sottovoce

Hi, I’m looking for advice on a last-minute road trip in Alaska after my calendar freed up unexpectedly. I plan to fly into Anchorage on May 14, and depart either May 21 or 23. I’ll be travelling alone, I don’t hunt or fish, I don’t plan on camping, and any hiking I do would be no more than an hour or two. I’m not on a tight budget, but typically eat and stay at middle of the road establishments. I can afford to splurge for an amazing experience (a night or two at a luxury lodge, a heli-tour, etc).

Here’s the route I’m considering:
- Anchorage to Denali
- Denali to Paxson via Cantwell and the Denali hwy
- Paxson to Valdez
- Valdez to Anchorage via the Glenn hwy
- Anchorage to Seward and back again
Per Google Maps, that’s 32 hours of driving 1325 miles.

I’d welcome any advice, but here’s the questions I have at the moment:
1. Any “amazing/can’t miss” towns, hotels or restaurants I should be on the lookout for along the proposed route?

2. On a similar note, I cut out the section north out of Denali to Fairbanks, then back down to Paxson on the 2 and 4, which eliminates roughly 300 miles and 6 hours of driving. I feel like I’ll already be seeing lots of amazing scenery and this way, I’ll have a slightly more leisurely pace. Am I sacrificing anything essential?

3. Any thoughts on whether I should book for 7 nights (6 full days for driving) or 9 nights (8 full days)?

4. Has anyone had problems with a rental company prohibiting driving on the Denali Highway? I understand it’s mostly gravel.

Thanks in advance.

emalloy

As to Denali, check this:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvis...P_JUMP_1025052

Alaska is truly amazing but May is quite early. Hope for the best.

tomfuller

The shuttle buses and the narrated tour buses run from mile 1 of the road into Denali. You can only drive your own vehicle to mile 15. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/fees.htm
The day trip on the shuttle bus out to Eilson Visitor Center and back is about 8 hours.
Buy your shuttle bus ticket online before you get there.
My DW and I did not go to Valdez but we did stay in Homer at a nice B&B.
You can read through my trip report to see the experiences we had to see if anything interests you.

Gardyloo

Okay, a couple of reality checks.

1. The Denali Hwy is still closed and probably won't open until sometime in June.

2. The road in Denali NP isn't open yet and the Eielson visitor center doesn't open until June 1.

3. You're not authorized to take vehicles from the major companies on unpaved roads; the Denali Hwy, even if it were open, would be off limits. There are a couple of local rental car companies in Anchorage that will allow vehicles on gravel, but the point is moot with respect to the Denali Hwy anyway. I don't know if any of the majors have put GPS recorders in their cars but it's not unknown in other places. The problem is that if you have a shunt or break down, you've got no insurance coverage, and even if the Denali <i>were</i> open, in the spring its condition is nothing short of horrendous - huge potholes, frost heaves, washouts, etc.

4. Google's time estimates are awful. Don't buy it.

----

So what to do?

The Parks Hwy to Denali is not especially scenic, and if can't use the Denali Hwy, the alternates would be to return the way you came, or else continue up to Fairbanks then all the way down to Valdez on the Richardson Hwy. If you return to Palmer to switch to the Glenn over to Glennallen, you'd have to retrace your route on the Glenn in order to return to Anchorage.

So frankly what I'd do is simply scrub the Denali portion of the trip altogether. In addition to things not being open, the odds are excellent that in the third week in May everything is going to be muddy and cloudy, seriously reducing the benefit of visiting the park. The wildlife will (probably) still be very scarce, the bears barely out of their dens if at all, and the ruminants will be looking for something to eat.

Instead I'd focus more time on the Kenai Peninsula. Visit Seward, drive down to Homer and take a boat across Kachemak Bay to Seldovia or Halibut Cove. Take a glacier cruise out of Whittier, or if you want to reallocate the Denali hotel cost to something fun, book space on the state ferry from Valdez to Whittier, and close the Glenn/Richardson loop on the water. (You'd need to okay the ferry with the rental car people.)

sottovoce

Thanks for all the replies. To confirm, this trip is very last minute due to a calendar opening, so it's been less than 24 hours since the thought occurred to me (on the other hand, when openings like this occur as they occasionally do, I try to make the best of it.

I'm leaning toward Gardyloo's suggestions, basically focusing on the Kenai.

My revised plan is:

1. Anchorage to Valdez
2. Valdez to Whittier via ferry
3. Whittier to Seward and/or Homer as time allows.

Or, the reverse of this approximately circular loop depending on things like ferry schedules which I'm now confirming.

Thanks again. Any further thoughts are appreciated.

sottovoce

This is my revised ITIN, including a ferry sailing from Valdez to Whittier. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Sun May 15: ANC overnight
Mon May 16: drive ANC to Homer: 6.5 hours
Tues May 17: Homer
Wed May 18: drive Homer to Seward: 5 hours
Thurs May 19: Seward
Fri May 20: Drive Seward to ANC: 4 hours
Sat May 21: Drive ANC to Valdez: 6 hours
Sun May 21: Sail Valdez-Whittier: 10am to 4.45pm; sleep at/near Whittier
Mon May 22: Drive Whittier to Hope: 2 hours. Overnight in Hope.
Tues May 23: Drive Hope to ANC: 3 hours; flight departs ANC 3pm.

Gardyloo

There are very limited resources for overnight stays in Whittier and while I suppose there might be a B&B or two in Hope, it's a VERY small place with only one cafe, which I believe is closed on Mondays.

On May 21 I'd leave Whittier and spend the night and the following night in Girdwood, just up the road. I'd do Hope as a day trip on the 22nd rather than spending the night there. The Alyeska Hotel is the best place to stay in Girdwood, but there are numerous B&Bs too. Girdwood has much more in the way of commercial facilities than either Hope or Whittier.

Gardyloo

BTW your dates are all off, including two May 21sts. I hope you're arriving on May 14 and not the 15th, or else something has to shift.

sottovoce

Ok, thanks for the advice, much appreciated.