I'm in the initial stages of planning a first trip to Alaska in June 2006. I have read numerous guidebooks and gathered valuable information from this forum. I'm just not sure what to do first--airline ticket, lodging, or book activities such as bear viewing and Kenai Fjords. Right now a tentative plan is to fly from Chicago to Anchorage, spend the night, then drive to Denali (3 nights), drive to Seward (2 nights), Homer (3 nights) and back to Anchorage. From reading several posts I get the idea that the drive from Denali to Seward might be a little much for one day. If so, I would be up for a recommnedation for one night to break up the trip. We would like to schedule a 10 or 11 night trip. Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.

The drive from Denali to Seward is easily doable in one day, especially because there are not a huge number of "must see" vista points between Denali and Anchorage. Once leaving Anchorage and all the way to Seward, the route becomes seriously scenic.

Having said that, especially if you think you'll go back to Alaska again , I'd save Denali for another trip and concentrate this trip on the Kenai Peninsula. In place of Denali, I'd add Valdez. Valdez to Seward is a long hugely scenic drive that you might want to break in Eagle River or Anchorage. I know others will disagree but that is my opinion having done both areas a number of times.

I traveled in Alaska a few years ago. Make the ailine reservations ASAP. Do not set a schedule in stone for your time in Alaska. It can tie you down and force you into staying or leaving locations if you change your mind about how much you enjoy or are not enjoying it. Side trip tours are very easy to get on the spot the day you get there. Make a hotel res. for the first night and the night before you get back on the plane for your return trip. They are really the most important res. you need. Don't spend any more time in Anchorage than you need to. A first night's rest and the last night's rest before you have to get on your Morning flight back to Chicago.

I like the original itinerary. Much as I like Valdez, I wouldn't swap it for Denali - Valdez is still a seriously long drive from Anchorage, and it is really just another variant of the seaside towns that you are getting anyway with Seward and Homer. Valdez is pretty & so is the drive to Valdez, but what are you going to do there that would be different from Seward or Homer? I'd stick with Denali for the awesome terrain inside the park & the great wildlife viewing - take an EARLY shuttle bus for best viewing.

The drive from Denali to Seward is doable in a day, but the best part is the part from Anchorage to Seward, and I think you would want to be rested for that, so you *might* (not mandatory!) consider a stop along the way. Maybe a nice B&B in Anchorage, treat yourself to a nice dinner, & start out early for a spectacular drive along the Turnagin Arm down to Seward. Stop in Girdwood & take the tram at Alyeska for great views.

Since it won't take you all day to go from Denail to Anchorage, there are side trips you can take - I would highly recommend going to Hatcher's Pass & Independence State Historical Park. In June, you have to go from the Palmer side, the pass won't be open (but the road from the Willow side to the pass is pretty bland & rough anyway). The drive up from the Palmer side is gorgeous (& paved up to the park) & the historical buildings at the park are really neat. (There are other options for side trips not too far out of the way, but that one is my favorite.)

In Seward, don't forget to stop & see Exit Glacier (the hike to the glacier is easy, we took my in-laws on it when they came to visit us this summer & they said it was so worth it!), and also don't miss the SeaLife Center. Obviously, sounds like you are going to go on a Kenai Fjords tour.

As far as booking, I would get the plane tickets first, then fill in the gaps. Me, I like to book all my lodging in advance. I don't want to spend my vacation trying to figure out where I'm going to be next, and even though you probably CAN find lodging, you may spend a LOT of time looking and/or pay a premium for a place that is not quite your style. Heck, we had friends up last June and decided to spur of the moment go to Seward with them for a night, I must have spent an hour on the phone calling different places to find someone with accomodations. Similar story when the in-laws were up in July & we did some short side trips with them. You don't need that hassle once you're on vacation, IMHO.

For what it is worth, I would recommend B&Bs and cabins (full services ones with bathrooms, of course!) for accomodations whenever possible. Usually better ambiance, better prices, more Alaskan experience.

http://www.anchorage-bnb.com/index.htm
is a good site for B&Bs in Anchorage.

Do a web search, both Homer & Seward have good sites that show most of their lodging with links to the places with websites. For Denali, try links off the national park website.

Good luck with your planning!

Kris in Anchorage

I like Kris' suggestion to do an overnight in Anchorage between Denali and Seward. You will want time to stop for photo ops and the Alyeska tram ride. I'd also suggest a stop at the Portage Glacier visitors center. The drive from Homer back to Anchorage will be at least 5 hours. If you have a late evening return flight you could make the drive on your last day if you have already made a leisurely drive south. Get your plane tickets ASAP. I waited until January for a June trip and had to be flexible about our return date by a few days although the bear viewing might be the arrangements to make first. in June of 2004 ,we were able to get tickets the night before for the longest Kenai Fjords trip on a perfect day with very calm seas.

I to suggest an added day for the Denali Park/Seward drive. I never recommend this in a day, and also disagree, there is plenty to see and do along the way.

I like to stay in Talkeetna, also the excellent opportunity for flightseeing. Most always have toursaver offers.

VERIFY what the bear tours offer, where the sightings are etc. You may want to go on an overnight out of Homer.

Frankly, I believe you do need to make your lodging reservations. If you do not know Alaska, you can be out in the middle of nowhere with no idea where lodging is. It is NOT plentiful in a lot of areas, like virtually nothing between Denali Park and Talkeetna. Most B&B's are not "walk up", and roadside motels scarce.

The plan offers a great opportunity and I would go with reservations based on that. June is peak season as well.

