Alaska Trip Report
Jun 28th, 2015, 08:29 AM
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Alaska Trip Report
We had a really short vacation and had to fit it all in. We had a 5 hour delay on our stopover and thought we wouldn't make it, but we finally landed in Anchorage at round midnight and after picking up our Enterprise rental car in the airport we drove 2.5 hours down to Seward. Because it was past nightfall, we missed the beautiful drive and stops along the way. Got to Seward, checked in to our hotel, the Seward Hotel and went to bed. The hotel has no elevator, did have a fridge in our room and was ok. Parking lot was full, but we were told we could park on the street until 11 am.
Next day, we drove to the Kenai Fjords tour office, booked 2 tickets for same day cruise at 11 am (6 hour cruise). We parked in their parking lot which is not in the same place as the office, but they have a shuttle to transport you to and from. The day we went was a beautiful, sunny day, and we really enjoyed the cruise. It was so scenic and beautiful; I highly recommend this tour. We went all the way to the Aialik Glacier (more than enough, we were considering a longer cruise, and we're glad we didn't). Free lunch was included.
Later that day, we drove to Exit Glacier, went on the short hike to the overlook to see the glacier which was nice. On the way back, we got a little lost, the signs on the trail aren't that great, but we finally met someone who directed us back to the parking lot.
From there we drove to Whittier. On the half hour you can enter the town through the one way tunnel and on the hour you can leave. We got to our hotel, the Inn at Whittier, which I would not recommend. There was no air conditioning, it was hot, and there was no screen on the window. There were too many mosquitoes and other bugs for us to leave the window open and the only screen they had when we requested it, did not fit the window. So while the bed was comfortable the temperature wasn't.
We left our car in the parking lot of the hotel the next day and walked to the Major Marine Office at the dock. (a 3-5 minute walk). Originally, we bought Phillips Cruise Tickets, but they only showed us our inside seats after we paid, so we asked for a refund (no point in sitting interior-- can't see the outside and we didn't plan on getting up all the time). So we went to Major Marine and bought better seats there. (plus there were less people on the boat so easier to get a good spot at railing). It was a cloudy day, and surprisingly did not enjoy this as much as the Kenai Fjords NP tour, even though there is more of a focus on wildlife in Kenai Fjords, and we enjoy more scenic routes. But, we did see wildlife and glaciers on the Prince William Sound Tour with Major Marine. It was a 6 hour tour frmo 11:30 to 5:30 If I had to do this again, I would skip the PWS tour. After the tour, we left quickly to the tunnel and started our drive to Denali National Park.
On the way we stopped to see some of the places along the way that we missed the first day driving down to Seward. We stopped at Bird Point, which is beautiful! We didn't see Beluga point (must have missed it.) We finally got to our hotel: The Denali Bluffs Hotel, which is about half a mile to the park entrance. It was around 1 am and it took a while to check in because the front desk clerk was on the phone. Then we told him there was no parking in the regular lot or the overflow lot. But another worker said he found parking in the overflow lot. Of course when we got there, there was no parking. We were really annoyed to have driven 6 hours, gotten there at 1 am and knew we would be checking out in 4-5 hours, and yet they were giving us a hard time with parking. Btw, the parking areas aren't that close to the rooms- at least the overflow lot isn't. Finally, I told him this is ridiculous and he said we could park against the fence in the closest lot. The hotel rooms are made of "cabins- one room with bathroom." Actually cabins are cute, beds were comfortable.
We woke up just a few hours later to check out. Again this was aggravating. There was a note at the front desk "be back in 10 minutes" but we had a shuttle to catch at Denali, and did not have much time. Finally the worker returned. We checked out and drove to Denali NP. Parked and went to wait online for our Wonder Lake Shuttle. Denali was nice, was a long ride, but there was a lot of smoky haziness in the air from forest fires elsewhere, so couldn't see a good view of Mt. Mckinley. Wonder Lake was nice but way too many bugs all over the place. We saw lots of animals along the way. We didn't see any bears; but we did see one the night before about an hour before we got to our hotel on the road.
After our tour, we drove down to Anchorage. Checked into the Marriot Springhill Suites- which I highly recommend. It was spacious, had fridge, microwave, and was super comfortable. We could have fit at least 5 in the room with the couch. The next day we checked out, drove to Flattop Trail in Chugach Park and walked the short way to the overlook- looked out over Cook inlet and the surrounding mountains--it was beautiful. Just make sure to go towards the beginning of the parking lot (near where you come in) to walk to the short overlook. If you go the other way- at the back of the lot, you'll be heading towards the steep trail.
Then we drove to Thunderbird Falls (north of Anchorage). Not the easiest hike- it was about 1 mile walk to the falls one way. It was nice, and would do it again, but was not a big waterfall. We then drove to Eklutna Lake, which was gorgeous. So worth it to drive that curvy road to get there. Water was calm and reflected everything, really beautiful. After that we drove back to Anchorage, picked up some things in the Natural Pantry supermarket and then headed to the airport.
Alaska is beautiful. I would not recommend doing it in such a short amount of time, because it is exhausting to drive so much. But we made the best of our situation.
Next day, we drove to the Kenai Fjords tour office, booked 2 tickets for same day cruise at 11 am (6 hour cruise). We parked in their parking lot which is not in the same place as the office, but they have a shuttle to transport you to and from. The day we went was a beautiful, sunny day, and we really enjoyed the cruise. It was so scenic and beautiful; I highly recommend this tour. We went all the way to the Aialik Glacier (more than enough, we were considering a longer cruise, and we're glad we didn't). Free lunch was included.
Later that day, we drove to Exit Glacier, went on the short hike to the overlook to see the glacier which was nice. On the way back, we got a little lost, the signs on the trail aren't that great, but we finally met someone who directed us back to the parking lot.
