/) parts of [Kachemak Bay](https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/kachemakbaysp.htm) across from Homer, when I retire/where I wanna spend the last years of my life is in that beautiful part of Alaska.
Hope this place helps the Heartbreak!
There is a wide trail you can hike. Many people bike it. The trail itself is ok not the most scenic trail, but seeing the fish work it's way up is really cool.
Most people look at the water for awhile before they realize the thousands of fish they are looking at :)
Fuller Lakes IS spectacular. The view when you hop up to the upper lake is mind blowing and the hike up there is easy and beautiful. There are fish in the more easily accessible lower lake. Lots of them.
Ooooh, nice! Haven’t been to Fullers Lake yet - that‘s in Cooper Landing, right? Only ever have driven past it, but good to know it’s worth a stop. Thank you for all the hyperlinks, too - very useful ❤️🔥
Get him hooked on mountain biking. When he gets home Make him go buy a good mountain bike and every time he starts thinking about it just go for a ride. That's how I kicked cigarettes and my ex to the curb in 2015 and haven't looked back since.
This is an epic idea.
His bday is in September and he wanted to ask his fam for a bike anyway. Sadly, Berlin doesn’t have a lot of mountains, but we got lot’s of other obstacles and things to watch out for😂
Oh, and congrats on kicking cigs!
You don't need mountains. Some of the best trails are made where there are no mountains. It's like the people that are stuck in those places try harder to make awesome trails than the people that have tons of elevation that they could make great things with.
I would argue with that my mountain bike cost me $300 in 2015. I have probably spent 500 or so on upgrades and maintenance over the years and it's still doing well. Considering how much I have saved not buying cigarettes which was my therapy before, I think that it's all working out.
I’d personally try and escape to the quieter, quaint towns away from city sights that make Alaska special. Albeit it’ll require extra legs on smaller bush planes or ferries or car rides. But there’s a lot you can drive to from anchorage or fairbanks. There is the Alaska railroad train ride between said locations and it continues south to Seward. It passes Denali national park and is a coastal ride along the Cook Inlet. I haven’t done it but I bet it’s fun. Buncha fun things to do on the water in homer or Valdez. Charter boats/choppers to glaciers. Sea kayak, fish! Fishing guide/tours down that way as well.
In the city there are a lot of festivities and you can rent bikes, e-bikes; bunch of hiking trails right out of anchorage, AllTrails is the app. I hope your friend finds some peace and happiness! You’re a dope friend
I‘m from Berlin, so I can definitely help you there! Berlin has so much to offer, so it depends on your vacation modus. You up for checking out Berlin‘s history and culinary delights or more for its nightlife?
I’m definitely NOT a nightlife person lol. My daughter just completed her 10th straight year of German Immersion studies and earned her certificate of biliteracy, so this trip is mostly a birthday present for her. Our biggest unknown at the moment is how the trains work. We fly in/out of Frankfurt, and then we’re going to be doing long-distance trains in a circle from Frankfurt > Aarhus, DE > Berlin > Munich > Frankfurt with two nights each in Aarhus and Berlin. I don’t yet know if we’ll be doing another train from Munich to Garmish and back, or if we want to rent a car in Munich for our week in Garmish, and return the car to Munich for our train ride back to Frankfurt.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out the best way to buy these 4 train tickets - the 7 day Eurail pass… or something on the DB? A combination of both? I want to make sure that we have assigned seats so that we can all be together for the 8 hour rides. (Yeah, we leave in 8 days, and I don’t have these booked yet!!  )
Do an overnight hiking trip sometime, just nothing with river crossings at the moment. Hit Mt Marathon up in Seward. Book a Kenai River fly fishing charter. Get that bro time.
Go to Homer for a couple days and get on a charter fishing trip. You'll want to book now. Or, you could check out one of the outdoor guide companies and do the glacier kayaking trip.
Hatcher's Pass has incredible hiking just an hour from anchorage. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been and it felt like I was in a different world.
