alaska 6-7 days
 

would appreciate any help in putting together a 6-7 day tour for me and my wife in alaska this may-end/june with specific areas of interest.....whale watching/wild life/nature and water activity like rafting/boating but not cruises.
any suggestions on tour operators or useful websites would be welcome as well.
thanks!

Do a search on Fodors for itineraries that have been suggested. My choice for a week is Anchorage, Independence Mine near Wasilla (to the north - could be a day trip from Anchorage) and then head south to Seward for boat trip, tram ride up Alyeska, Portage Visitors center, etc. There's a lot more to see and do south of Anchorage in a limited area. Seward is about 3 hours from Anchorage but you could easily take all day to get there.

appreciate the tip from dfrostnh.

any point in trying to book >3 star hotels?

basically I'd rather be outdoors and use the hotel as a base camp of sorts to sleep and keep things safe....so are the two and lesser stars good in anchorage?

Fancy hotels are a little on the scarce side outside of Anchorage. Seward only recently got a Holiday Inn Express. We have not stayed in Anchorage but no matter where I go I don't care for large hotels. I think Alaska Garden Gate B&B in Palmer was one of the nicest places we stayed because Karen, the host, is such a great cook and her home was designed as a B&B. Relatives who opted to camp on that particular weekend trip were bugged by mosquitos and arrived very early in the morning for a hot shower. There are some very nice cabins in some places. We don't mind spartan accomodations such as one of the older motels in Seward in the downtown area (sorry, can't remember the name) and really disliked the b&b booked at the last minute that was basically a room over the garage with a bagel breakfast and a host who had had a bad day and there wasn't any advertised view. I think you are going to find a wide variety of accomodations. I think you might find it helpful to read where others recommend to stay and why. To me, a friendly host who knows the area makes a big difference. Some people hate B&Bs however. Keep in mind that although Anchorage is a large, multi-cultural city, Palmer is pretty small and so is Seward. Girdwood would have some upscale accomodations because it's a ski resort.

Hope you don;t mind me jumping in.
we are meeting another couple at a mountain chalet at Alyeksa resort in late july and are using that as base camp for 6 nights. We are interested in some of the same activities as brufen

wouldn't mine a 1 day glacier cruise but rest of the time we want to be active.

if anyone has itnerary ideas or links to existing itineraries, we'ds love the help

thanks

YOu have a choice of a glacier cruise out of Whittier but remember you get there thru a one-way toll tunnel so pay attention to the tunnel schedule so you can arrive in time for your cruise. Whittier is a former secret military base. Originally only trains went in and out. It's in a beautiful location but the town itself is mostly a couple of huge former military buildings. There is a fairly easy hike behind the town. Some of it is thru thick bushes on wood planks. I would not hike it if the weather was drizzly or had just rained recently. One is abandoned. You can take a cruise out of Seward that will include glaciers but is mostly sea lions, birds, etc.
Do a search on "alyeska" on this forum. You should find some posts about hiking around Alyeska. We really enjoyed the area around Independence Mine, google that for the hiking information.