jozo

Greetings! Having done the Princess cruisetour thing to Alaska this past September, we have decided we need more Alaska, so I am currently looking for the perfect trip to see wildlife and scenery and have some autonomy over our journey. Here is an itinerary that I am considering, although I am not at all sure about the cost benefits. It seems very expensive to me! This is through Alaskatours.com.

Day 1: Arrival Anchorage
Upon arrival in Anchorage, transfer via hotel courtesy shuttle or taxi to your hotel. Overnight in Anchorage; Howard Johnson Plaza or similar

Day 2: Anchorage to Seward / 127 miles
Plan 3 hours driving time, not including stops.
Pick up your rental car from the downtown rental station this morning. Overnight in Seward; Holiday Inn Express or similar

Day 3: Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise
At 11:45am, depart on a full-day cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park . Enjoy an all-you-can-eat salmon and prime rib buffet on-board. In the evening return to the Seward harbor. Overnight in Seward; Holiday Inn Express or similar

Day 4: Seward to Glennallen/Copper Center / 304 miles
Plan 6 hours driving time, not including stops.
Today you will travel back up the Seward Highway . Overnight in Sheep Mountain; Sheep Mountain Lodge or similar

Day 5: Glennallen/Copper Center to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park / 68 miles
Plan 1.5 hours driving time, not including stops, plus 30 minute flight from Chitina to McCarthy.
Start the day with a short drive to the small town of Chitina, where you will leave your rental car and board a bush plane for the scenic flight into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Overnight at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge (shared bathroom)

Day 6: Kennicott / Wrangell St. Elias National Park
Take a step back in time today on a 2.5 hour historical tour of Kennicott. Overnight at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge (shared bathroom)

Day 7: Kennicott / Wrangell St. Elias National Park to Fairbanks / 313 miles
30 minute flight from McCarthy to Chitina, plus 6 hours driving time, not including stops.
Today begins with a return flight to Chitina. Your drive continues on the Richardson Highway, Overnight in Fairbanks; Rivers Edge Resort or similar

Day 8: Dalton Highway, Gates of the Arctic Nat’l Park & Anaktuvuk Pass
Early this morning (approx. 5am), depart in a mini coach for a ground tour from Fairbanks across the Arctic Circle to Coldfoot. From here, you will board a small plane for a flight into the heart of the Brooks Range, the northern-most mountains in North America. The plane will land within the Gates of the Arctic National Park at the Nunamiut Eskimo village of Anaktuvuk Pass, nearly 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Visit the village and learn about the culture and lifestyle of the local people. After your visit you will fly back to Fairbanks, arriving at between 6pm or 7pm. Return your rental car at the airport this evening. Overnight in Fairbanks; Rivers Edge Resort or similar

Day 9: Fairbanks to Denali National Park
Transfer via hotel courtesy shuttle or taxi to the Fairbanks rail station. At 8:15am*, depart aboard the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park. Upon arrival (12pm), you will be met for your wildlife bus tour through Denali National Park to Kantishna. Overnight at the Kantishna Roadhouse or Denali Backcountry Lodge. (Snack and dinner included)

Day 10: Denali National Park
Spend the day enjoying Denali. Overnight at the Kantishna Roadhouse or Denali Backcountry Lodge. (All meals included).

Day 11: Denali to Anchorage
Enjoy a light breakfast early this morning before departing at 6am on the bus back to the park entrance. At 12:15pm, depart on the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage. Upon arrival in Anchorage (8pm) transfer to your hotel by hotel courtesy shuttle or taxi. Overnight in Anchorage; Howard Johnson Plaza (Breakfast included.)

Day 12: Anchorage to Brooks Falls / Katmai National Park
Transfer to the Anchorage Airport by courtesy hotel shuttle or taxi. Depart Anchorage at approximately 7:30am aboard a scheduled flight to King Salmon or Kulik. Upon arrival in King Salmon or Kulik, a local representative will transfer you directly to a seaplane for a 20 minute flight to Brooks Camp. On arrival in Brooks Camp, you will meet with park service staff for a brief orientation in bear safety before you check into your overnight accommodation. Spend the remainder of the day exploring Brooks Camp, viewing brown bears from observation platforms, and hiking to Brooks Falls. Overnight at Brooks Lodge.

Day 13: Brooks Falls / Katmai National Park
Today take the guided bus tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes. Katmai was initially established in 1918 following the cataclysmic eruption of Novarupta Volcano in 1912, a blast ten times more forceful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Overnight at Brooks Lodge.

Day 14: Brooks Camp to Anchorage
Spend the morning at Brooks Lodge pursuing your own interests. Your return flight to King Salmon will depart early this afternoon (usually after lunch). You arrive back in Anchorage at approximately 4:30 pm. Transfer to your hotel via hotel courtesy shuttle or taxi. Overnight in Anchorage; Howard Johnson Plaza or similar

Day 15: Anchorage departure
Transfer to the airport via hotel courtesy shuttle or taxi. Depart or start an additional program.
Tour Price: $5359 per person for double occupancy

Price Includes:

· 14 nights accommodations
· 7 days (pick up day 2) mid size car rental including one way fee from Anchorage to Fairbanks and unlimited mileage
· Park admission fees into all five parks
· Round trip flights from Chitina to McCarthy
· Passage on the Alaska Railroad from Fairbanks to Denali and from Denali to Anchorage
· Full day cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park with lunch from Seward
· 2-hr guided Kennicott Mine Tour in Kennicott
· Full day Arctic Circle and Anaktuvuk Pass Adventure from Fairbanks (or to Barrow, depending on season)
· Roundtrip bus transfer and wildlife viewing tour from Denali park entrance to lodge inside Denali National park
· Meals during stay at lodge inside Denali National Park as listed
· 2 day excursion to Katmai National Park / Brooks Camp including bus tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes
· All taxes.

