Advice on Alaska trip
 

Hi,

My wife & i want to take 4 days off next week and go to an exotic location. will Alaska be a good place to visit this time of the year? If so, can some one suggest us the best places to stay and visit for a 4-5 day trip?

Thanks in advance,
Anandan

My husband and I went to Anchorage in April about a dozen years ago. I remember looking out the window of the airplane as we were approaching for landing seeing all the mud from the spring thaw and thinking how ugly it was. By the time we left four days later i had decided that Alaska is the most beautiful place on the planet.
We stayed at the Captain Cook in Downtown Anchorage and really enjoyed it. Plenty of places to see and shop within walking distance. Also stayed at the Hilton a few years later which was fine also. We drove out to Portage Glacier and we took a flight-seeing trip up to Denali -- kind of pricey but worth every penny. We also drove to some scenic areas north of the city. Saw more bald eagles than one could ever imagine and actually had to watch out for moose crossing the highway. We especially enjoyed eating dinner at 10 pm while watching the sunset. Our impression of downtown Anchorage at the time was that it seemed much like many cities in the lower 48 in the early 60s. Haven't had a chance to go back for 10 years so i don't know how much things may have changed, but I recommend it.

It's springtime, so not too many tourist destinations will be open yet, but Anchorage for 4 or 5 days can certainly provide enough distractions. Exotic it ain't, but beautiful scenery close by.

For an off-the-wall (?) alternative, how about flying to Bellingham (WA) or Juneau, then riding the Alaska Ferry through the Inside Passage to the other place, then flying home. Takes a couple of nights on the boat (basic but okay cabins and accommodation) with wonderful scenery out the window; you can walk around the ports of call while the ferry's at the dock. Probably see orcas, maybe some other whales, definitely eagles and otters and seals, oh my. Weekly sailings. See http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html

Alaska is a beautiful state. I am going back myself in 3 weeks. If you fly into Anchorage, you can also take the Alaska Railroad down to Seward and do the Kenai fjords tour. You could do this as a day trip if you don't want to stay down there. Do you ski? You could also stay at the Aleyeska Resort in Girdwood. There is also a nice 26 glacier trip out of Whittier. It will probably be a bit chilly on the boats, but they all have indoor seating etc. Remember to take binoculars if you go. Have a great time. You will love Alaska if you go.

Alaska is indeed one of the most beautiful places on earth!

However, since the flights to get there can be really long depending on where in the lower 48 you're coming from, 4-5 days won't leave you a whole lot of time to explore. If you could increase your trip to a week, you'd be able to see more of the state and it would definitely be worth it!

I'd wait and do Alaska when you can do justice to it. Four days just isn't enough time. Flying into Anchorage and hanging out won't give you the feel of Alaska. You won't have time do to get much farther. It would take three days just to drive up to Denali, do it the next day, and drive back to Anchorage. Same goes for the Kenai Peninsula (which is the area I recommend).

There may be better times to go but there are no bad times to go to Alaska IMO. One caution. The previous post about the Alaska RR to Seward is premature. I believe they are still on their winter schedule so options are very limited. Check www.akrr.com for current info.

Yes, that may be correct. I don't think the ARR starts running to Seward in May. It's a lovely day trip though. I agree with the other posters, if you can go to Alaska for longer, you should.

That is UNTIL May.

Geez, when I wrote that yesterday, I forgot it was May. Anyway, the Seward service doesn't start until May 10th. Here's the link for the ARR schedule.

http://www.akrr.com/passenger/tt_may-sept.htm

I too would encourage a longer trip, and I would either wait until Denali Park is fully open to Eielson- June 1 or consider a March trip next year out of Fairbanks for the ice scuptures,and endless aurora and decent temps. :) 4 days isn't enough. :(