20 day trip end of May - Mid June. First time to Alaska!
May 14th, 2012, 07:53 PM
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20 day trip end of May - Mid June. First time to Alaska!
Hi all, I just found this forum while doing research for our upcoming trip to Alaska. The forum seems very welcoming and the advises given are very good so I signed up for an account 
I wanted to go in August but the plane ticket is so expensive and car rental will cost an arm, a leg and a kidney so we're shooting for Memorial Day weekend til mid June instead. However, I read about mosquitos in June and was wondering if they really are that bad (I'm a bug magnet). We mainly would like to see wildlife and the scenery. I am into photography so I want to take landscape shots too, weather permitting. Here are the activities we might want to do so far:
Anchorage and Kenai
- Day 1 Anchorage: arrive mid night, go to hotel/hostel. Buy cooler and grocery shopping in the morning. Anything to do on Memorial Day without rental car? Dining at Moose's Tooth. We'll have the car on Tuesday or Wed.
- Pablo bikes - Tony Knowles coastal trail
- Russian River for possible bear viewing?
- Girdwood: Alyeska tram*, dinner at either Chair 5, Double Musky, Jack Sprats
- Whittier: take one of cruises
- Seward: 7.5 hr Major Cruise to Kenai Fjords NP*, 3 hrs Floating boat trip*, Exit Glacier, Summit Pass for picture
- Portage Glacier: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center*, Portage Glacier Cruise - Gray Line*
- Homer: bear viewing trip to Katmai* hopefully we can see bears catching fish in the river
- Palmer: Musk Ox farm*, Reindeer farm*, Independence State Mine
- Valdez: Worthington Glacier, Keystone Canyon waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls
Denali Area
- Stock up on food in Wasilla
- Take shuttle bus trip to Eielson Center?
- Talkeetna: anything to do?
Fairbanks Area
- Santa's House in North Pole
- Trip to Arctic Circle: should we take the tour $190/person or just drive there ourselves? The bear viewing company said he'd just drive there but with a risk of broken windshield.
- Chena Hot Springs and Ice Museum
- Take Hwy 4 and 1 on the way back to Anchorage to close the loop
Note: * is 2 for 1 deal with the Northern Light book
Those are just the ones I picked from the previous forum suggestions. We are flexible on the itinerary and how many days to spend at each area. Would you go to Denali and Fairbanks first or Kenai first?
Cheap lodging suggestion is appreciated as we try to keep the budget low. Alternative activities or tour are also welcomed. Thanks for taking the time to help me.
I wanted to go in August but the plane ticket is so expensive and car rental will cost an arm, a leg and a kidney so we're shooting for Memorial Day weekend til mid June instead. However, I read about mosquitos in June and was wondering if they really are that bad (I'm a bug magnet). We mainly would like to see wildlife and the scenery. I am into photography so I want to take landscape shots too, weather permitting. Here are the activities we might want to do so far:
Anchorage and Kenai
- Day 1 Anchorage: arrive mid night, go to hotel/hostel. Buy cooler and grocery shopping in the morning. Anything to do on Memorial Day without rental car? Dining at Moose's Tooth. We'll have the car on Tuesday or Wed.
- Pablo bikes - Tony Knowles coastal trail
- Russian River for possible bear viewing?
- Girdwood: Alyeska tram*, dinner at either Chair 5, Double Musky, Jack Sprats
- Whittier: take one of cruises
- Seward: 7.5 hr Major Cruise to Kenai Fjords NP*, 3 hrs Floating boat trip*, Exit Glacier, Summit Pass for picture
- Portage Glacier: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center*, Portage Glacier Cruise - Gray Line*
- Homer: bear viewing trip to Katmai* hopefully we can see bears catching fish in the river
- Palmer: Musk Ox farm*, Reindeer farm*, Independence State Mine
- Valdez: Worthington Glacier, Keystone Canyon waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls
Denali Area
- Stock up on food in Wasilla
- Take shuttle bus trip to Eielson Center?