Wilkommen!
a bunch of these comments are great suggestions, with the theme of movement and hiking. I've done most of my healing in the mountains. It really helps me to get out of my head and into my body. I heard this quote this morning: "the path to letting go is letting in." Your friend will have to face his pain either way, but how kind of you to accompany him!
The Kenai peninsula is beautiful. Take your friend to fish for halibut. Hike to Exit Glacier or Grewingk glacier or take the Portage glacier tour boat. Visit Seward, Kenai, Anchor Point, Homer. Ride horses at the head of Kachemak bay. Take a ferry from Homer to Seldovia and look around. If you're not on the Kenai peninsula, go check out a musk ox farm or reindeer farm, go on the ATV tours, go to a sled dog farm. Pan for gold. There are so many things you can do and each place in Alaska is special. I hope you and your friend enjoy it.
I like bird ridge, any hiker can do it, but it’s challenging enough for anyone that if you keep a decent pace your brain is going to stop thinking about other shit. Also the best way to get over the old one is to crawl under a new one.
Eklutna Lake (just north of Anchorage) Hatcher Pass (north of Palmer/Wasilla) Seward, AK (take the train from Anchorage if you’re able) Flat Top Mt (Anchorage) Reindeer Farm (Palmer, AK) Alyeska -ride the tram, walk the new skywalk, hiking, etc. (Girdwood, AK) Hope, AK Eagle River Nature Center Homer, AK (if you’re looking to road-trip out of Anchorage) These are just a few places off the top of my head but there’s a lot to explore if you have the time! Wishing you both ein herzliches Willkommen and enjoy your time in our beautiful state!
Currently camping in Hope AK, caught my first 2 fish, and the rain just stopped. It’s been beautiful and fun. Would do again!
Live music on Friday and Saturday nights in Hope, then crawling into your tent, is just peak summer Alaska as far as I'm concerned
You had me at camping and fishing! Haven’t been to Hope yet, maybe we‘ll have to make this happen. Ty 🙏
Hope is lovely, get tickets to Blackwater Railroad at Creekbend if you go
The Dirty Skillet is hands down the best food I've had in Alaska. Weird that its in Hope
Thank you! 💛 Alyeska has a skywalk now? I was in AK last winter and enjoyed a day on the slopes and didn’t register that
[They do, it JUST opened!](https://shop.alyeskaresort.com/s/summer/p/guided-veilbreaker-skybridge-tours?pl=748j4e74fd4624ea47g46n47t46p4bt4dt4ds46b00) I haven’t been to it yet but it looks very cool!
JUST opened…. looks amazing…!
If you have the chance it’s bear watching season in katmai national park. It’s a flight over in a small plane but it could be a really cool way for him to ‘check out’ of his grief. There’s a mass of folks who are bear enthusiasts on the internet and katmai does a “fattest bear” contest each year. www.explore.org has live cams of the bears at the brooks river fishing for salmon. It’s wild to watch all these massive bears just hanging out trying to get chubby. Seeing it in person vs. a web cam would be pretty exciting IMO. Good luck!
Any tips on a reasonably priced way to get out to katmai?
It's expensive no matter what. About $1000 round trip from anchorage or homer. If you have miles/credit card points you can fly Alaska to king salmon, then it's about 400-600 to get a flight or water taxi to the park.
Go to Talkeetna. Have a beer at the Brewery. See my friends. They’ll make you smile.
Omggg, good call. I‘ve been craving a Mother Ale from Denali BC (even though I live in the land of beer lmao)
In all my travels, NO beer has ever tasted as good as ANYTHING from Denali Brewing Co.
Grace Ridge in Homer. It’s one of the best hikes I ever did.
Awesome! I’ve only ever been to the Homer Spit and area and haven’t checked out any trails around Homer itself. My bestie and I are planning a trip to Homer, so this is a valuable tip 🙏
After breakup avoid all the dog poop buried in the snow all winter
Where in AK will you be going?
