PScott

I am planning a family trip with our family of 4 (kids will be 9 and 14), along with sister-in-law's family of 4 (their kids will be 4 and 9), plus mother/mother-in-law to Alaska in late July and are alloting 10 or 11 days for the trip. We are planning to fly from B'ham to Anchorage and rent RV's. Another family member lives in Homer so we can park on property and use his land as homebase for part of the time. Any suggestions on places to see and when to stop and get a hotel for a break? (I am kind of thinking that at least I will need a hotel for one night for a hot shower and just a break). Maybe that won't be the case as I have never traveled by RV before but want to ask about that issue....
Husband and kids love railroads so a day on the rails is a must. Suggestions and advice appreciated!

trippinkpj

I haven't RV'd in Alaska, though I did take the Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Seward 10 years ago.
http://www.akrr.com/
I think there are other posts on the AKRR.

rm_mn

How about a glacier cruise and a railroad adventure rolled into one? Look for "26 glaciers by rail" and see if this will fit the bill. We did it 2 years ago and really enjoyed it.

dfrostnh

Homer will be a wonderful for part of your visit but it's not a good home base. Homer to Seward, for example would be about a 4 hour trip. In between you would pass thru Soldotna which would be a good place to stock up on groceries etc. See if you can get a waterfront site in Seward. If you stay in a campground with public bathrooms you can shower there. Anchorage to Homer is about a 5 hour drive with lots of good stopping off/scenic places. We didn't RV in Alaska but camp other places. Your gray water has a maximum capacity so with 4 people, make sure your stops include a place with a dumping station. Taking showers (if the RV has one) will make max capacity sooner. Keep in mind your batteries may only last 3 days but check with the RV rental place on this. We don't carry a generator but yours may come equipped with one. Keep in mind that if you are restricted to battery power that means no tv, no microwave, no coffee maker. The stove and fridge will be on propane. Keep in mind there are some camping places like state parks (i.e. Captain Cook near Soldotna) do not have 3-way hookups. (Water, electricity and sewage).
Hope you have a great trip!

BudgetQueen

You need to do your homework and determine your areas of interest. As already stated above, you won't be basing out of Homer, unless that is where you want to spend all your time. Alaska requires you to be on the move and is really not a location for day trip travel since distances are so vast. It makes no sense to spend 8 hours on the road for an hour at a destination.

As for the train. Will eat up time, you may not have. The most scenic portion if the Anchorage/Seward segment.

A reasonable option would be for some members to take the train one way while the noninterested ones take the RV, all meeting up in Seward, otherwise you have to invest at least a day with the rail.

As a suggestion, you may want to consider Seward for a few days, Homer, Anchorage, Talkeetn, and at least 2 overnights at Denali park.

PScott

Thanks to all for the suggestions. We know we will be in HOmer for a few days at least to visit with family members but rest of the time will be traveling. Am thinking perhaps keeping RV for 6 days and maybe car for a couple with nights one or two hotels or resorts for a nice wrap-up. Have seen on other postings people talking about the Copper River Princess. Any other resorts out there that anyone would recommend if we chose to lose the RV at the end and go by car?

bdawk

I'd do the RV thing with the kids. I would highly recommend buying the book: Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Explore Alaska and the Yukon with RV or Tent. You can purchase it on line if you search for it. I used the book for all my RV travels in AK. Nice campground at Kenai Lake. For an interesting train trip, check into the Hurricane Train trip thru the Alaska Railroad. A tru alaskan adventure. Best part of traveling with a RV, food, drink and restrooms available for the long trips between point A & point B. We always stay in a hotel room our last night as the RV's have to be reurned very early in the morning.

jtrandolph

We did an RV in Alaska for 21 days.

I never felt the need to get a hotel "for a break" as we were quite comfortable. There was a tiny shower, so occasionally, if we found a nice commercial RV park we would stay a night for a "real" shower and to do some laundry. The nicest was in Homer, but you won't need one there.

But, there were only the two of us. I gather you are renting two RV's? We were quite happy in a 21-footer, which was easier to manage than the bigger ones, and since we, too, had no prior RV experience we thought it was wise to limit the size. I would think that you could be comfortable with the four of you in one that size.

If you go to Seward, the city lets you park on the beach, with hookups as I remember, and showers...for a small fee.
The Sea Life center there is very interesting, and a Kenai Fjords glacier cruise on Resurrection Bay lots of fun.

Are you planning on Denali? If so, you should reserve a camp site ahead of time. If you do go to Denali, take the park ranger shuttle bus out into the park rather than a commercial tour. You may not have time, but these shuttles run during the day, stop when there is a wildlife sighting, and when you get to the destination you choose, you can see the mountain and take another shuttle back when you are ready.

The most important piece of advice I can give you, if somebody hasn't beat me to it, is to get, right now, a copy of "The Milepost", a telephone book sized guide with absolutely killer road maps and sights and interests listed by their milepost number on the highways. It will help much with your planning, and I traveled with it on my lap during our entire trip.

Just be sure you get a full orientation from your rental company, including the capacity of your potable, grey, and black water tanks. There are dump facilities at most gas stations. And, some RV rental companies suuply linens and kitchen and eating equipment as part of the package. Others sell you these "packages". If you haven't already, check that out.

You will probably have a generator so you will not be limited to staying only where there are electricity hookups. Our refrigerator ran on electricity when we had hookups, propane otherwise.

Oh...good idea to plan meals ahead when you are near grocery stores. At Denali the only food sources within reasonable driving distances were convenience stores, expensive and VERY limited in choices. I wished we had stocked up in Talkeetna, where we stayed the night before

BudgetQueen

As for the above reference, there isn't anywhere to stock up groceries in Talkeetna either. LAST available full service is Wasilla going north and Fairbanks going south.

jtrandolph

Budget Queen....glad you caught that...we ate out in Talkeetna, so I didn't notice the lack of grocery stores.