Arriving early or staying late for the 2026 CUPSO conference in Anchorage? Our hosts at ISER have put together some great resources for planning your trip. 

Anchorage Overview

In June 2025 the TODAY show featured a trip to Anchorage. Their special highlighted not only some of the natural beauty of the area, but some of the food and culture options as well. You can find that video here.

We would also be remiss not to share that ISER put together a fantastic webinar with Jody Overstreet of Visit Anchorage. Unfortunately, I messed up the recording and can't post the full webinar here. However, we did get notes, chat links, and a transcript and have tried to include most of the wealth of information below. 

Getting to Anchorage

Alaska may be the Last Frontier, but getting to Anchorage doesn't have to be complicated with flights from most major cities connecting through Seattle. Some major cities also offer nonstop flights during tourist season. The ISER team has secured (small) discount codes for flights booked directly through both Alaska Airlines (use code ECMO610)and Delta Airlines (use code NY42Y). 

Diane provided some additional tips for folks really searching for that best rate:

• Saturdays and Wednesdays tend to be low fare days.
• If you are flying to and from the East Coast, you may need to take a red-eye on the return flight. You will want to factor that into your travel plans. 
• If you sign up for alerts from Alaska Airlines, they frequently offer low fare specials to Anchorage. 

Whatever your plans, Rebecca and Diane both recommend booking flights by the end of January to get the best price. 

Planning your itinerary

Whether you are just looking for things to squeeze into a half day around the conference or thinking about extending your vacation for a week or more, Visit Anchorage (anchorage.net) is an invaluable resource. If you need a little more specific direction, here are some helpful sample itineraries and itinerary planners: 

• Travel Journalist Scott Mc Murren offers his recommendations for 3, 5, and 10 day Alaska Itineraries. All the associated links can be found in this document.
• Here you can find 1,2, and 3 day itineraries in and around Alaska's major city, tailored to your interests (food, relaxation, wildlife, adventure, culture, etc.).
• Anchorage's 2024 Travel Trade Planner is a beautiful travel guide with itinerary builders, suggestions, links to tour companies, and maps.  
• Traveling with the family? Here are some suggestions for things to do with kids - including plenty of in-town ideas they can explore while you are at the conference.

Hiking and Wildlife Viewing

You don't have to be in shape to scale the continent's highest mountain to enjoy the Alaskan Frontier. Anchorage is situated at sea level, and offers walks and hikes for explorers of all levels. Heading further down the Kenai Peninsula you can also find easy to moderate hikes with access to pristine wilderness and even glaciers. Rebecca Van Wyck shared this link to her favorite trail guidebook. Here are some additional recommendations for walking and wildlife viewing in and around Anchorage:

• Chugach State Park
• Potter Marsh
• Eagle River Nature Center
• Alaska Zoo

Additional Recommendations

Stay posted! We will continue to add recommendations from the ISER team as they come in: 

• The Alyeska Resort 40 miles south of Anchorage offers both luxury in the form of a brand-new, adults-only Nordic Spa and adventure in the form of the Veilbreaker Skybridge.