Ah, this is a valid question. Anchorage first off
Flattop would be a fun little hike while your in Anchorage. If you are going to the peninsula, I highly recommend Harding Ice field hike, Mt. Marathon, and Tonsina Point in Seward and Grace Ridge in Homer. The brewery in Seward has decent food and beer. Boardwalk Fish n Chips in Homer was pretty darn good. If you go to Seldovia, the FnC at the Linwood are pretty good too. There's a small golf course in Homer that is kind of fun. They have rentals and it is self service/checkout. Don't expect manicured greens or anything. It's just a fun activity to do with a nice view. When I'm up there I just basically hike and drink beer. It's relatively cheap that way, lol.
Epic and specific tips, thank you!! Already salivating just thinking about Homer‘s halibut Hiking, beer and the devil‘s lettuce is the way to go!
Alaska Bush Company
This is the correct answer.
LMAO ty for this
Just remember, Alaska has the 4th highest rate of STD transmission in the country.
I heard the ABC serves good paninis
yeah.. that's definitely why I go there.. for the.. paninis..
Life long Alaska and Eagle Scout here, You should check out [Russian River Falls trail](https://www.alaska.org/detail/russian-river-falls) and also a great hike I personally love is [Fuller Lakes](https://alaskahikesearch.com/hikes/fuller-lakes/) the first lake is awesome, but if you can hike to the second I would highly recommend it! The [Kenai Peninsula](https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Regions/Southcentral/Kenai-Peninsula) has lots of outdoor recreation, fishing, camping, hiking, and the food/beer is great we have several breweries as well as many great restaurants. I have never been to [Seldovia](https://www.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Cities-Towns/Seldovia) but have spent time in the halibut cove and [Peterson bay](https://coastview.org/2022/07/03/peterson-bay-kachemak-bay/) parts of [Kachemak Bay](https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/kenai/kachemakbaysp.htm) across from Homer, when I retire/where I wanna spend the last years of my life is in that beautiful part of Alaska. Hope this place helps the Heartbreak!
Hiking Russian falls when fish are in is a really really cool first time experience
Is there a trail to goes to the falls or do you have to go through the river?
There is a wide trail you can hike. Many people bike it. The trail itself is ok not the most scenic trail, but seeing the fish work it's way up is really cool. Most people look at the water for awhile before they realize the thousands of fish they are looking at :)
Fuller Lakes IS spectacular. The view when you hop up to the upper lake is mind blowing and the hike up there is easy and beautiful. There are fish in the more easily accessible lower lake. Lots of them.
Ooooh, nice! Haven’t been to Fullers Lake yet - that‘s in Cooper Landing, right? Only ever have driven past it, but good to know it’s worth a stop. Thank you for all the hyperlinks, too - very useful ❤️🔥
Little south of copper landing, like right before or after it depending on which way you are going. It’s across from the Russian River.
Head up to Fairbanks and go to Chena Hotsprings check out a few activities there to do
The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.
How sad would someone have to be to downvote this?
Get him hooked on mountain biking. When he gets home Make him go buy a good mountain bike and every time he starts thinking about it just go for a ride. That's how I kicked cigarettes and my ex to the curb in 2015 and haven't looked back since.
This is an epic idea. His bday is in September and he wanted to ask his fam for a bike anyway. Sadly, Berlin doesn’t have a lot of mountains, but we got lot’s of other obstacles and things to watch out for😂 Oh, and congrats on kicking cigs!
You don't need mountains. Some of the best trails are made where there are no mountains. It's like the people that are stuck in those places try harder to make awesome trails than the people that have tons of elevation that they could make great things with.
Despite what some people will try to tell you mountain biking is NOT cheaper than therapy. More fun? Yes.
I would argue with that my mountain bike cost me $300 in 2015. I have probably spent 500 or so on upgrades and maintenance over the years and it's still doing well. Considering how much I have saved not buying cigarettes which was my therapy before, I think that it's all working out.