- Talkeetna: anything to do?
Fairbanks Area
- Santa's House in North Pole
- Trip to Arctic Circle: should we take the tour $190/person or just drive there ourselves? The bear viewing company said he'd just drive there but with a risk of broken windshield.
- Chena Hot Springs and Ice Museum
- Take Hwy 4 and 1 on the way back to Anchorage to close the loop
Note: * is 2 for 1 deal with the Northern Light book
Those are just the ones I picked from the previous forum suggestions. We are flexible on the itinerary and how many days to spend at each area. Would you go to Denali and Fairbanks first or Kenai first?
Cheap lodging suggestion is appreciated as we try to keep the budget low. Alternative activities or tour are also welcomed. Thanks for taking the time to help me.
May 15th, 2012, 06:07 AM
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we were there in early June and the bugs, at least ont he Kenai peninsula, were not too bad.
You definitely want to take at least the 7 hour cruise from Seward. This is a great trip, with lots of wildlife and gorgeous scenery.
I also wanted to add that I thought the food at Double Musky was AWFUL. And expensive. Big, huge, tasteless steak with bland brown sauce on it...that was their "famous peppersteak". Honestly, I don't get the reviews on trip advisor where some people say its the best steak they've ever had.
I suspect with 20 days, you can do either Fairbanks or Valdez, but not both. Or maybe not Homer. Keep in mind that it takes a long time to travel, and you will want to stop and see things along the way and take pictures. So don't overplan. We had 2 weeks, and did a cruise, and then did a week in South Central...just Homer, Girdwood, Seward. And we still missed things we wanted to see in the area.
You definitely want to take at least the 7 hour cruise from Seward. This is a great trip, with lots of wildlife and gorgeous scenery.
I also wanted to add that I thought the food at Double Musky was AWFUL. And expensive. Big, huge, tasteless steak with bland brown sauce on it...that was their "famous peppersteak". Honestly, I don't get the reviews on trip advisor where some people say its the best steak they've ever had.
I suspect with 20 days, you can do either Fairbanks or Valdez, but not both. Or maybe not Homer. Keep in mind that it takes a long time to travel, and you will want to stop and see things along the way and take pictures. So don't overplan. We had 2 weeks, and did a cruise, and then did a week in South Central...just Homer, Girdwood, Seward. And we still missed things we wanted to see in the area.
May 15th, 2012, 07:32 AM
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I was there the end of June last year- not many bugs at all and they usually love me.
Homer- my cousin went bear viewing and loved it- cost too much for me but I learned later that if you check the day before you want to go and there are unsold seats- you can go for 1/2 price.
Wish I had known that earlier.
Talkneetka is a very cute town. We happened to be there on the 4th of July so lots of people in town. There are a couple of fun restaurants and a few shops. We went on a raft trip. Check out the ranger station there- they keep tabs on the Denali climbers from there. When we were there, they were planning a mountain rescue for someone in trouble. The town in the TV series Northern Exposure was patterned after Talkneetka.
The most amazing thing I saw in Alaska was the whales doing "bubble net" feeding- that was in the Juneau area - you can You Tube bubble net feeding to see what its all about.
Enjoy- we had a great trip
Homer- my cousin went bear viewing and loved it- cost too much for me but I learned later that if you check the day before you want to go and there are unsold seats- you can go for 1/2 price.
Wish I had known that earlier.
Talkneetka is a very cute town. We happened to be there on the 4th of July so lots of people in town. There are a couple of fun restaurants and a few shops. We went on a raft trip. Check out the ranger station there- they keep tabs on the Denali climbers from there. When we were there, they were planning a mountain rescue for someone in trouble. The town in the TV series Northern Exposure was patterned after Talkneetka.
The most amazing thing I saw in Alaska was the whales doing "bubble net" feeding- that was in the Juneau area - you can You Tube bubble net feeding to see what its all about.
