Alaska in First Week of Sept

Old Feb 24th, 2017, 08:45 PM
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Alaska in First Week of Sept

Hello All

Me and my wife both in late 20s want to travel to Alaska during 1st week of sept. Do you think its a good time and we would get to see something or is it going to be raining most of the time. we plan to see Denali, Seward, Whittier, Fairbanks etc.
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Old Feb 24th, 2017, 08:59 PM
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I forgot to mention i would arrive Aug 31 to Anchorage, Do Denali for 2 days, 2 days to fairbanks, 1 day in MICA, 1 day in Whittier and 2 days in Seward ( doing cruises and kayaking )
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 03:35 AM
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In Whittier be sure to do the glacier cruise tour through Phillipscruises.com. We paid a bit more to get a corner window seat. The passenger area is almost all windows and they also live stream the cruise on tvs you can view from your seat. Live narration too. You can also go out on deck for viewing but beware the wind. Cruise includes your lunch and a snack. We went in July and saw sea otters,seals and whales. Amazingly beautiful. Took many pictures which turned out great but none captured the feeling we had while viewing the beauty. Truly breathtaking! If I were rich I would go back to Alaska just to do this cruise.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 05:31 AM
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Well, it might be raining, might not. Denali might be socked in, might not. Roll the dice.

Help us with a little more detail. Denali is really a 3-day exercise - one to get there, one there, one returning or traveling on. Do you have family or some other strong reason to visit Fairbanks? If not, I'd skip it and add more time in Denali or farther south.

By "MICA" I assume you're talking about some activity on Matanuska Glacier?

September is well into the autumn season at Denali, and while there will probably be good fall color on the tundra, you'll be there on Labor Day weekend, and accommodations around the park are going to be very scarce. Do you have something already lined up?
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 06:15 AM
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Thanks guys
So, I am planning to arrive on
31st Aug - Arrive Anchorage around 10 AM and Drive to Healy
1st Sept - Denali Bus
2nd Sept - Denali Bus
3rd Sept - Drive to Fairbanks ( just to check it out ) - drive to Matanuska Glacier ( stay around there )
4th Sept - Ice Trek with MICA and check out independence Mine
5th Sept - Drive to Whittier ( do hike around Byran Glacier ) and stay in Seward
6th Sept - Glacier Cruise
7th Sept - Kayaking in Ressurection Bay
8th Sept - ??
9th Sept - Flight in afternoon or Evening to Seattle From Anchorage

So you see there is one day that i am not sure if i should drive to Homer because people said that drive is wonderful or should i include something else.

I can also do the whole trip in reverse but i think this is better but you guys can definitely comment on this

GaryLoo, The only reason for me to drive to fairbanks is to drive back through Richardson highway

I can also travel at the end of Aug 26th - Sept 3rd because i have flight tickets to seattle for both these dates. I am just waiting on booking the tickets from seattle to alaska.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 06:17 AM
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Fairbanks was my least favorite place in AK. The only part I liked was the paddle wheel river cruise. It's kinda hokey-touristy, but it was fun.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 06:33 AM
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From experience I say you will only want to do the 8+ hour bus trip once and not on consecutive days.
You should buy your bus tickets online before you arrive at Denali.
We did not stay in Healy. We stayed in a nice B&B near North Pole and drove back to the Denali entrance early the next day. Our kind B&B hostess packed us breakfast sandwiches to eat on the road. We had picked up sub sandwiches in Fairbanks to eat on the bus trip.
Try to get on the early morning flight from Seattle instead of the one that arrives at 11:30PM.
In Fairbanks, spend 2-3 hours at the University of Alaska Fairbanks museum. They have some small dinosaur skeletons found in Alaska. There is a place north of Fairbanks where you can touch the Alaska Pipeline. (Check my profile picture).
While on my profile click on my trip report and read.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 07:08 AM
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It's good to see you have ten days and not a week, which is what your thread title suggested.

General comments:

Sept. 3 is pretty impossible; you're looking at a minimum of 8 hours on the road, probably more like 9 or 10, not counting stops. And, frankly, the Richardson between Fairbanks and Glennallen, where you'd turn off for the Matanuska Glacier, isn't all that exciting. The part of the Richardson that IS worthwhile is south of Glennallen, around Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier on the way to Valdez. THAT part of the highway is IMO one of the most beautiful drives in North America.