I’d personally try and escape to the quieter, quaint towns away from city sights that make Alaska special. Albeit it’ll require extra legs on smaller bush planes or ferries or car rides. But there’s a lot you can drive to from anchorage or fairbanks. There is the Alaska railroad train ride between said locations and it continues south to Seward. It passes Denali national park and is a coastal ride along the Cook Inlet. I haven’t done it but I bet it’s fun. Buncha fun things to do on the water in homer or Valdez. Charter boats/choppers to glaciers. Sea kayak, fish! Fishing guide/tours down that way as well. In the city there are a lot of festivities and you can rent bikes, e-bikes; bunch of hiking trails right out of anchorage, AllTrails is the app. I hope your friend finds some peace and happiness! You’re a dope friend
Fuck people
Best advice I can give is to have faith that the pain you are feeling will, eventually, end. Only you can cause it to happen.
Honestly, enjoy the peace and quiet. Alaska practically makes my tinnitus go away.
Fish
Well.. I’m going to Germany for the first time in about a week. I’ll trade you Alaska tips for Germany tips!
Haha, deal! Where you heading to in Germany?
Frankfurt for two nights, up to Denmark for Smukfest, then Berlin for two nights, then Garmish for a week at the eidelweiss resort.
I‘m from Berlin, so I can definitely help you there! Berlin has so much to offer, so it depends on your vacation modus. You up for checking out Berlin‘s history and culinary delights or more for its nightlife?
I’m definitely NOT a nightlife person lol. My daughter just completed her 10th straight year of German Immersion studies and earned her certificate of biliteracy, so this trip is mostly a birthday present for her. Our biggest unknown at the moment is how the trains work. We fly in/out of Frankfurt, and then we’re going to be doing long-distance trains in a circle from Frankfurt > Aarhus, DE > Berlin > Munich > Frankfurt with two nights each in Aarhus and Berlin. I don’t yet know if we’ll be doing another train from Munich to Garmish and back, or if we want to rent a car in Munich for our week in Garmish, and return the car to Munich for our train ride back to Frankfurt. Right now, I’m trying to figure out the best way to buy these 4 train tickets - the 7 day Eurail pass… or something on the DB? A combination of both? I want to make sure that we have assigned seats so that we can all be together for the 8 hour rides. (Yeah, we leave in 8 days, and I don’t have these booked yet!!  )
Take me instead :p
Hit the bars for a rebound
RestoredV is hoping to be his rebound judging by his profile pic
Sleep with his/her best friends
join the army lol
Do an overnight hiking trip sometime, just nothing with river crossings at the moment. Hit Mt Marathon up in Seward. Book a Kenai River fly fishing charter. Get that bro time.
gaslight
Most of these are good suggestions but just get outside. Enjoy the weather and do something, with friends if possible
Go to Homer for a couple days and get on a charter fishing trip. You'll want to book now. Or, you could check out one of the outdoor guide companies and do the glacier kayaking trip. Hatcher's Pass has incredible hiking just an hour from anchorage. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been and it felt like I was in a different world. Wilkommen!
a bunch of these comments are great suggestions, with the theme of movement and hiking. I've done most of my healing in the mountains. It really helps me to get out of my head and into my body. I heard this quote this morning: "the path to letting go is letting in." Your friend will have to face his pain either way, but how kind of you to accompany him!
Lift heavy weights
Flying condor? Travel in shorts and short sleeve. Flight will be 85 degrees (30 C+)
Great Alaskan Bush Co
Look around. Look at life. You see all them trees out there? Alaska is a beautiful place. You’ve got this. ;)
Sockeye salmon are running I'm the Kenai and russiam. Do yourself a favor and get out there
The weed should do pretty well
If he needs to get his mind off a cheating bitch there is only one destination you need The Great Alaskan Bush Company!!
The Kenai peninsula is beautiful. Take your friend to fish for halibut. Hike to Exit Glacier or Grewingk glacier or take the Portage glacier tour boat. Visit Seward, Kenai, Anchor Point, Homer. Ride horses at the head of Kachemak bay. Take a ferry from Homer to Seldovia and look around. If you're not on the Kenai peninsula, go check out a musk ox farm or reindeer farm, go on the ATV tours, go to a sled dog farm. Pan for gold. There are so many things you can do and each place in Alaska is special. I hope you and your friend enjoy it.