Enjoy- we had a great trip
May 15th, 2012, 08:23 AM
#4
Top of the head, your itinerary sounds a little scatter-shot-ish. I'm not sure of the order of things in the Anchorage/Kenai portion, but be mindful that you don't end up backtracking up and down the Seward/Sterling Highways all the time. A few more comments:
If you're going on one of the Whittier cruises (presumably 26 Glacier?) then the Portage cruise is redundant IMO.
Check your car rental company about taking the car on unpaved roads, e.g. the "arctic circle" trip. Most won't allow it, or else will try to scare the bejeezus out of you in terms of insurance liability etc.
Bugs will be plentiful around standing water and in the bush areas. Bring plenty of bug dope.
Talkeetna: If the weather's good, do a McKinley flightseeing trip; use the money you would have spent on the arctic circle tour. In early June you probably won't be able to get past Eielson on the bus, so this would be your best shot of seeing the mountain a little more close-up.
Consider turning the whole thing into a loop by using the Whittier-Valdez ferry across Prince William Sound. Saves a ton of driving.
If you're going on one of the Whittier cruises (presumably 26 Glacier?) then the Portage cruise is redundant IMO.
Check your car rental company about taking the car on unpaved roads, e.g. the "arctic circle" trip. Most won't allow it, or else will try to scare the bejeezus out of you in terms of insurance liability etc.
Bugs will be plentiful around standing water and in the bush areas. Bring plenty of bug dope.
Talkeetna: If the weather's good, do a McKinley flightseeing trip; use the money you would have spent on the arctic circle tour. In early June you probably won't be able to get past Eielson on the bus, so this would be your best shot of seeing the mountain a little more close-up.
Consider turning the whole thing into a loop by using the Whittier-Valdez ferry across Prince William Sound. Saves a ton of driving.
May 15th, 2012, 09:51 AM
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We did your exact trip about 5 years ago. It was spectacular. The bears at Katmai were the highlight.
The Portage and Whittier cruises are not redundant. Do map out your Kenai actvities so you don't have to backtrack more than necessary. The ferry between Whittier and Valdez is an excellent suggestion.
You must buy The Milepost, THE guidebook to Alaska. It will give you the exact locations of gas stations, food, and lodging, critical because they are all few and far between. It also has wonderful suggestions such as "mile 38 look up the cliff to see sheep", and more often then not, there would be sheep or whatever was referenced.
Do not underestimate how long it will take you to drive betwen towns. The Alaskan highways are mostly 2 lanes. With summer road construction and slow RVs and trucks, you won't average speeds that you would think you could.
The Portage and Whittier cruises are not redundant. Do map out your Kenai actvities so you don't have to backtrack more than necessary. The ferry between Whittier and Valdez is an excellent suggestion.
You must buy The Milepost, THE guidebook to Alaska. It will give you the exact locations of gas stations, food, and lodging, critical because they are all few and far between. It also has wonderful suggestions such as "mile 38 look up the cliff to see sheep", and more often then not, there would be sheep or whatever was referenced.
Do not underestimate how long it will take you to drive betwen towns. The Alaskan highways are mostly 2 lanes. With summer road construction and slow RVs and trucks, you won't average speeds that you would think you could.
May 15th, 2012, 10:04 AM
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If you are doing Whittier glacier cruises, then yes, as an Ak. resident, I agree that there is no need for money spent on Portage. It's a tiny amount of ice in a small area, whereas our preferred Whittier tour(we liker Phillips) covers several large glaciers, including Surprise Glacier, which is crazy beautiful, noisy, and they slowly turn the boat 360 degrees, for every photo imaginable.
We are returning this summer, it's that good.
We are returning this summer, it's that good.
May 15th, 2012, 10:55 AM
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Thank you for all the replies and yes, the plan is still scattered I'm still on the planning/reorganizing things up as I learn more new things every day. Will pick up the Milepost and Northern Light coupon book before leaving.