From there we drove to Whittier. On the half hour you can enter the town through the one way tunnel and on the hour you can leave. We got to our hotel, the Inn at Whittier, which I would not recommend. There was no air conditioning, it was hot, and there was no screen on the window. There were too many mosquitoes and other bugs for us to leave the window open and the only screen they had when we requested it, did not fit the window. So while the bed was comfortable the temperature wasn't.
We left our car in the parking lot of the hotel the next day and walked to the Major Marine Office at the dock. (a 3-5 minute walk). Originally, we bought Phillips Cruise Tickets, but they only showed us our inside seats after we paid, so we asked for a refund (no point in sitting interior-- can't see the outside and we didn't plan on getting up all the time). So we went to Major Marine and bought better seats there. (plus there were less people on the boat so easier to get a good spot at railing). It was a cloudy day, and surprisingly did not enjoy this as much as the Kenai Fjords NP tour, even though there is more of a focus on wildlife in Kenai Fjords, and we enjoy more scenic routes. But, we did see wildlife and glaciers on the Prince William Sound Tour with Major Marine. It was a 6 hour tour frmo 11:30 to 5:30 If I had to do this again, I would skip the PWS tour. After the tour, we left quickly to the tunnel and started our drive to Denali National Park.
On the way we stopped to see some of the places along the way that we missed the first day driving down to Seward. We stopped at Bird Point, which is beautiful! We didn't see Beluga point (must have missed it.) We finally got to our hotel: The Denali Bluffs Hotel, which is about half a mile to the park entrance. It was around 1 am and it took a while to check in because the front desk clerk was on the phone. Then we told him there was no parking in the regular lot or the overflow lot. But another worker said he found parking in the overflow lot. Of course when we got there, there was no parking. We were really annoyed to have driven 6 hours, gotten there at 1 am and knew we would be checking out in 4-5 hours, and yet they were giving us a hard time with parking. Btw, the parking areas aren't that close to the rooms- at least the overflow lot isn't. Finally, I told him this is ridiculous and he said we could park against the fence in the closest lot. The hotel rooms are made of "cabins- one room with bathroom." Actually cabins are cute, beds were comfortable.
We woke up just a few hours later to check out. Again this was aggravating. There was a note at the front desk "be back in 10 minutes" but we had a shuttle to catch at Denali, and did not have much time. Finally the worker returned. We checked out and drove to Denali NP. Parked and went to wait online for our Wonder Lake Shuttle. Denali was nice, was a long ride, but there was a lot of smoky haziness in the air from forest fires elsewhere, so couldn't see a good view of Mt. Mckinley. Wonder Lake was nice but way too many bugs all over the place. We saw lots of animals along the way. We didn't see any bears; but we did see one the night before about an hour before we got to our hotel on the road.
After our tour, we drove down to Anchorage. Checked into the Marriot Springhill Suites- which I highly recommend. It was spacious, had fridge, microwave, and was super comfortable. We could have fit at least 5 in the room with the couch. The next day we checked out, drove to Flattop Trail in Chugach Park and walked the short way to the overlook- looked out over Cook inlet and the surrounding mountains--it was beautiful. Just make sure to go towards the beginning of the parking lot (near where you come in) to walk to the short overlook. If you go the other way- at the back of the lot, you'll be heading towards the steep trail.
Then we drove to Thunderbird Falls (north of Anchorage). Not the easiest hike- it was about 1 mile walk to the falls one way. It was nice, and would do it again, but was not a big waterfall. We then drove to Eklutna Lake, which was gorgeous. So worth it to drive that curvy road to get there. Water was calm and reflected everything, really beautiful. After that we drove back to Anchorage, picked up some things in the Natural Pantry supermarket and then headed to the airport.
Alaska is beautiful. I would not recommend doing it in such a short amount of time, because it is exhausting to drive so much. But we made the best of our situation.
Jun 28th, 2015, 04:52 PM
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You learned a lesson about Alaska that we had to learn as well. We too got in late, allocated insufficient time to travel/do things, etc. Running on very little sleep doesn't contribute to an enjoyable experience.
It's good you reported back; others can learn a valuable lesson. Although I was born in Seattle and grew up in the SF Bay Area, I did not understand the vastness of Alaska or the scope of even getting to it. Then of course, expectations (parking, availability of supplies/restaurants, etc.) do need to be adjusted. Denali (Healy) was a lesson to us in prices and what to expect - it is remote, after all.
I applaud your attitude. Plan another visit, and this time allow the flexibility and time you need. We did that on a return visit, and were so thankful we did.
It's good you reported back; others can learn a valuable lesson. Although I was born in Seattle and grew up in the SF Bay Area, I did not understand the vastness of Alaska or the scope of even getting to it. Then of course, expectations (parking, availability of supplies/restaurants, etc.) do need to be adjusted. Denali (Healy) was a lesson to us in prices and what to expect - it is remote, after all.
I applaud your attitude. Plan another visit, and this time allow the flexibility and time you need. We did that on a return visit, and were so thankful we did.
. What you did in several days I would need two weeks or more. Once again a great trip report.
Jun 28th, 2015, 09:31 PM
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Well, you get extra points for sheer fortitude. You did cover some ground.
We have been fortunate with weather this summer, but that came with a high price: fires. The bugs are part of interior life, and a good repellant is a necessity.
Hope you make it back. Southeast is outstanding, as well as several places to hike, camp, cruise, kayak, observe wildlife, and relax.
We have been fortunate with weather this summer, but that came with a high price: fires. The bugs are part of interior life, and a good repellant is a necessity.
Hope you make it back. Southeast is outstanding, as well as several places to hike, camp, cruise, kayak, observe wildlife, and relax.
