Alaska in 1 week
Jan 29th, 2005, 09:14 AM
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Alaska in 1 week
We only have one week of vacation. I've been told if I don't have more time than that I shouldn't go to Alaska. I can't believe this. We were thinking about landing in Anchorage going to Seward, Homer, doing the Kenai Fiords tour, etc. What do you think? My other choice is going to Yosemite since we enjoy the national parks and have been to several.
Jan 29th, 2005, 09:33 AM
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I guess it depends in part on how far away you are and the expense in getting there. For most of us in the lower 48, it's pretty expensive to get up there, not to mention a long plane ride. If you could easily return another year to see more of what you missed then a week might make sense. If you think this will be your only visit to Alaska I'd probably wait until another year when you have more time to devote.
Of course you *could* do it in a week but Alaska's a huge state and things are far apart--there are lots of wonderful things you'd miss and you'd have little time to relax unless you focused on a very small area.
Of course you *could* do it in a week but Alaska's a huge state and things are far apart--there are lots of wonderful things you'd miss and you'd have little time to relax unless you focused on a very small area.
Jan 29th, 2005, 10:34 AM
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If the question is, could I come up for a week, see thingss I couldn't anywhere else and have a good time . . . then the answer is yes.
Just because that's too short for some folks, doesn't diminish the quality of a well-timed trip.
You could easily do two days in Seward, two in Homer and a Denali flightseeing in a week and have a great time.
I'll agree with Patrick about the wow factor of Yosemite Valley. I think were Alaska scores its points is in the variety of great experiences. You could definitely get a good sampling in a week of Southcentral AK. There's a good 8-day plan by eriberri on this board. (Sorry, I don't know how to past a direct link.)
Just because that's too short for some folks, doesn't diminish the quality of a well-timed trip.
You could easily do two days in Seward, two in Homer and a Denali flightseeing in a week and have a great time.
I'll agree with Patrick about the wow factor of Yosemite Valley. I think were Alaska scores its points is in the variety of great experiences. You could definitely get a good sampling in a week of Southcentral AK. There's a good 8-day plan by eriberri on this board. (Sorry, I don't know how to past a direct link.)
Jan 29th, 2005, 10:54 AM
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I was asking the same question as hump and planning the same trip. What do you guys think about the Kenai Fiords tour?
How far is Seward driving time from Anchorage? Thank you for the responses they have helped.
How far is Seward driving time from Anchorage? Thank you for the responses they have helped.
Jan 29th, 2005, 11:13 AM
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We did Alaska in one week and it was just fine. Can't wait to go back.
We went to Valdez, Homer and Seward.
All were very nice, but the Kenai Penninsula, especially Homer and Seward were very nice. I would definatly do a boat tour out of Seward.
There are many to choose from and they are wonderful. Unless you're going really on season, you can choose the tour once you get there. Just make sure to bring coat and gloves, it gets very cold on the water. We also went to Exit Glacier, an easy 1/2 mile walk where you can get up close to a glacier. I think you'll have a wonderful time and won't regret in the least that you went.
We went to Valdez, Homer and Seward.
All were very nice, but the Kenai Penninsula, especially Homer and Seward were very nice. I would definatly do a boat tour out of Seward.
There are many to choose from and they are wonderful. Unless you're going really on season, you can choose the tour once you get there. Just make sure to bring coat and gloves, it gets very cold on the water. We also went to Exit Glacier, an easy 1/2 mile walk where you can get up close to a glacier. I think you'll have a wonderful time and won't regret in the least that you went.
Jan 29th, 2005, 11:28 AM
#6
I saw Patrick's wow comment and while I agree the drama of seeing Yosemite for the first time is real, comparing a rather crowded national park in June to Alaska is truly an apples-Toyotas exercise.
Sure, a week in Alaska is insufficient. So's ten years. But in the words of Gandalf, what matters is what we do with the time that is given us. If you spend a week in Alaska driving from Anchorage to Denali to Anchorage to Seward to Homer to Anchorage, then, yeah, your week will be 70% car and 30% Alaska. The Seward Highway is scenic for an hour and a half, the Parks Highway for - er - not much, the Sterling Highway... well... (all I M not very H O.) So the drama factor will diminish as a consequence of the follow-the-RV-on-the-road-in-front-of-me syndrome that is the nature of summer touring in the tourist belt of Alaska. Not always, not on all days, of course.
In a week in Yosemite, you can see lots of... NPS campgrounds, trails, and plenty of your fellow humans. I do remember the first time I drove from SF to Yosemite on a Memorial Day weekend (Nixon was in the White House). Hit the bumper-to-bumper park traffic at Modesto. Turned left and went to Oregon.