So the loop from Anchorage-Fairbanks-Anchorage is not worth it? I read someone else's suggestion that it's a must do if you have time, which is why I put it in the to-do-list. If it's nothing then we don't mind skipping that.
Whittier - Valdez, wow, ferry ticket for 2 people and car is $301 one way. Would you recommend taking the ferry back and forth or drive from Valdez towards Denali or Whittier to Seward (if we go to Fairbanks first)? Is Valdez a must? I don't mind leaving unnecessary cruises out over a gorgeous place. I learned that we won't be able to cover all of Alaska in 20 days anyway
Any more vote for the McKinley flight trip over Arctic Tour?
Also, we're thinking of renting a minivan so we can car camp to help with lodging expenses. We plan to park in a campground and just sleep in the car in sleeping bag but in case we can't make it to the campground, is ziplock bags put in styrofoam cooler good enough to keep the bears away? We will bring no fish. Also, does every campground has shower facility?
Thanks so much for your help.
I'm still on the planning/reorganizing things up as I learn more new things every day. Will pick up the Milepost and Northern Light coupon book before leaving.So the loop from Anchorage-Fairbanks-Anchorage is not worth it? I read someone else's suggestion that it's a must do if you have time, which is why I put it in the to-do-list. If it's nothing then we don't mind skipping that.
Whittier - Valdez, wow, ferry ticket for 2 people and car is $301 one way. Would you recommend taking the ferry back and forth or drive from Valdez towards Denali or Whittier to Seward (if we go to Fairbanks first)? Is Valdez a must? I don't mind leaving unnecessary cruises out over a gorgeous place. I learned that we won't be able to cover all of Alaska in 20 days anyway
Any more vote for the McKinley flight trip over Arctic Tour?
Also, we're thinking of renting a minivan so we can car camp to help with lodging expenses. We plan to park in a campground and just sleep in the car in sleeping bag but in case we can't make it to the campground, is ziplock bags put in styrofoam cooler good enough to keep the bears away? We will bring no fish. Also, does every campground has shower facility?
Thanks so much for your help.
May 15th, 2012, 11:16 AM
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Not every campground will have a shower facility. Buy a Milepost now. It lists all of the campgrounds, commerical and state/national parks. Car camping is a great idea because there are many more campgrounds than hotels/motels. You will also have much greater flexibility if you don't have to reach a specific place each night. We had campground reservations in Anchorage and Denali. We preferred the state park campgrounds as you had more space and they were much more scenic usually. However, the commercial campgrounds will have better shower and laundry facilities.
We really enjoyed the Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks-North Pole-anchorage loop. Once you are past NP, it's all open wilderness. We saw moose just walking down the side of the road. It was the one part of our trip where we rarely even saw another vehicle. At a state campground along that route, we were one of just 2 vehicles. If you have the time, it's worth it.
We really enjoyed the Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks-North Pole-anchorage loop. Once you are past NP, it's all open wilderness. We saw moose just walking down the side of the road. It was the one part of our trip where we rarely even saw another vehicle. At a state campground along that route, we were one of just 2 vehicles. If you have the time, it's worth it.
May 15th, 2012, 11:22 AM
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I'd do the arctic tour over the McKinley flight tour because McKinley is fogged in so much. Chances are you won't see anything on the day you schedule or the flight may not even go. The arctic tour is a sure thing. I will disclose that we did hit Denali on a clear day. I am glad we saw it but the experience doesn't come close tobeing one of the highlights of our trip. When you read others' trip reports and they rave about Denali/McKinley, realize that many of those people were on cruises with a land tour of Denali. It's the only thing they saw inside Alaska, so of course, it was a highlight for them.
Also, we saw far more wildlife outside of Denali park than we saw inside the park,, and we saw all of the Big 5 animals that day. The rest of Alaska was just better.
Also, we saw far more wildlife outside of Denali park than we saw inside the park,, and we saw all of the Big 5 animals that day. The rest of Alaska was just better.
