dy123

Dear experts/travelers, please help with decision making…we (2 active mid-age adults) will be taking a northbound cruise in early August. While on the ship we will do whale watching trip, hiking in/around Mendenhall Glacier and other wonderful Alaskan sight seeing. Following the cruise we will have 5 days for a land based trip. This is once in a life time opportunity, so i would like to make the most of it, which is to see the bears and Denali…i am straggling with below options (have pro’s and con’s for each; depending on a day lean toward one or the other. Pls opine (dont hold back!)

option 1: do a bear watching trip out of Ketchikan (while on the ship). Arrive Seward, train to Anchorage, pick up the car and drive to Denali. The con’s - we will spend about 1 hour with the bears with a good probability of seeing them, but it is not guarantee.

option 2: do the longer bear-seeing guarantee trip out of Homer; and stay on the peninsula for the reminder of the trip (hiking, fishing, etc). The con's - skip Denali

option 3: do both sites, bear watching out of Homer (or Anchorage); drive to Denali. It is doable theoretically, but will require perfect weather and still a lot of driving

Orlando_Vic

Hi dy123,

Regarding bears in Alaska, my initial thought would be Katmai National Park http://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm and http://www.katmailand.com/air-services/index.html You could also try to visit McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, but it is much more difficult to go there and you must enter a lottery to try to get a permit. http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak./index.c...a_guide.mcneil
I believe, in both cases, you would fly from Homer.

I think your best bet would be option 2, if bear watching is your first priority. On the other hand, it would be a shame to miss Denali, especially since "This is once in a life time opportunity". Tough decision!

_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

BudgetQueen

With any bear tours out of Homer, you need to factor in at least 1 added day. The flights/weather is unpredictable. With only 5 days, you really do not have time for both this and Denali Park.

padams421

Having done both Denali and a bear tour out of Homer, I'd go with Option 2. The bears are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Denali is a beautiful national park but the wildlife is seen from quite a distance usually and you may or may not see Denali, the mountain, depending on weather. I thought Denali was overrated (and we saw the mountain plus all of the "major animals"). I wouldn't go back to Denali although I'd love to go back to Alaska. I'd go on a bear tour right now if I could.

dy123

Padams421 and BudgetQueen: I am so happy to report that we've settled on option 2 - as I just did not want to rush from place to place at a neck breaking pace. Padams421, what company have you used out of Homer and what location did you go to? Would want to hear your tour impressions.

youngtom2910

there is a hotel at the end of the homer spit that has a great location. I ate there the last time on the outdoor patio-- the next time i will stay there i think.

there are lots of tour operators located on the spit. you might want to wait until you get there to sign up with one--but i dont know if they get sold out in advance.

JC98

When we were in Denali, we saw 10 bears total and 2 right in front of the bus.

saige

We saw lots of bears in Alaska without taking any special trips. Just be aware when you are fishing and hiking that the bears are also there. It was frightening to see some of the tourists with small children who walked between bears and their cubs on the river without even noticing they were there! Have a wonderful trip and I hope you see the wildlife you're looking for!

dy123

Thanks for all the good advice...i think our trip will include
1. arrive seward, either a kayak trip to Aialik bay or Exit Glacier Guides
2. drive to Homer exploring various sites
3. bear watch
4. either Seldovia or Hallibut Cave
5. drive to Anchorage for a flight home stopping at Girdwood

Any comments/suggestions on how to improve the trip.....