Scenic Viewpoints in Alaska: 120 Photo Spots, Light & Night Sky Guide

Name	County	Elevation	Nearest town	Sky
Thunder Bird Scenic Viewpoint	Anchorage Municipality	—	Knik-Fairview	4
Tern Lake	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Bear Creek	2
Bore Tide Viewpoint #4	Anchorage Municipality	—	Girdwood	2
Gorge Viewing Deck	Anchorage Municipality	—	Knik-Fairview	4
Pyramid Mountain	Kodiak Island Borough	730 m	Kodiak Station	2
Gobblers Knob	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—		1
Hess Creek Overlook	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—	College	1
Beluga Overlook	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	5
Ecotone Platform	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	5
Sandhill Blind	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	5
Copper River Viewpoint	Copper River Census Area	—	Palmer	1
Westchester Lagoon Nature Viewing PlatformAlaska Public Lands	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	7
Edgerton Overlook	Copper River Census Area	—	Palmer	1
Worthington Glacier Viewpoint	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	1
Bore Tide Viewpoint #3	Anchorage Municipality	—	Girdwood	2
Denali Viewpoint	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
Lower Summit Lake Viewpoint	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Girdwood	2
Exit Glacier Viewpoint	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Bear Creek	2
Jet Watching Viewpoint	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	7
Kevita Pond Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Badger	1
Observation Point	Dillingham Census Area	—		1
View of Eagle River	Anchorage Municipality	—	Elmendorf Air Force Base	5
View of the Turnagain Arm	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	5
Observation Platform	Fairbanks North Star Borough	—	Fairbanks	7
Glen Alps Lookout	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	4
Igloo City	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Tanaina	1
Denali View South	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Susitna North	1
Heitman Mountain	Kodiak Island Borough	—	Kodiak Station	2
Heitman Peak	Kodiak Island Borough	—	Kodiak Station	2
Potter's Marsh	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	4
Beluga Point Viewpoint	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	3
Stony Overlook	Denali Borough	—	College	1
Denali View North	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Meadow Lakes	1
Whale Observatory	Petersburg Borough	—	Petersburg	4
Beluga Wetlands Overlook	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Homer	4
Anan viewing deck	City and Borough of Wrangell	—	Wrangell	1
Baycrest Overlook	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Homer	4
Portage Overlook	Chugach Census Area	—	Girdwood	2
Downtown Anchorage Viewpoint	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	7
Polychrome Pass	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
Polychrome Overlook	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
City of Skagway Overlook	Skagway Municipality	—	Skagway	1
Gavan Viewpoint	Sitka City and Borough	—	Sitka	5
Wolf Point	Ketchikan Gateway Borough	—	Ketchikan	4
Ship Creek OverlookAlaska Public Lands	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	7
Viewing Spit	Juneau City and Borough	—	Juneau	1
Hurricane Gulch	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Meadow Lakes	1
Keystone Canyon	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	1
Scenic Point	Copper River Census Area	—	Palmer	1
Palisades Overlook	Aleutians West Census Area	—		1
Overlook	Aleutians West Census Area	—		1
Denali view	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Susitna North	1
Tonsina River Overlook	Copper River Census Area	—	Palmer	1
Denver glacier viewpoint	Skagway Municipality	—	Skagway	1
Gavan Lookout	Sitka City and Borough	—	Sitka	5
Battery point	Haines Borough	—	Haines	1
Kelgaya point	Haines Borough	—	Haines	1
Denali's Fault. Scenic overlook	Southeast Fairbanks Census Area	—	Deltana	1
Finger Mountain Wayside	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—	College	1
Reflections Lake Scenic View Tower	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Gateway	4
Sag River Overlook	North Slope Borough	—		1
Sevenmile Lake Overlook	Copper River Census Area	—	Badger	1
U.S. Creek Overlook	Fairbanks North Star Borough	—	Badger	1
Observation Tower	Fairbanks North Star Borough	—	College	6
The Perch	Anchorage Municipality	—	Elmendorf Air Force Base	3
