ALS5077

Hi! My husband and I are going to Alaska June 2007. We are cruising with Princess for the first 7 days (6/2-6/9). Then we get off the ship in Whittier and take transfer to Anchorage where we are getting a rental car. Next we are thinking about staying in the Denali area for three nights (6/9, 6/10, 6/11) before going back to Anchorage on the 12th to stay for one night there. Then, we will be leaving on the 13th. We have never been to Alaska before and I have many questions. Please help if you can. I hate to spend a ton of money and still end up not having nice accommodations.

Here goes......
1. Where would be the best place to stay? I was thinking about McKinley Chalets then I found the Denali Lakeview Inn B&B. Now we have never stayed at a B&B before but this one doesn't sound like others that I have read about.

2. What are some of the tours/excursions that are suggested for the Denali area? We would probably like to go rafting one day.

3. One other question for now, is it a good idea to stay in the Denali area for 3 days or should we divide our trip among other destinations also?

I will limit myself to these questions for now but I am sure I will have more later. Thank you for your help!

BudgetQueen

With your short time, I would not spend it all at Denali Park unless , you are heavy duty with interest there???

I would instead suggest you arrange a shuttle pick up from Whittier to Seward, do the top attraction there- Kenai Fjords boat tour. Overnight, more touring, then train to Anchorage- overnight. Then head to Denali Park for 2 nights with the shuttle to Fish Creek. Do your raft trip last am, then make your way back to Anchorage- and home- overnight flight???

BudgetQueen

www.nps.gov/dena activities listed.

Request Seward's visitor guide www.sewardak.org

Here is a photo sample of a Kenai Fjords boat trip, plus Denali Park if you care to look.

http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

ALS5077

I heard that Seward is wonderful too, however, I didn't know how we would get from Seward to Anchorage the next day. Who do you book the train through? Also, I have already booked the night in Anchorage on the 12th, therefore would it be too much to try to go all the way from Seward to Denali in the same day? Oh yeah, do you know anything about either of the Denali lodging options that I mentioned earlier? Thanks again for your help.

Anna

BayouGal

I can highly recommend the Denali Lakeview, and Terri - the Manager, but haven't stayed at McKinley Chalets.

therenaissanceman

McKinley Chalets are fine. They are very close to everything. Be sure to go as far into the park as you can, as Budget Queen suggested. Kenai Fjords tour is also well worth taking and a visit to Fairbanks would be worthwhile. You will need to choose which of the above appeals most to you. Personally I would skip Anchorage as much as possible.

Mama

Don't skip Anchorage. There are tons of things to do and see including plenty of outdoors activities. On a clear day you can see Mount McKinley 200 miles away. Go hiking to Flattop or biking on Coastal Trail where often you can come face to face with a moose. Anchorage has 150 city parks, many great restaurants. We fully enjoyed Museum of History and Art. Native Heritage Center is worthy to spend part of the day. Anchorage is is a big city with a small town feeling.
Not long ago I saw a long list of things to do on Trip Advisor forum. Maybe you can find it if you decide to stay in Anchorage. I wouldn't skip it

BayouGal

I second Mama's great suggestions for Anchorage. We really enjoyed this interesting little city.

oleg

Anna,
First, I suggest you keep your posts about one specific issue to just one thread. This way both you and we can ensure that you do not miss all valuable info provided here for your Alaska trip.
Second,
It is our assumption that your decision to cruise is final, and we do not address it here.
Third,
4 days is a short time. It is for that reason I suggest you concentrate on one place. It is, of course, possible to split your time between Denali and Kenai but between driving and hurry you will miss the enjoyment. 4 days in Denali area (actually 3 1/2 in your case) can be filled with activity. You can spend Day 1 doing a bus trip to the Park and hiking there. Second day - take a raft trip on Nenana river. Day 3 can be devoted to Talkeetna (near Denali) with its "feature presentation" - Denali overflight.
By concentrating in one area you are maximizing time for your activities and not your time on the road.
Regarding the day when you transfer to Anchorage. When you rent a car, do not skip Anchorage. Go to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, spend some time at coastal areas (Turnagain Arm, viewpoints along first 10 - 15 miles of Seward Hwy, etc.) Anchorage is very pretty. Days in June are very long - just a few hours w/o light and even then it's twilight.

BudgetQueen

Anchorage's visitor guide www.anchorage.net

ALS5077

We have already booked the cruise for Alaska next June. I have always heard that it was amazing so I really didn't know otherwise. We have debated staying longer so that we can spend more time on land, however, I have a 19 month old son and my husband I are both unsure of how we will be able to leave him for 13 days seing how he has not been away from us for more than 3 or 4 days.

As far as our Itinerary, I really spent time with it this weekend and this is what I have come up with so far.
June 1- Vancouver
June 2-9 Cruise on Sapphire Princess
June 9- Transfer to Anchorage to pick up rental car, then drive back south to visit Mount Alyeska and ride the tram. Eat at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant. Then drive to Talkeetna and stay the night.
June 10- In the morning we may do either the flightseeing adventure or the glacier city snowmobile tour. Then, leave Talkeetna and try to get to Healy (Denali Lakeview Inn) by 5pm or so. After checking in we will probably drive to Denali and do some exploring/hiking around the visitors center or drive into the park as far as we can in our own car. Overnight at DLI.
June 11- Take a picnic lunch and ride the Shuttle bus into Denali. I would like to go all the way into Wonder Lake. Overnight at DLI.
June 12- Whitewater rafting on the Nenana River. Then, possibly explore some more and head back to Anchorage.
In Anchorage we would like to possibly do horseback riding and explore the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. We plan to stay the night at the Millenium Alaskan Hotel.
June 13- We have not booked a flight yet but if there is time we would like to shop downtown Anchorage before going to the airport. I may even be able to talk my husband in to one extra night in Anchorage. We will have to see.

If there are any activities that are mentioned here that you have done and thought were terrible, please let me know. Also, if there are any activities that were great and I have overlooked, please tell me. My husband and I enjoy outdoor activities more than visiting museums and things like that. Thank you so much for your help!