Knik-Fairview, AK Outdoor Activities

A soldier hears a rustling in the distant trees. He turns his head expecting to exchange glances with a family of squirrels or maybe a bear. Then, he hears a quick burst of air, shifts his gaze downward, and finds a splatter of blue paint on his T-shirt. Ambushes by paint-slinging sharpshooters occur regularly at Wasilla SplatterHouse Paintball, where groups gather to stage colorful tactical operations on a woodsy landscape dotted with plentiful obstacles and hiding places. While ducking under paintball fire, players crawl through cement tubes and crouch behind walls to plot their next move or patch up their multicolored wounds with whiteout. Before being unleashed onto the battlegrounds, players are supplied with paintballs and Tippmann 98 and electronic-trigger Smart Parts Vibe equipment.

The sporting aficionados at Bearpaw Archery believe the art of the arrow can and should be a family-oriented activity. They frequently populate the 20- and 30-yard ranges on their Wasilla facility with activities, instruction, and events that involve archers as young as 5. Youth leagues and 10-week homeschool classes accustom kids to the sport, and veteran competitors and recreational archers are treated to league play and a pro shop outfitted with equipment from brands including Excalibur Crossbow, Genesis, and Parker Compound Bows. The archers also welcome high-level competition by hosting the state shoots—an event where skilled archers plant their arrows precisely where they want them: holding up that slipping poster from Woodstock ‘69.

The instructors at Alaska Kayak Academy share their love for sea kayaking by training and leading adventures in Alaska's rivers and coastal waters. Scheduled year-round, classes range from basic paddling instruction to deep-water rescue techniques. Guided trips cater to all levels of paddlers, with day trips along salmon runs and through the glacial ice of Prince William Sound. Rentals equip paddlers for independent exploration, refining skills, and humming quietly to themselves in peace. Alaska Kayak Academy also encompasses a store, where staff advise on gear such as new and used kayaks and the trendiest way to don a life jacket.

Nestled in the heart of the Mat-Su Valley and alongside the Matanuska River, the Palmer Golf Course’s verdant fairways—designed by William Overdorf and repeatedly named one of the best in the state by Golf Digest—treat players to breathtaking views of Pioneer Peak and Knik Glacier. Their cleated feet tread over bluegrass, and their gloved hands grip clubs tightly as they assess the 7th hole’s wicked dogleg left or crush spheres toward the water-bracketed green of the 17th hole. Before romping beneath the course’s jagged brushstrokes of mountain, players equip themselves at the pro shop, and after, they can drop by the snack bar. Those interested in honing their game can schedule lessons with an instructor with nine years of experience, or a caddy that can eat a hoagie impressively quickly. Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 7,125 yards

• Course rating of 72.6

• Slope rating of 121

• Four tee options

Moose saunter through the Alaskan wilderness in the warmer months; salmon and grizzlies fill the streams. When visitors mount ATVs or snowmobiles behind the local guides of Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours, they count themselves among these lucky inhabitants of the woodsy Alaskan landscape. Patrons can also opt for hiking, camping, and rafting day trips or overnight stays in lodges and log cabins cozier than a sleeping bag stuffed with marshmallows. During summer, they can drink in the monolithic majesty of Knik Glacier, and awe-inspiring mountain peaks and glaciers backdrop each of the excursions, some of which include campfire meals cooked up in front of the natural grandeur.

The Musk Ox Farm director Mark Austin is the first to admit that Maple, a three-day-old musk ox calf, is the cutest thing in the world. Her thin legs take wobbling steps. Her fine fuzz tickles her giant mother’s belly. And when she ambles through the pasture after nursing, her bright pink tongue wags from the side of her mouth. And Maple is just the beginning: 11 more calves are on the way this spring season, and the farm will soon burst into a flurry of feeding, combing, inserting microchips, tending to mothers, and, of course, greeting visitors.

Though he acknowledges the endearing quality of a baby musk ox in spring, Mr. Austin worries that visitors to The Musk Ox Farm might get so caught up with the new calf that they miss the farm's larger project. “I’m trying to battle the perception we’re a roadside attraction. It’s not just about getting out of your car and snapping a photo of a musk ox for your Alaska photo album.”

Not that Mr. Austin hasn’t snapped a few photos of Maple himself. He simply hopes the spectacle won’t overshadow the nonprofit farm’s scope, which begins and ends with the animals themselves. Although the majestic species is about 600,000 years old, domestication efforts began only 60 years ago by Farm founder John Teal. Every spring, the several-hundred-pound animals shed their qiviut, a thick under wool, some of which the farm ships to the native knitters’ cooperative in Oomingmak. There, members knit the wool into delicate lacy garments that they eventually sell to supplement their subsistence lifestyle. So when Mr. Austin looks at Maple, he sees not just a huggable calf, but the source of positive economic change for rural native Alaskan women. “The animals are fascinating,” he says. “But it’s the big picture that gets me up in the morning.”