Alaska itinerary need help
 

Sorry I've posted a couple of posts already and I'm too anxious to await replies!! I am having trouble finishing my itinerary as I'm not sure the best way to go. Any input would be most appreciated.

We are going Jul 30-Aug 13 and are taking our 11 year old son. We will rent a car, camping and NOT backpacking. Easy hikes are what we will want and great animal viewing of course (I seem to have a bad back that isn't getting better for the past 6 months and am quite worried about ruining the trip for my husband and son, pray for me and my chiropractor!!).

As you can see at the end after Fairbanks I'm just not sure which way to go. It seems if I keep driving back south it is a very very long drive but then the other way I am just backtrackingt. I was hoping to get to the Arctic Circle but understand that the drive is long, bad, gravelly and the car rental companies won't allow it. I can't seem to find any information or posts from people who visit in this area. Any suggestions would really really help.

Here goes:
1 - arrive late afternoon, overnight Anchorage
2 - drive to Seward, stopping at Exit Glacier on the way, explore Seward
3 - Fjord boat tour
4 - another day around Seward, not sure what to do?
5 - Drive to Talkeetna I think or all the way to Denali? Not sure. Otherwise maybe flightseeing in Talkeetna. Sounds like it is maybe too expensive for us, but we'll see.
6 - Denali NP bus in with hiking
7 - Denali NP bus in with hiking
8 - Drive to Fairbanks, stopping in Nenana
9 - Day in Fairbanks--recommendations for fun things to do?
10 - unsure
11 - unsure
12 - unsure
13 - unsure
14 - get back to Anchorage
15 - early morning flight home

After enjoying Fairbanks, have you considered taking the beautiful Richardson Hwy down to Valdez? It'd be best to split that drive into 2 days so you'd have time for stops along the way. Then you would take the Glenn Hwy back to Anchorage from Valdez, another beautiful drive (that you could make in a day), and you wouldn't be doing any doubling back.

Enjoy! Alaska is not to be missed!

As I recall, posts about visiting the Artic Circle recommended a tour group. Your drive down to Seward could easily take 5 hours instead of 3. Salmon were running up Bird Creek which runs under the Seward Hwy in late July/early August. It is amazing to watch the fish and the fishermen. If you can alter your itinerary, you could fit in a trip to Homer, about 3 hours from Seward. It is hard not to spend too much time driving because there is so much area to cover but I would recommend spending more time on the KP. Take your time driving south of Anchorage and to Talkeetna. Stop at some of the other wonderful places along the way. Maybe don't go as far north as Fairbanks.

OK, my suggestion. As you may already know, you can purchase 3 day Denali Park shuttle passes for the price of 2. So if you determine there is enough interest you may want to consider taking advantage of that pricing. :) However 1 day on the shuttle bus to at least Fish Creek is enough. There are activies led by the rangers and activities outside of the park.

As for Fairbanks- plenty to see and do, www.explorefairbanks.com Alaska Uni Museum, the botanical Gardens, Large Animal tour, Creamer's Field hiking, Public Lands buildling, Ice Museum, boat ride, gold mine tour, pipeline exhibit. As for the Arctic Circle option. You can't drive it UNLESS you get a specific allowed car, used to be a vender in Fairbanks. But I really don't think you realize what kind of trip it is??? Plenty of boring trees, plenty of burned acres and a sign. You do get a look at the Yukon River and can tundra hike and dig down to the permafrost but you are looking at a lot of miles. If a priority, you need to budget more funds and consider the toursaver coupon for the fly/shuttle tour, which is EXCELLENT, but will run you about $500 for 3 for a 12++ hour tour. This isn't a trip to skimp on anyway.

I too suggest you may want to consider a couple days in Homer, just an excellent city. As for coming back from Fairbanks, superior is going all the way down the Richardson to Valez. The superior scenery is south of the Glenn Highway. Then ferry back to Whittier, a wonderful scenic loop and the ability to hike in Valdez. Web site has plenty of hiking guides you can print out. Their museum is worth a stop.

Again- if you haven't already, purchase a toursaver book, since you have the flight and Kenai Fjords on your list. There is a used market perhaps on this message board and on ebay for used books, verify WHAT coupons are left. :)www.toursaver.com If you haven't already, I would book the flights.

All the advice above sounds good to me. Between fjord tour and Denali bus, not to mention everyday Alaska, you will see lots of amazing wildlife. Here are a few more suggestions based on our recent trip (with 12- and 15-year-olds and a husband whose flu and hamstring problems kept us to easy hikes).

I agree with dfrostnh. The drive from Anchorage to Seward could easily take many hours with stops and side trips. We did a little sightseeing in Anchorage in the morning before heading south and made a side trip to Girdwood and the Alyeska tram. (I posted the beginning of our trip report last week--will get to the rest soon). If you like easy hikes, you might want to walk (or bike?) along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage or do a bit of walking at the top of the Aleyeska tram. We didn't visit Portage Glacier, but that would be another place to stop en route. Save Exit Glacier for Day 4 along with the SeaLife Center (your 11-year-old should really like it) or some other local Seward activity. On way to Denali, consider swinging over to Hatcher Pass. It makes a great stopover. If you do break the long drive from Seward to Denali into two days (you have plenty of time to visit Talkeetna that way), as we did, it means you aren't ready for the bus until Day 7. But I agree with Budget Queen that one day on the bus is plenty as long as you go far enough. For part of the second day in Denali (Day 8?), do the easy hike at Savage River (the farthest you can drive in the park in your own car). It's lovely. If your back is holding out when you get to the bridge turnaround, keep going. The trail past the bridge is less traveled, and I hear sometimes the Dall sheep are prevalent. Can't help you on the Valdez vs. Homer question, as we didn't have time for either. My brother, who's been all over Alaska, would vote for the drive to Valdez, but that's secondhand.

Budget Queen is right about the Toursaver (we had two). Saved us a bundle, and we've already sold one on ebay. Good luck. You'll love it wherever you go.

Thanks for the great advice. I am so excited about this trip I'm already thinking I will need to go back!!

BudgetQueen can you recommend a company to do the Arctic trip - $500 for the 3 of us doesn't sound so bad. I thought it would be $500/person which would be too much.

Sorry one more question, do I need to reserve the ferry in advance from Valdez to Whittier or can we play it by ear when we get there?

Get a www.toursaver.com there is one for sale a few posts away. The Great Alaska tour company has a $269pp fly/shuttle Arctic tour, with the coupon one is free, so paying for 2 is a little over $500. Add tips and meal at Yukon River however, still the best deal I can recommend. I have been on this exact tour. AND absolutely YES you need reservations for the ferry, hardly NEVER any drive up space for cars. The Stan Stephen's toursaver coupon is also a great deal here for an extended look at the Columbia Glacier, with bergs the size of apartment buildings. :)