CLD30

Hi,

I am planning a 2 week trip to Alaska, beginning June 22nd and returning back home July 8th. Please see what I have come up with so far and let me know if you think it is doable.

Friday June 22- Arrive Anchorage at 8:00 pm
Saturday June 23 - Talkeetna - hoping to take a sightseeing flight around McKinley
Sunday and Monday - Denali
Tuesday - Anchorage
Wednesday - Leave ANC at 7:50am for Juneau
Thursday - Juneau
Friday - 8:00am Ferry to Sitka
Saturday and Sunday - Sitka
Monday - arrive back in anchorage 10:12pm
Tuesday - Portage or Seward
Wednesday July 4th - Seward
Thursday - Soldotna - kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Friday - Soldotna
Saturday - fly home from Anc at 8:40 pm

Any thoughts you have would be most helpful.

Thanks

BayouGal

Is it all booked?

I take it you're flying to Juneau. I'm not sure why you're going to Juneau and Sitka on this trip, but I think I would have saved the inside passage for another trip. I'd add Homer and perhaps Valdez instead. If I was doing the inside passage, I'd definitely add Gustavus (Point Aldophus) for whale watching, but these are all personal preferences.

Sounds like a doable and good plan, and probably too late to make many changes anyway. You will love Alaska!

BayouGal

Sorry, here are some points I should have mentioned based on your itinerary.

The marathon is in Seward July 4.
Can highly recommend the summit flightseeing over Denali.
Take one of the boat tours in Seward. Can highly recommend the Northwestern Glacier Kenai tour.
You can get up close and personal at Exit Glacier in Seward.

CLD30

No,it is not all booked...can you say last minute??? The only things booked at this time are the flights.

Yes, we are taking a flight to Juneau and then the ferry to Sitka...we have a friend we are visiting. This is the reason we are hopping over to the inside passage.

Do you have any reccomendations as to what company I should book the flightseeing over Denali with? Also, if you have any hotel recommendations, please advise.

BudgetQueen

As for hotel recommendations, I would go with what is still available?? You are going to run into very short supply left.

I fly with Talkeetna Aero the most, excellent company.

CLD30

Thanks BudgetQueen! We are starting to look for accomodations this morning...so far we have had good luck.

BayouGal

BQ can verify, but with the summit flight, I think there's only one company that flies the over the summit flights.

Do you have the toursaver book? toursaver.com

Having friends to visit in Alaska will definitely make for a special trip! Have you asked for their advice? Maybe they would have some suggestions for you from their travel there.

Glad to hear you're having good luck finding lodging. We stayed at the Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy while at Denali, and loved it. I've recommended it here before, and have only heard positive feedback. Do you have your Denali shuttle tickets?

BudgetQueen

K-2 also is able to do summit flights out of Talkeetna.

jetset1

I am a Kenai peninsula resident and I'd hate for you to hang around Soldotna.. the refuge is misleading since there's not a wildlife park per se.. the big draw is the Kenai river for salmon fishing..

instead, after Seward, I'd suggest heading to Homer and doing two nights there.. you'll still have plenty of time to do a drive through Soldotna but truthfully, it's not such a big deal.

You have so many choices while in Homer, halibut fishing in Kachemak Bay, tours across the bay, wonderful b&b's, the spit(beaches and recreation), and the charm of a small town and many art galleries.

Driving back to Anchorage is a five/six hour trip with stops and traffic.. so leaving mid morning would give you plenty of time to stop along the way for lunch and photos..


**check out Girdwood too.. happy travels, J.

dfrostnh

On your way back to Anchorage from Denali can you add an hour or two for a stop at Independence Mine near Wasilla? They're doing a great job restoring the old buildings and providing information about what it was like there when it was a busy mining town.

CLD30

Thanks for all the wonderful tips. I have all accommodations booked with the exception of the 5th and 6th...I have taken your advise and am skipping Soldotna...I work with a guy that loved it, but he is a fisherman. I have thought about going to Homer, but have not done much research yet. We really want to see bears so I was thinking that we may want to look into going to Kodiak. Any comments?

I will also look into the toursaver book that you recommend.

There is no rush to get back to Anchorage from Denali so I will definitely take time to check out Wasilla.

jetset1

Out of Homer, you could do a bear viewing flight with outfits such as Smokey Bay Air 1-888-482-1511 or www.SmokeyBayAir.com..

another popular choice is Emerald Air at 1-907-235-6993 or www. EmeraldAirService.com

BaldMountainAir.com 1-800-478-7969

Keep in mind that because bear tours are booked so far in advance, your chances could be slim at this stage..

nevertheless, you might get lucky with a cancellation if your name is on a list..

Good luck.. we are having a few rain showers, so it should be nice and green when you arrive, and hopefully, sunny. J.

jetset1

www.hallobay.com is one I forgot and possibly the favorite..

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