My four favorite things in the Anchorage bowl

The Talkeetna mountains: Rising out of the Matanuska valley the talkeetna's have miles of trails to hike full of glacial fields, lowlands, andforests.
The Chugach mountains: The Chugach rise out of the ocean inlet (Knik) and practically go straight up. The upper portion of the mountain is covered in ice.
Big Lake and Sleeping Lady, are the summer hot spots in the valley with boats and jet ski's running the lake. But keep an eye out for bush planes landing at any moment.
Knik Arm can be dangerous and beautiful all at the same time. The tide rise is significant.