May 15th, 2012, 01:24 PM
#11
Well obviously if the weather is socked in then a flightseeing trip to Denali is a bit pointless, but then again they won't fly if it is, so no skin off your wallet. It's also true that some high percentage of visitors to Denali NP never actually see the mountain because of clouds. You have to accept Alaska on its own terms, wishful thinking notwithstanding.
The idea of the ferry across PW Sound has two parts - one is that you get to see PW Sound, IMO a highlight, and second, it allows you to avoid retracing your steps. The Richardson Hwy between Valdez and Delta Jct. is one of the most beautiful drives in North America, so closing the loop via the ferry is a way of seeing more without having to take the same road both ways. But it is pricey, so you need to evaluate options.
On the matter of the arctic circle excursion, people have different priorities, I guess. If it's a bucket list thing, so be it; but for roughly the same money ($206 v. $190) in June you can fly round trip between Anchorage and Kotzebue, an Eskimo village on the Arctic Ocean (and also north of the arctic circle) and get a little snapshot of a native community far, far from the road system. Spend the "night" there (but it won't be, 'cause in June you'll have midnight sun, also 11 PM sun and 3 AM sun) then come back the next day. Such a side trip will give you a sense of the scale of Alaska, and its amazing geographic and cultural diversity, that you frankly can't see from behind a steering wheel.
The idea of the ferry across PW Sound has two parts - one is that you get to see PW Sound, IMO a highlight, and second, it allows you to avoid retracing your steps. The Richardson Hwy between Valdez and Delta Jct. is one of the most beautiful drives in North America, so closing the loop via the ferry is a way of seeing more without having to take the same road both ways. But it is pricey, so you need to evaluate options.
On the matter of the arctic circle excursion, people have different priorities, I guess. If it's a bucket list thing, so be it; but for roughly the same money ($206 v. $190) in June you can fly round trip between Anchorage and Kotzebue, an Eskimo village on the Arctic Ocean (and also north of the arctic circle) and get a little snapshot of a native community far, far from the road system. Spend the "night" there (but it won't be, 'cause in June you'll have midnight sun, also 11 PM sun and 3 AM sun) then come back the next day. Such a side trip will give you a sense of the scale of Alaska, and its amazing geographic and cultural diversity, that you frankly can't see from behind a steering wheel.
May 15th, 2012, 07:20 PM
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padams421: thanks for the tip. We'll probably just park at a pullout, rest area, or vantage point pullout to avoid paying the campground fee or RV site fee. At $10-25/night, we'll be saving $200-500 by parking on the roadside. I called the car rental company and they confirmed the minivan has stowaway seats so we can sleep comfortably on the flat surface.
Gardyloo: thank you for the Kotzebue info! I'm seriously interested but I'm still trying to find out if cheap lodging exists there. I called several B&Bs earlier but no one picked up the phone. Still weighing the pros and cons for the ferry option from Whittier-Valdez or drive back to Palmer then Anchorage from Valdez + PWS tour from Whittier.
Now, on to shower issue, I only found Seward campground with pay shower. Is it pretty safe to assume each town has at least 1 laundromat with pay hot shower? Still researching as I type.
Also, how bear safe is it to keep all the food in the ziploc bag and put it in the cooler IN the car while we sleep in there? I'd really appreciate info on this as I couldn't find the answer yet.
Gardyloo: thank you for the Kotzebue info! I'm seriously interested but I'm still trying to find out if cheap lodging exists there. I called several B&Bs earlier but no one picked up the phone. Still weighing the pros and cons for the ferry option from Whittier-Valdez or drive back to Palmer then Anchorage from Valdez + PWS tour from Whittier.
Now, on to shower issue, I only found Seward campground with pay shower. Is it pretty safe to assume each town has at least 1 laundromat with pay hot shower? Still researching as I type.
Also, how bear safe is it to keep all the food in the ziploc bag and put it in the cooler IN the car while we sleep in there? I'd really appreciate info on this as I couldn't find the answer yet.