Dew Lake Overlook	Anchorage Municipality	—	Elmendorf Air Force Base	3
Eagle River Valley scenic viewpoint	Anchorage Municipality	—	Elmendorf Air Force Base	3
South Fork Falls Overlook	Anchorage Municipality	—	Eagle River	5
Exit Glacier Overlook	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Bear Creek	2
The Beaver Deck	Anchorage Municipality	—	Eagle River	3
The Salmon Deck	Anchorage Municipality	—	Eagle River	3
Tucker Point	Anchorage Municipality	—	Eagle River	4
Pavilion	Juneau City and Borough	—	Juneau	3
Glacier Bay	Haines Borough	—	Juneau	1
Galcier Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Butte	3
Valdez City Viewing Point	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	3
Dog Salmon Fish Pass Wildlife Viewing Site	Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area	—	Craig	1
Best photo of train with mountain backdrop	Skagway Municipality	—	Skagway	1
(overgrown viewpoint)	Juneau City and Borough	—	Juneau	3
Portland Canal Viewpoint	Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area	—	Ketchikan	1
Goat Lake	Skagway Municipality	—	Skagway	1
Thompson Pass Viewpoint	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	1
Duck Flats Viewpoint	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	4
Bore Tide Viewpoint #2	Anchorage Municipality	—	Girdwood	2
Chandalar Shelf	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—		1
The Gate of the Arctic on Dalton Highway	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—		1
Robe Lake Viewpoint	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	2
Nenana River Viewpoint	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
Teklanika River Viewpoint	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
Denali Viewpoint	Denali Borough	—	Healy	1
Pond Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Badger	1
Maclaren River Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Badger	1
Lake Geeta Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Badger	1
South Rolly Overlook	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Willow	2
Elliot Fischer Memorial Platform	Kenai Peninsula Borough	—	Diamond Ridge	3
Knik Glacier Overlook	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Butte	2
Knik Moraine Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Butte	2
Glacier Overlook	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Butte	2
North boat cove overlook	Dillingham Census Area	—		1
Glacier View 2025Wrangell - St Elias	Copper River Census Area	—		1
Matanuska Glacier Viewpoint	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Palmer	1
Lookout Point	Anchorage Municipality	—	Elmendorf Air Force Base	3
Begich/Boggs Visitor Center Portage Lake View	Chugach Census Area	—	Girdwood	2
Heidi's Knob	Anchorage Municipality	—	Girdwood	3
Valdez Glacier Lake view	Chugach Census Area	—	Valdez	2
Goose Creek Tower	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	—	Susitna North	2
FAA	Aleutians East Borough	—	King Cove	1
86-Mile Overlook (MP 86.5)	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—	College	1
Grayling Lake Wayside	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—		1
Orin Seybert Tower	Anchorage Municipality	—	Anchorage	7
Sukakpak Mountain Viewpoint (MP 204)	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area	—		1
Crow's Nest	Kodiak Island Borough	—	Kodiak Station	3
Observation Platform	Fairbanks North Star Borough	—	Fairbanks	7
South Platform	Bristol Bay Borough	—	Kodiak	1
North Platform	Bristol Bay Borough	—	Kodiak	1
Riffles Platform	Bristol Bay Borough	—	Kodiak	1
Falls Platform	Bristol Bay Borough	—	Kodiak	1
Stony Hill Overlook	Denali Borough	1,203 m	College	1
Lookout Point	Aleutians East Borough	—		1
Lookout Point	Aleutians West Census Area	—		1

Sky = estimated Bortle class (1 darkest – 9 brightest).

Map

How to photograph scenic viewpoints

Overlooks are about the sweep of the land, so low-angle light matters most: side-light at sunrise or sunset reveals ridges and texture that midday sun flattens.

Arrive 30–45 minutes before sunrise or sunset to find a composition before the light peaks.
Use a telephoto (70–200 mm) to isolate layered ridges and light rays instead of shooting only wide.
Check the sun azimuth for your date: front-light, side-light and back-light give three different pictures from the same rail.
Haze builds in summer afternoons; mornings after a cold front are often the clearest.
Stay behind barriers — many overlook edges are undercut or crumbly.

Season: Clear, dry air in autumn and after winter storms gives the longest views; summer adds wildflowers but also haze.