Making the Most of Your Time in Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and Homer

For a weeklong trip in South Central, begin by driving northeast from Anchorage on the Glenn Highway to Valdez. Take the whole day to drive, stopping for lunch at the Matanuska Glacier and a short hike at Thompson Pass. Spend the night in Valdez, and then drive on to the ferry to Cordova. Have breakfast downtown, reserving the afternoon for driving the Copper River Highway. The next morning, drive back onto the ferry to Whittier. Once there, drive through the train tunnel to Portage, and take a left on the Seward Highway. Keep going until you reach Seward, and unpack your bags for at least a two-night stay. Take a daytime glacier cruise or fishing charter, and spend an evening walking around Exit Glacier and sipping a brew on the Resurrection Roadhouse's riverfront deck. If you've got the time to soak up the sights, use Seward as a base for exploring Kenai Fjords National Park and the Chugach. Otherwise drive across the peninsula to Homer, and spend several days there halibut fishing, kayaking Kachemak Bay, shopping on the spit, and taking a day trip to Seldovia.