plan on being in state aug24-sept29 2003. renting car out of anchorage. do I need motel and tour reservations for that time of year. thanks

Yes you need reservations for at least your first 10 days. Plenty of tourists still traveling interior.

had posted a previous response, but wanted to add the following info to stregthen my recommendation to book your hotels in advance. I landed in Anchorage (in June) in the middle of night. original plan was to drive straight through to Denali. however, I was so tired I tried to book a room. There were NO rooms available anywhere!

I wouldn't think of going to Alaska without reservations. We wanted to do our trip last year, and a lot of places were booked 7 months out, so we did it this year instead. Because you're going at the end of the tourist season, you might have a little more luck, but I certainly would not chance it. Play it safe and make reservations.

I'll second what everyone else has said. Alaska is very crowded in peak tourist season!

Funny thing in Anchorage: on October 1, the city crews go around and rip up all the flowerbeds before the first freeze. "Summer is officially over!"

We just returned two days ago from a two week trip from Vancouver to Denali. We drove an RV for the last week so did not book any hotels. However, our last night in Anchorage (a Saturday), we were able to get a nice hotel near the airport at 7 p.m. with no problem. The tourist season is already winding down. Denali is on the fall schedule. Campgrounds were relatively empty. I personally would make a couple of reservations and not worry about the rest. Have fun.

Please tell me more about the RV part of your trip. Any tips will be appreciated.