In fact, although it might rearrange your trip too extensively, there are guided hikes on Worthington Glacier that also might be worth a look. They start in Valdez, so would take the same driving time, i.e. too long, from the Denali area. The same group also offers sea kayaking out of Valdez, http://www.alaskasummer.com/index.html

But you COULD turn the trip into a loop, using the state ferry from Valdez to Whittier, like this: https://goo.gl/maps/VPrVC3Y3WpM2 . You would need to confirm with your rental car people that taking the ferry is okay (it should be) and the ferry isn't cheap, but it would save a lot of there-and-back driving. But as I say, it would probably require you to rearrange your timing.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 07:17 AM
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Thanks for the reply guys
Garyloo I can change my trip a little bit and move around. My main concern was
Will the cruises out of seward worth the price during my dates ?
Should i change the dates to end of August till 1st week of Sept as i mentioned in the post ?
if it doesn't make a huge difference, I save some money by booking all the flights using points.

Yeah, I did check the ferry and it was like $450. I don't want to shell that kind of money to save 3-4 hrs of driving.

Let me change my plan a little bit and see what i can come up with
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 08:45 AM
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If you're taking a day cruise from Seward you want to do a Kenai Fjords cruise - glaciers and lots of wildlife. It ought to be fine in September.

I don't know that moving your dates forward does much one way or the other. You'll be in full-blown tourist season either way; things don't really quiet down until after Sept. 15.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 09:52 AM
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Do you think i would see Northern Lights in September ?

I can stop in Fairbanks for a day just for that
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 10:09 AM
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If they're visible from Fairbanks they'll be just as visible from Denali. Early September would be a stretch (although you never know.) You need clear, dark skies and aurora activity, and apparently we're currently in a relatively inactive period. I certainly wouldn't go all the way to Fairbanks just on the off chance of seeing the aurora.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 10:17 AM
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The chances of seeing the Northern Lights get better later in September. http://www.westmarkhotels.com/blog/a...rthern-lights/
There is a hot spring place north east of Fairbanks that a viewing shed to use when they are active.
The best Northern Lights show I ever saw was near Jasper AB in late October.
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Old Feb 25th, 2017, 11:47 AM
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We have seen the Northern Lights in earl September. We were up in the Brooks Range. We certainly did not expect to see them, but after a long hike in, it was quite the treat!
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Old Feb 26th, 2017, 05:55 PM
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So, I came up with 2 versions of my trip as i have not booked hotels and tours yet. I am flexible

Sept 1 - Reach Anchorage 11:00 AM. Pick up car and drive leisurely to Seward ( to Byran Glacier Trail ) + Sealife Center in Seward
Sept 2 - Full Day Cruise in Seward and stay in Seward
Sept 3 - Exit Glacier and Marmot Meadows or Edge of Glacier (If can be done by ourselves) and stop in Whittier and Drive to Palmer and Stay in Palmer
Sept 4 - MICA Ice Trek + independence mine and hatcher pass hiking and drive to talkteena and stay in Talkteena
Sept 5 - Talkteena air taxi + Byers Lake Trail + Talkeetna Lakes Park + Get tickets from Denali National Park + Savage River Trail
Sept 6 - 1st Denali, bus to wilderness and hikes (wonder lake shuttle)
(Horseshoe Lake Hike or McKinley Station Walk) overnight denali
Sept 7 - 2nd Denali, bus to wilderness and hikes (Eilson shuttle)
Eielson Alpine Hike (1000 ft/3 hrs) overnight denali
Sept 8 - ?
Sept 9 - ?

OR

Sept 1 - Reach Anchorage 11:00 AM Pick up car and Drive to Healy + Get tickets from Denali National Park + Savage River Trail
Sept 2 - Denali, bus to wilderness and hikes (wonder lake shuttle)
(Horseshoe Lake Hike or McKinley Station Walk) overnight Homer
Sept 3 - Denali, bus to wilderness and hikes (Eilson shuttle)
Eielson Alpine Hike (1000 ft/3 hrs) + drive toward Talkteena
Sept 4 - Talkteena Air Taxi ( Morning ) + Byers Lake Trail + Talkeetna Lakes Park + Drive to Palmer overnight in Palmer
Sept 5th - Ice Trek with MICA & drive around Glenallen and staywith MICA
Sept 6th - Drive Leisurely to Whittier + Byran Glacier Trail and stay in Seward
Sept 7th - Kenai Fjords tour in Seward
Sept 8th - ??
Sept 9th - ??

I have a flight at Midnight on 9th so i have all day.

could you guys please comment which one makes more sense and also what should i do last 2 days ?

Any towns or activities i should include ?

Drive to Valdez and Drive back ?
Drive to Homer and do something there ?
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Old Feb 26th, 2017, 09:19 PM
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Buy your tickets for the shuttle bus online or over the phone.
https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm
After riding to Wonder Lake (MP 85) and back, you may not want to ride the bus out to Eilson the next day.
You could put a day in Fairbanks in between the two long bus rides.
You can hike up to the toe of the Exit Glacier but not walk on it.
For a great meal in Fairbanks, try the Salmon Bake place next to Pioneer Park.
You might want to visit the Muskox farm northeast of Palmer.
You stand a fair chance of seeing some wildlife if you drive the Skilak road on the Kenai Peninsula.
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 07:35 AM
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Thanks @tomfuller
Do you have suggestions for the last 2days i have ?
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 08:39 AM
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I would play the Denali bus days by ear. If the mountain's invisible (which is altogether possible) then I'd just get off the bus at Eielson and skip the extra three hours on the bus to/from Wonder Lake. (You can buy the Wonder Lake extension at Eielson if conditions are good.)