I welcome any and all advice and suggestions.
THank you!

hiddeninsound

Not so sure about the cost, that does seem high to me though. But those things sound fun.
I've spent quite a bit of time in Anchorage, and Seward and the Kenai Fjords are fun. The Kenai Fjords is a must see, in my opinion. Glenallen isn't really much, but it is a nice drive, as is the whole state. And of course Denali is wonderful! When are you planning your trip? Might I suggest the winter? It's great, the cost is much less, and it's gorgeous. Plus, there aren't as many tourists.

dfnh

It sounds too expensive but a nice combination of being on your own and being part of a tour group. But, if you want to stay longer at any location you won't be able to. We were lucky to have perfectly calm seas during our Kenai Fjords trip and didn't see anyone seasick but after reading reports on Fodors I wouldn't count on enjoying an all you can eat buffet. We had a simple lunch of fried halibut (or chicken) that was plenty. Although the departure is right at lunch time so maybe you can eat and hope you don't get sick ... but how can they say it's an all day trip when it doesn't leave until 11:45? We left around 9 or 10 am and were back just in time to have dinner. Will the boat get out to the bay with all the glaciers ?
What happens if you get bad weather and can't do a flight? Some people prefer to have flexible schedules because of that. We got fogged in while we were in Seldovia but we able to wait out the fog so we could enjoy a flightseeing trip back to Homer which was the highlight of the weekend.
We have traveled independently and the only time we ever saw crowds was when we were in Skagway the same time as some cruise boats or in downtown Anchorage.
I think you can plan a similar trip for less money if you do it on your own.

julieland

My parents recently spent a few weeks traveling through Alaska, and my mom posted her favorite things (plus some tips) here:
http://www.nextstop.com/guide/yMe9-UxA9Mk/

I think they did it for quite a bit cheaper, although they also roughed-it a bit more by renting a camper-van, etc. Still, I think she has some good tips for visiting Denali, and a few suggestions for getting around. Might be worth a look.

grapes

The price sounds very reasonable to me. I have Alaskan connections and suggest you not go in the winter. Remember Alaska is the land of the Midnight sun (in the summer) which means it is the land of little to no sun in the winter months. In addition you would need to buy artic gear for Fairbanks and all places north. This gear is costly and of no use in the lower 48 states. June, July and August are the ideal months to take such an extensive trip. If this is within your means, go for it and have a great time!

repete

Winter? Of course, this trip isn't even close to available then ... not even part of the conversation.

It is expensive and very busy. The pace might be too much for some. Add up all the miles and see how it fits your style. It does hit a lot of great destinations.

Seamama

It probably sounds expensive to folks that don't understand how far you are flying (very remote) and how much those flights within Alaska cost. Most Alaskans can't afford to go to those places you've mentioned and still save up for flights to Hawaii or Mexico for a mid-winter break (we need those). I live in AK and I would love to do some of those trips...Katmai and Kennicott especially. I've lived here over 35 years and still haven't made my way to all of the places in AK that I want to see. I say go for it and then come back and give us all a report so that we can drool and maybe it will motivate me to save more money and go enjoy more of this beautiful state that I live in. One piece of advice...buy travel insurance. Our weather is very unpredicable even in the summer (we didn't even have summer in '08...LOL...Mexico here I come in 81 days).

spirobulldog

Alaska was expensive when we were there last summer. We did the expensive things. Flyout/Salmon fishing, helicopter/dogsledding, railroad. VERY MUCH WORTH IT. If you can afford it, go for it. The only thing that I wish was different was that you could do the train to Seward instead of Denali. If you have time spend part of your day in Girdwood. Probably not allowing enough time at each place, but it sounds like a fantastic trip to me.

repete

It probably sounds expensive to folks that don't understand ...

Naw, I understand plenty, it's still pricey for what you get. Those are mostly real short flights, other than the Arctic package. Brooks Lodge often is a commercial flight from ANC to King Salmon and a 20-minute puddle jump. Chitna-McCarthy is about a 40-minute flight and the RT goes about $200.

jozo

Thanks everyone for all the great tips and info! We have tweaked our itinerary a bit so that we can spend an extra couple of days in Denali at the Denali Back Country Lodge. We will do a couple of nights at Seward and a couple in Homer, as well as the 2 nights/3 days at Brooks Lodge. There will be a few nights in Anchorage because we will use it as sort of a hub for everywhere else.

So we have taken a few stops out and added extra nights elsewhere, for a slightly more relaxing wildlife-oriented journey. What a special place it is! I can't wait to get there in July!

BudgetQueen

In my opinion, this is too packed of an itinerary, and frankly, there is NO need for this to be done by a tour company. You would be better off, fine tuning this and gooing on your own. Very very simple to do.

This current routing has NO time in Fairbanks, and not a good timeframe. Also do your homework and be certain you want to stay out at Kantishna??? With only one night, you would be better off with a bus one way and flying the other. Be certain you know WHAT you want to see and do there??? It isn't a "wildlife" loaded area, you need to be on the move and on a shuttle bus, IF that is your priority??

You have a lot of time in Kenicott, again, you know what this area is going to offer you?? And it's your preference??? You are missing the significant scenic section of the Richardson, Copper Center/Valdez.

You also can consider better use of time in Seward as well, perhaps?? Can easily do a Kenai fjords boat trip your arrival day.

If you are open to some B&B's you could get some considerable cost savings over this packaged itinerary.

Another, significant cost savings option is the use of one of the purchased coupon books available, which you probably do not have the ability to use with this packaged tour??


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