My sister-in-law and I are running in the Mayors Midnight Sun Run on June 18th. We fly in on the 15th and arrive at midnight. Have a hotel in Anchorage for the whole trip, but are willing to pay for an extra stay somewhere. We run on Sat. morning so only have Thurs. and Fri. for touring. Must be back at our hotel Fri. night for the early morn. run. What can we accomplish from Thurs. morning till Fri. eve.? Should we rent a car and drive to Seward? Should we drive to Denali and stay over one night? Should we fly in somewhere and back? Most interested in seeing a representative "piece" of Alaska and wildlife. I would appreciate any suggestions.

You do not have time for Denali Park, but you could head to Seward. Will you have a car?? Would make the best use of your time. You could take the train, but it requires an early departure the 16th and a late return the 17th. I never recommend this as a day trip. You need to determine if the area and activities are of interest to YOU???? Top attraction are the Kenai Fjords boat tours- at least 6 hours on the water. In the other direction you could head north with plenty of stops and overnight in Talkeetna, top attraction here is McKinley flightseeing and a great funky town. Only you can decide what is your priorty for touring?

Here's my 2 cents worth.

You could rent a car and head south to the Kenai Peninsula. Drive to Summit Lake and have lunch at Summit Lake Lodge. On the way back to Anchorage, stop at Portage Glacier, then visit Girdwood (maybe take the tram to the top at Alyeska). Have dinner at the Double Musky in Girdwood.

Then on Friday you could either drive to Talkeetna and take a flightseeing trip or drive to Eklutna Lake or Hatcher Pass and do some light hiking.

Good luck in the marathon.

Had thought we would rent a car for mor flexibility. We would like to see as many bears etc. as possible. Thought about a rafting trip as I thought we might see wildlife on the river.?.?. Am not opposed to hiring someone to fly us in to a less touristy area and overnight, then tour back. There are sooo many chioces for such a short time. For sure do not want a crowded bus trip with a canned recording playing. Have looked up Kenai peninsula. If we drove there, any suggestions for B&B's or lodge there? Thanks

If money is not a huge deal, your best bet would be to fly in to a remote lodge somewhere. No crowds and a good chance of wildlife. Otherwise, BQ's suggestion about Seward is an excellent one.

Sounds good but does anyone have someone specific they have used in the past or has a good reputation? Which remote area and where to stay?

You are VERY unlikely to see any bears from a raft trip. Your only option for bear viewing would be a fly in out of Anchorage perhaps? Research fully their sightings stats. As for your "canned" reference- this is totally wrong on most any Alaska tour and especially Denali Park shuttle buses if that was your reference? This is the best bargain around for bears, but as I mentioned you do not have enough time for this without marathon driving.

For a great bargain B&B in Seward, I really like Morning Calm.

for a remote lodge with bear viewing:

http://www.bear-viewing.com/bear-vie...s.html#daytrip

In this months Budget Travel they highlight Wrangell, Alaska, and mention Breakaway Adventures specifically. Their web site looks interesting. Sounds like what we have been talking about here. Has anyone heard of them or used them?

Wrangell's a very long way from Anchorage and there are similar activities much more convenient to Anchorage. You'd spend too much time getting there.

Plus there aren't many other things going on in Wrangell although someone on this board (Jor?) found some offbeat activities and might disagree ...

A drive to Seward and Kenai Fjords trip is one option. Another is looking at the myriad fly-out options from Anchorage.

I am steering towards Seward and Kenai. Have looked at many lodges. Does anyone have a favorite in those areas? Looking for either a B&B or lodge. Budget is not an issue as we would only be staying one or two nights.

Have decided to rent a car and drive to Homer touring on the way. We are staying at Sadie Cove across from Homer. They will pick us up and transport to the lodge. Thought of doing a flight-see trip from there one day. The next and last day I had thought about driving to do the Kenai Fjords tour and then drive back to Anchorage for early flight out next day. That won't work as it is too far from Homer to Seward then the tour. Would we be able to get another flight trip to see glaciers or are we missing out on a great trip?