philsbert1

Any thoughts re this itinerary for our late July visit to Alaska:

Day 1 Arrive Anchorage. Rent car. Overnight Anchorage
Day 2 Buy groceries. Hike/walk around area from Anchorage to Whittier. Ferry to Cordova in afternoon. Overnight Cordova.
Day 3 Drive/tour Copper R/Million $ Bridge/canoe wetlands. Overnight Cordova.
Day 4 Ferry to Valdez. Kayak in Valdez?, if so stay overnight
there-if not, travel on and overnight in Copper Center
Day 5 Flightsee/hike the day Wrangell-St. Elias; if we return early enough, on to Glenn Hwy to overnight at Sheep Mtn Lodge-if not, then overnight at Copper Ctr
Day 6 Matanuska Glacier hike, on to Denali via Hatcher Pass visiting Independence Mine/Talkeetna. Overnight in Healy.
Day 7 Shuttle into Denali. Overnight in Healy.
Day 8 Sled dog viewing/Denali in AM, then long drive to Seward. Overnight in Seward
Day 9 Exit Glacier hike/fjords boat trip. Overnight in Seward
Day 10 Tour Kenai peninsula? Canoe Kenai SP? Overnight in Homer.
Day 11 bike/canoe/hike [bear viewing trip from Homer for those who want to]. Overnight in Homer
Day 12 Early AM departure. Must be at Anchorage airpt by 12:30

Questions:
Stay overnight in Valdez, or go on and enjoy slow trip to Copper Ctr with lots of stops?
Better kayaking in Valdez or Seward or Homer?
Stay at Seward and forget Homer part.
Worth it to fly into Wrangell-St. Elias for a full day hike/tour, fly out in evening? It's pricey to fly in but only way we would have enough time to visit. Have heard flightseeing here rivals Denali. Should we leave this part out?

Our main interests (as perhaps you can tell) are day hikes, wildlife viewing, and somewhat avoiding the crowds. The initial visit to Cordova and Valdez were to try and see some of the less touristy areas. We tried to pick days in Seward when the cruise ships weren't in port.

Any suggestions/comments are much appreciated. Thanks.

dwooddon

It's a matter of personal preference but I would not do quite so much in such a short time. I'd concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula and save Talkeetna/Denali for another trip.

You also should check with your rental car company. Unless they have changed, several of them prohibited their cars on ferries.

Orlando_Vic

On Day 12, from Homer to ANC is about 225 miles. This will be very tight, even with an early AM departure. Figure 4½-5 hours minimum for the trip assuming no road delays. Will you have a built in safety margin for unexpected delays such as road construction?

philsbert1

I had heard of restrictions with rental companies on gravel roads, but not on ferries. We have always used rental cars on ferries during our WA state trips without questions. Wow. That really rules out a lot! They're getting tough.

I see the point about the last day in Homer. We will need to change that, and either stay in Seward or at the farthest, Cooper Landing. We would have a tough time making it to Anchorage airport in time.

As far as eliminating Denali, we had considered that. The other areas are our main priorities, but we thought maybe a quick visit for one full day of the shuttle, and a half day on either side would give us a quick overview.

dwooddon

Philsbert: I did not mean to imply you cannot take a car on a ferry. I've never tried to do it so my comments were based on previous discussions by other travelers on this and other travel forums.

All I suggust is that you check with the rental company you are using to make sure it is permitted because, at least in the past, some companies did not allow it.

philsbert1

It doesn't hurt to check so I called AVIS, and they said "no problem" with taking it on the ferry. Many of the rental places just exclude Dalton, Steese, Dempster, Elliott, Denali and Taylor highways (and maybe McCarthy, but I didn't ask about it specifically).