What's your budget? Not prying, but it's a huge X-factor in touring Alaska. Want a wow moment that will send Yosemite to the showers? Fly in a light plane toward Denali when it's out. Sky full of mountain. Or do two nights at a fly-in cabin on a roadless lake in the Kenai Moose Range with nothing but loons and meese for company. Or take an overnight trip up to the Arctic on one of Alaska Airlines' packages - Barrow, Nome, Kotzebue... history, eskimo culture, midnight sun (the real deal) a whole 'nother world.
None of this is cheap, but if you can afford it, your week will be so full of wows that you'll start planning your next trip. Promise.
Sure, a week in Alaska is insufficient. So's ten years. But in the words of Gandalf, what matters is what we do with the time that is given us. If you spend a week in Alaska driving from Anchorage to Denali to Anchorage to Seward to Homer to Anchorage, then, yeah, your week will be 70% car and 30% Alaska. The Seward Highway is scenic for an hour and a half, the Parks Highway for - er - not much, the Sterling Highway... well... (all I M not very H O.) So the drama factor will diminish as a consequence of the follow-the-RV-on-the-road-in-front-of-me syndrome that is the nature of summer touring in the tourist belt of Alaska. Not always, not on all days, of course.
In a week in Yosemite, you can see lots of... NPS campgrounds, trails, and plenty of your fellow humans. I do remember the first time I drove from SF to Yosemite on a Memorial Day weekend (Nixon was in the White House). Hit the bumper-to-bumper park traffic at Modesto. Turned left and went to Oregon.
What's your budget? Not prying, but it's a huge X-factor in touring Alaska. Want a wow moment that will send Yosemite to the showers? Fly in a light plane toward Denali when it's out. Sky full of mountain. Or do two nights at a fly-in cabin on a roadless lake in the Kenai Moose Range with nothing but loons and meese for company. Or take an overnight trip up to the Arctic on one of Alaska Airlines' packages - Barrow, Nome, Kotzebue... history, eskimo culture, midnight sun (the real deal) a whole 'nother world.
None of this is cheap, but if you can afford it, your week will be so full of wows that you'll start planning your next trip. Promise.
Jan 29th, 2005, 11:57 AM
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I've done two tourist trips to Alaska. The first was for a week and I did way too much. I went all the way to Fairbanks and back, then to Seward, then to Homer. Even though I spent a lot of time traveling, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My second trip was for ten days and I did less. This time, I only went north as far as Talkeetna and did some flight seeing there. I spent two days at that and the other ten days on the Kenai, half in the Seward area and half in the Homer area. I also enjoyed it very much and was glad to have more time to explore and less to travel.
I've also been to Yosemite a number of times and love it there. However, if I only had a week, Alaska would be my choice without a question. Weather permitting, you can also do flight seeing of the Denali area from Lake Hood in Anchorage and that would save the driving time up and back. I would spend the rest of the trip on the Kenai, divided between Seward, Copper River, and Homer. I would also highly recommend the all-day Kenai Fjords tour.
My second trip was for ten days and I did less. This time, I only went north as far as Talkeetna and did some flight seeing there. I spent two days at that and the other ten days on the Kenai, half in the Seward area and half in the Homer area. I also enjoyed it very much and was glad to have more time to explore and less to travel.
I've also been to Yosemite a number of times and love it there. However, if I only had a week, Alaska would be my choice without a question. Weather permitting, you can also do flight seeing of the Denali area from Lake Hood in Anchorage and that would save the driving time up and back. I would spend the rest of the trip on the Kenai, divided between Seward, Copper River, and Homer. I would also highly recommend the all-day Kenai Fjords tour.
Jan 29th, 2005, 02:07 PM
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To put Alaska-Yosemite in another context, it's like going to Greece and only seeing Santorini.
As for Soldotna, there's not all that much to see and do there. On the Kenai Fjords tours, you want the longest possible -- you definitely want to get outside of Resurrection Bay.
As for Soldotna, there's not all that much to see and do there. On the Kenai Fjords tours, you want the longest possible -- you definitely want to get outside of Resurrection Bay.
Jan 30th, 2005, 10:19 AM
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In Seward, I stay at the Edgewater and enjoy it. I don't recommend staying in Soldatna unless you are going to do some salmon fishing there. Just grab a cone at the DQ, re3stock your cooler, and chug on through.
On the way down to Homer, Ninilchik is a neat place to take a short break, both for walking along the clamming beach and visiting the Russian Orthodox church.
Lots of people recommend Land's End in Homer but I've never stayed there. Unfortunately, I have misplaced the name of the B&B I stayed at. There are a number of them on the hillside over looking Homer and the bay and I recommend making sure where ever you stay has a good, elevated view. It is superb!
On the way down to Homer, Ninilchik is a neat place to take a short break, both for walking along the clamming beach and visiting the Russian Orthodox church.
Lots of people recommend Land's End in Homer but I've never stayed there. Unfortunately, I have misplaced the name of the B&B I stayed at. There are a number of them on the hillside over looking Homer and the bay and I recommend making sure where ever you stay has a good, elevated view. It is superb!
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