I confess I'm not much of a fan of Talkeetna; during the summer the little town is packed with tour buses and lots of humans. For what it's worth, there are plenty of Denali flightseeing options in Anchorage, with the added benefit (to me) of overflying the Susitna basin en route - a huge area, much of it wilderness, with more lakes than you can count - pretty special stuff. http://gardyloo.us/matsuforest.jpg and http://gardyloo.us/matsulakes2.jpg

Whittier: If you're not taking a glacier cruise out of Whittier then I'd probably skip it. It's a pain to get there (infrequent tunnel openings) and aside from the glacier tours, the Princess cruise and state ferry docks, and two remarkable leftover megastructures built by the Army (one inhabited by almost every resident of Whittier, the other occupied by wild dogs and feral cats) there's not much to see. Nice scenery, but that's everywhere. Adding Whittier on the same day you're driving to/from Palmer en route from/to Seward is going to make for a pretty long day. Instead, you might consider going up the gondola at Alyeska in Girdwood. It's a beautiful ride and you can hike back down the hill with great views of Turnagain arm and the valley.

Stop at Eklutna between Anchorage and Palmer and see the "spirit houses" in the very interesting Native cemetery next to the old Russian Orthodox church. Between Portage and Cooper Landing, take the road to the historic mining village of Hope, on the south side of Turnagain Arm. There's a terrific trail along the water from Hope; watch out for black bears. In fact, on your hikes, be bear-conscious all the time. You're going to be in bear country right when they're very active picking berries and loading up for the winter. Make noise as you walk, or travel with someone.

I don't have a strong opinion on either of your choices; they both cover the same ground.

As for the extra days, I personally would take one of the Denali days and extend your Glenn/Richardson Hwy itinerary to include Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier 60 or 70 miles south of Glennallen, even if you don't go as far as Valdez. The hikes around the glacier are terrific and you'll probably see some early fall color in the tundra and trees thereabouts.

Or another option has to do with your flying plans. You might think about stopping on the way home in Juneau, just so you could get a feel of SE Alaska and the Inside Passage. Juneau has got some excellent hikes, lots of history, and plenty of things to see. It can be a bit congested with cruise people during the day, but by 6 PM or so they've all sailed, leaving the town much more navigable. For a real treat, take one of Alaska Airlines' "milk runs," which stop in Cordova and Yakutat en route from Anchorage to Juneau, or the one from Juneau to Seattle that stops in Petersburg, Sitka and Ketchikan. Get a window seat and be ready for your mind to be blown.
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 09:21 AM
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In Pioneer Park in Fairbanks there is a small aviation museum.
You can learn about pilot Eilson's death in a crash in remote eastern Russia.
There is a small hobby railroad that goes around the park.
Check out the Salmon Bake on the SW corner of the park.
In my profile picture I am standing under the Alaska Pipeline north of Fairbanks.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2017, 06:44 AM
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Sept 1 - Reach Anchorage 11:00 AM. Pick up car and drive leisurely to Alyeska Aerial Tram to Seward ( to Byran Glacier Trail ) + Sealife Center in Seward stay in Seward
Sept 2 - Full Day Cruise in Seward and stay in Seward
Sept 3 - Exit Glacier and Marmot Meadows or Edge of Glacier (If can be done by ourselves) + Portage Glacier + Drive to Palmer and Stay in Palmer
Sept 4 - Talkteena air taxi + Byers Lake Trail + Talkeetna Lakes Park + Get tickets from Denali National Park + Savage River Trail
Sept 5 - Denali, bus to wilderness and hikes (Eilson shuttle)
Eielson Alpine Hike (1000 ft/3 hrs)
Or continue to Wonder Lake if weather is good (Horseshoe Lake Hike or McKinley Station Walk) overnight Healy
Sept 6 - Drive to Glenallen slowely on 8 ( Check out Summit Lake in Paxson )
Sept 7 - Worthington Glacier + Keystone Canyon while driving towards Valdez
Sept 8 - Kayaking in Valdez and Drive to Glacier View and stay there + http://anadyradventures.com/anadyr-trips/daytrips/ (Valdez Glacier & Hiking)
Sept 9 - MICA Ice Trek + independence mine and hatcher pass hiking and drive to anchorage + Flight at Midnight
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