So I would book the flights, go for as long as possible, time is necessary for Alaska travel. Then make your area lists, lodging and activites. You have plenty of time. Look at www.toursaver.com if of interest. I don't find the lodging deals worthwhile as I can always find cheaper B&B's but the activities are definately worthwhile. Every year there is a Kenai Fjords boat tour and Homer activites in the book.

I agree with the poster about a visit to the Palmer area (it could even be a day visit out of Anchorage). We really enjoyed our day at the historic gold mine -- they state park does a very nice job interpreting the sight. We had a tasty lunch at La Fiesta in town and then visited the Musk Ox farm on the way out. They are truly beautiful creatures -- it is the only farm like that in the world -- in a beautiful setting.

Also if you want to see Musk Oxen, you can do so for free at the Fairbanks large animal research station. Very interesting tour offered as well for about $10.

If you want to see Muskoxen, you can see them in the wild for free

Had you considered renting a amallish (20-22') motorhome instead of a car? We did this for three weeks in Alaska and it made our trip extremely flexible.

Alaska is motorhome heaven. There are many beautiful and inexpensive RV Parks, with hookups, and if you have a generator you can overnight very comfortably in one of the many state parks.

Also, you can do whatever meals you desire in the comfort of your own kitchen/living room <g>, and take showers in the teeny tiny bathroom. When you stay in a commercial RV park they will have showers and laundry facilities, etc.

We are NOT RV'ers. We had NEVER even driven one before. (and we haven't since.) But I would not do Alaska again any other way.

PS...we did not use them, but Cruise America has evidently taken over the RV business in Alaska, as elsewhere. Google if you are interested.

There are many RV companies to choose from in Alaska. I've rented from Great Alaskan Holiday. But I disagree on getting the smallest. Far better is at least a 24 foot so to have a permanent lower bed. It's uncomfortable and a pain to set up and take down every night the bed from the table or couch.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I've already been looking at airfares from Chicago and have found that all the flights leave Anchorage after 9:00 p.m., which gives us plenty of time to travel from Homer to Anchorage. After reading all the different options from Denali to Seward, I decided it would definitely be a good idea to break up the long drive with an overnight in order to be well rested to take in all the amazing sights from Anchorage to Seward.
For the Denali part of the trip we're thinking of staying in Healy. I've read good things about Denali Lakeview Inn and Motel Nord Haven. I'd welcome any comments about these places or other recommendations.
Thank you.

We stayed at the Denali Lakeview Inn in August and loved it there. It's in a very quiet location on Otto lake with great views of the mountains and lake. We had 2 rooms for our visit and both were very clean. We met the owners and they are very nice people who will go out of their way to make sure that you enjoy your stay there. I have never stayed at the motel Nord Haven so I can't comment on the place but for the money I think you can't go wrong at the Denali Lakeview Inn.

I'm not sure how much the places you are considering in Healy cost, but if it's not too much more expensive, you should look at Denali Lakeside Lodging (which is about 1 minute away from Denali Lakeview Inn). We stayed in the Tool Shed (a small cabin of theirs) for $129/night last August and it was WONDERFUL. Kitchen, washer/dryer, your own porch, a hot tub, right on the lake with a paddle boat, kayak and canoe. We loved having a refrigerator, stove, etc. They have free hot chocolate so we enjoyed that in the evenings. I just liked having my own cabin, it was larger than I expected, and the service was fantastic.

If you put ALASKA in the search you will find hundreds of posts about Alaska and lots of itinerary and lodging suggestions. We were there last June and had a great time. Get your airline tickets first of course. Your itinerary sounds very good. I recommend you buy the book MILEPOST before you begin your planning. It gives detailed twists and turns on the highways, and is a big help as you are driving along. It is sold in the major book seller chains, but not in the tourist guidebook sections as you might expect. Even the sales people are clueless.It is sold in the MAPS area of B& N and also Boarders. They are about $25. I got my on e-bay for %6 because it was last year's edition - but not a big deal because even though a few places were out of business, etc. The majority of the info I wanted was there. The buy the Toursaver coupon book. IT IS WORTH IT!! We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Anchorage when we arrived and got 2 nights for the price of one. Then we stayed at the Inlet the last 2 nights for 2for 1. I would recommend the Clarion Suites because it is right near downtown and across from the wonderful Art and History Museum (used toursaver coupon). We could have used it at the new Holiday Inn Express in Stewart for saving $$, but we wanted to stay in a B& a couple of nights for the wonderful experience of talking with locals, etc. We did not drive to Denali, but drove to Talkeetna and took the flight around Mt. McKinley (again using tour saver coupons)and then drove back via Hatcher Pass, etc. Seward was great! We took the 9 hour Northwest Glacier Cruise (2 for 1) but I would not recommend this unless you just love to be riding the waves. It was a VERY long day...half the people ended up sleeping on the way back. I would take the 5 hour, you will still see a glacier, whales - possibly- and lots of sea birds and lovely scenery. We also enjoyed the Sea Life Center there (2 for 1 coupon). I would recommend that you have a FULL tank of gas when leaving Anchorage for Seward and visa versa. There are no gas stations between Seward and Alyeska, and it made for a very tense drive as we were low on fuel. Have a wonderful time! Take mosquito repellent and put it on every day...I think that is the state bird! Don't wear fragrance or they will have you for lunch!!

I said hampton Suites but it was actually Hawthorne Suites. They picked us up at the airport with their free shuttle and it was a very comfortable place. Breakfast buffet was make it yourself waffles, fun, and the regular array of cereals, bagels, sweet rolls, juices, fresh fruit. Not fancy, but well worth the price and within walking distance of downtown.