FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES IN PALMER

Explore Alaska Like a Local and ride off into Alaska’s wilderness with Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours. Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours offers Alaska vacations, packages and tours.

Featuring several riding tours in the Greater Palmer area from 1.5-3 hours, Alaska Horse Adventures is open Year Round.  Additionally, they have a 6 hour Kayak tour in the Butte.

Alaska Zipline Tours & Adventure Park
Alaska Zipline Adventure Park is Alaska’s first and only all-tandem side-by-side zipline course conveniently located just a short 90-minute drive north of Anchorage. Our Alaska zipline tours are one of a kind, situated on a 280-acre working farm surrounded by majestic mountains with stunning 360-degree views, all just outside Palmer, AK.

In addition to our Alaska zip line tours, our adventure park also offers full horseback trail rides, western arena activities, kids summer ranch camps, a retreat center and more! There is nothing else like it anywhere in Alaska.

Backcountry Bike & Ski offers daily and weekly rentals for cross country skis. They rent Rossignol waxless ski packages that include skis, boots, and poles. Also, they offer bikes and fat tire bikes for rent.

At Big Dipper Ice Cream, we are serving an extensive and ever-changing variety of delicious homemade ice cream prepared on site at our fun family-friendly Palmer ice cream shop. As a locally owned business, we look forward to bringing joy to our community through our love for people and ice cream.

Our flavors are range from the traditional that you will remember from your childhood to the more adventurous flavors that are sure to pique your curiosity.  We pride ourselves in using locally sourced ingredients in a number of our flavors.

And yes, we do have dairy free ice cream and sorbets!  Be sure ask about our variety of all frozen deserts we carry.

The Crevasse-Moraine trail system features over 6 miles of interconnected trails and is is open year round.  These trails run along what was once a glacier bed and ranges widely in difficulty from trail to trail.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

Established in 2001, Fireside books is the premier book venue in the Valley.  They offer a broad selection of new and used titles on just about every subject.  They also carry a number of journals and literary souvenirs!

This 16 mile (round trip) trail follows the Little Susitna river up to it's headwaters.  One of four major trails in Hatcher Pass, north of Palmer, it has a gradual incline for the first few miles before becoming much steeper.  It is open to hiking, biking, and skiing, and you can even do a little gold panning along the way.

For directions and additional information, please click on the website link above or alaska.org/detail/gold-mint-trail.

In the peak winter months Government Peak features 9 miles of combines trails for skiing, skijoring, sledding, snowshoeing and more.  Take in the sights as you adventure along the Chugach mountains just north of Palmer.  Note that the parking area is open from 8 AM to 8 PM, so don't get locked in.

For more information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

Two trails, the Lazy Moose Trail and Lazy Mountain Trail, are the primary ascent of the mountain.  The former is a longer, winding trail with moderate slopes and an easier climb, while the latter is much shorter and more difficult as it offers the straightest path to the peak.  From the top you can see the Chugach and Talkeena Ranges.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

The Matanuska River Park Campground, located near the Matauska River Bridge just on the eastern edge of Palmer, features a little fun for everyone.  The campground features over one and a half miles of easy trails with exquisite views of Lazy Mountain and the Matanuska River.

For directions or additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

They are based in downtown Palmer, AK and offer a spectrum of fun yoga classes for people of all backgrounds and skill levels in an inviting atmosphere. Their classes are drop in friendly.

Just a couple minutes North of downtown Palmer, the Musk Ox Farm is a non-profit organization dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox and to the promotion of qiviut production as a gentle and sustainable agricultural practice in the far north. Tour the farm and learn about these arctic ungulates!

Based out of Sutton, just north of Palmer, NOVA Alaska Guides has incredible experiences for everyone. Established in 1975, NOVA is Alaska’s oldest river rafting tour company under original ownership. Since 1975, we have accomplished many firsts in guided adventure travel in Alaska, including the first to offer commercial whitewater rafting on Alaska rivers and the first guided hikes on the Matanuska Glacier more than 25 years ago.

Our early wilderness trips included several first descents and trips through the newly formed National Parks and Refuges with organizations like National Geographic, Connaissance du la Mode and the National Audubon Society. Our expertise in this theater has grown over the years to include combination trips that offer mountain and glacier trips with river trips.

Palmer Golf Course is one of the most scenic places to play golf in the world. You are treated to spectacular views of Pioneer Peak, the Matanuska River and Knik Glacier. Their 7300 yard, par 72, Championship course consistently ranks in the top five of Golf Digest's, "Best of State" edition.They also have one of the finest practice facilities in the state

The Palmer Museum and Visitor Center showcases exhibits & artifacts covering the history of Palmer, as well as a selection of art curated from local artists.  Additionally, they offer both an audio tour and a guided walking tour of Palmer's historic district from June through August.  Outside is a beautifully kept garden, featuring myriad trees, vegetables, and flowers.  Come by to enjoy the local history or plan your Palmer adventure!

A rugged, mountainous trek for the experienced outdoors-man. This 12 mile trail ascends to over 6,000 feet above the Valley.  While you can complete this hike over a single day with enough planning, it is encouraged you make camp and spread it out over at least two. The climb is challenging and requires firm knowledge and safety skills to complete; however, the views from the top are one of a kind.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Borough Community Development Department or by clicking on the website link above.

The Plumley-Maud Trail is a relatively flat trail that runs through the woodlands of the Butte, just Southeast of Palmer.  Between 5 and 10 minutes drive, depending on which end of the trail you start, it is accessible on foot, as well as by ATV or even horse and is open for use year-round.  If you are looking for a gorgeous jaunt through the birch and spruce forests in the area, this trail is for you.

For additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click the website link above.

Pyrah's is an authentic Matanuska Valley farm with an astounding presence in the community.  They host several events throughout the year such as the Fall Harvest Festival and Country Christmas, as well as being a "U-Pick" farm where you can gather your vegetables fresh from the field.

Rival Park Motocross is one of a handful of maintained motocross tracks in the Southcental area and only 5 minutes from downtown Palmer.

Welcome to Rival Park Motocross's official website! We were established in April of 1996. We held our first race May 1997. We are located at 318 N  Old Glenn Highway. We are a groomed, maintained, watered and supervised track. We have a set practice schedule on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. We also like to have races when we can get a Saturday that does not interfere with the Racing Lions schedule. We try to open our track as soon as mother nature tells us it's spring around May 15TH  or so..we close our track around August 31st. We have a big bike track as well as a 50cc track (just for the little guys). We charge $10.00 to come to our track to practice..but trust us, you get your money's worth!

Fun projects, something for the entire family, delicious espresso, hand scoop ice cream, and gourmet confections await at The Art Cafe AK that is do it yourself home for artists and aspiring artists.

Turkey Red is the leading fresh food restaurant in Palmer, Alaska. They are dedicated to serving fresh, high quality, local and organic ingredients prepared in traditional ways with care and creativity.

Valley Hotel Café is open 24/7, including all holidays.  Serving traditional diner fare, from biscuits and gravy to burgers and just about everything in-between, they have something for everyone.