When Touring Alaska, Who Thinks About Ice Cream? I Do!

When you think about touring Alaska, what comes to mind? Glaciers? Whales? Bears? Mountains? Icebergs? I think about ice cream. Yes, really.

Did you know Alaskans are widely believed to consume more ice cream per capita than residents of any other state? And in Alaska, ice cream isn't necessarily vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry — you'll find wonderfully unexpected flavors inspired by the state itself: wild blueberry and lingonberry, birch syrup and birch brittle, fireweed, and even Sailor Boy Pilot Bread. Yes, pilot bread.

I tried several flavors while traveling through Alaska. The fireweed, I'll admit, tasted mostly like vanilla — not at all what I was expecting. But the more I explored Alaska's ice cream scene, the more intrigued I became.

Wild Scoops is a favorite ice cream shop in and around Anchorage, and it quickly became one of my favorite stops in the whole state. The ice cream is small-batch, creative, and genuinely delicious, and their homemade waffle cones are some of the best I've ever had.

Then there's their signature Baked Alaska cone: a scoop of small-batch ice cream in a homemade waffle cone, topped with homemade marshmallow cream torched golden right in front of you. It's fun, it's unmistakably an Alaska experience, and you should try it — personally, I found it a little too sweet for my taste, but I'm glad I tried it.

The flavor I'm still thinking about is A Pilot's Life for Me — chocolate-covered Sailor Boy Pilot Bread toffee chunks with a spiced rum caramel swirl. That one was absolutely my kind of ice cream.

I'm a huge ice cream fan, and after trying it all over the country, Wild Scoops has earned a permanent spot on my personal favorites list — right up there with Sundae School on Cape Cod. That's saying something.

So yes, Alaska gave me glaciers, wildlife, breathtaking scenery, and unforgettable adventures. But it also gave me some seriously memorable ice cream, and honestly, I'm perfectly okay with that.

Have you ever tried an unusual ice cream flavor while traveling? Or are you a classic chocolate-and-vanilla person? Tell me — I'd love to know what you'd try.