rpowell

We will be taking an Alaska cruise/land tour in June. After Denali we have the option of:
1 night in Mckinley/ train to Anchorage/ 1 night Anchorage/ plane home
vs
2 nights Mckinley/ coach to Anchorage/ plane home
What do you think? Would you skip Anchorage? Is taking the coach from Mckinley to Fairbanks a longer trip than by train? Thanks.

Dreps

Personally, I don't think Anchorage has that much to offer. I'm not sure what is meant by nights at McKinley. We flew around McKinley from Talkeetna. We spent a couple of nights at the Alaskan Lodge, and we found Talkeetna interesting. In addition to flying around McKinley, we took a river cruise from Talkeetna. At the time, we used the Alaskan toursaver coupon book for 2-for-1 discounts on both the flight and the river cruise; you'd have to double-check to see what's offered now. We also spent a night in the Denali area and most of one day touring the Park. We had warm, beautiful weather in August, so that was a big plus.

Trisha1

Stay in Denali and fly out of Anchorage. Our family loved Denali!

Eschew

I'll take McKineley over Anchorage any day. No competition here, unless you are a city slicker, then it maybe different.

rpowell

Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately the tour that would give us the extra day at the
Mc Kinley Princess is booked. Now, we have the extra day in Anchorage. Any ideas on how to spend that day? We are not city people and would love any outdoor activity.

Dreps

Why don't you do your own thing if the tour is booked that you want. It's very simple to make your own arrangements in Alaska. We rented a car at the Anchorage airport, stayed overnight in Anchorage because it was late when we landed. Then headed for Denali the next morning. We stayed near the park one night and in Talkeetna two nights, before dropping the car back at the airport and taking the train to Seward for our cruise.

Eschew

Below is a link to the parks and trails around the Anchorage area. Take a look and see if there is anything that you like.

http://alaska.org/anchorage/parks-and-trails.jsp

Dreps has a great idea. Book your own. You don't need to book the land tour through Princess. Here is someone that I have used before. NOTE: This is not an endorsement. Do your homework.

http://www.alaskatravel.com/tours/land-only-tour.html

rpowell

We would love to do our own thing, but are traveling with a group. I did look at the Anchorage Parks website and am excited about the choices there. Anchorage is looking better to me now. Thanks for the info.