Alaska Itinerary: Too Much?
 

My wife and I are planning on going to Alaska next summer. We've had friends and family go over the years and make lots of suggestions to us. We are not big on organized tours, and like doing outdoor stuff. The more we can do on our own, the happier we are. As much as we'd like to do the inside passage, we'd much rather do that as a trip from Vancouver, so for this first trip, really just focusing on things other than that. We definitely want to see wildlife and have to have some time for hiking.

Here is what we were thinking based on reading posts here, guidebooks, family/friends suggestions, etc.

May 26 fly to Alaska; overnight in Anchorage
May 27 Alaska Railroad to Denali; overnight outside Denali
May 28 Denali
May 29 Denali
May 30 Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks; fly to Anchorage; overnight in Anchorage
May 31 drive to Glennallen; overnight near Wrangell-St Elias
June 1 Wrangell-St Elias
June 2 drive to Valdez; overnight in Valdez
June 3 ferry to Whittier; drive to Seward; overnight in Seward
June 4 Seward – Resurrection Bay
June 5 Seward; drive to Homer; overnight in Homer
June 6 bears! overnight in Homer
June 7 drive to Anchorage; overnight in Anchorage
June 8 Alaska Railroad to Seward; overnight in Seward
June 9 Alaska Railroad to Anchorage; fly home

I don't mind a lot of driving, because I figure we'll be seeing stuff along the way. However, it does seem like we'll be changing hotels an awful lot. Are we trying to squeeze in too much? Is there anything that could be done elsewhere to maybe minimze the number of hotels we are staying at? We're trying to keep it within about 2 weeks time.

Thanks!

You're doing a similar trip to what I did in September, but I'm a bit confused.

Why are you going to Fairbanks just to fly immediately back to Anchorage?

Why are you going to Seward and then going back to Anchorage and taking the train back to Seward?

If you cut out those elements, you can spend another could of days doing something instead of traveling...

Franklin, do you mind if I make some suggestions regarding your two trips to Seward? Go once. Alaska is huge so you have to make sometimes painful choices as to what to chose, what to see, where to stay.

If you are planning to go on bear watching day trip stay in Homer at least three nights. Bear watching trip is all day long and Homer has much more to offer than flights to Katmai to see bears. We took many bear watching trips and I would not recommend going to Homer so you can just go bear watching. Keep in mind that the end of May and beginning of June is just the beginning of the season for bear watching. You will have much better chance to see larger number of them in the end of June, better yet in July with July being the best time to see them. Actually in the end of May you may be lucky enough to see a few bears digging for clams. You won't see them fishing for salmon.
If you are not flexible as to the dates of your travel then I would do something like this

May 26 fly to Alaska; overnight in Anchorage
May 27 drive to Copper Center and overnight
May 28 and 29 Wrangell-St. Elias
May 30 and 31 drive to Valdez; overnight in Valdez
June 1 ferry to Whittier; drive to Homer for 3 nights
June 4 drive to Seward; two nights in Seward
June 6 Stop in Anchorage to return a car and take a train to Denali or continue by car to Denali for 2 nights June 8 Talkeetna for 1 night
June 9 drive to Anchorage for your flight back home

If you feel you have to go to Fairbanks then skip Seward or Valdez or Wrangell-St. Elias NP


Better yet with only two weeks I suggest focusing on Anchorage(2), Homer(4), Seward(2), Valdez(2), Copper Center or Matanuska Valley(1), Talkeetna(1), Denali (3) and leave other places for your next visits. All the above suggestions are IMHO

I forgot to answer your question 'Are we trying to squeeze in too much?'
Yes, much too much

Also I agree with astein12
about Fairbanks. It just doesn't make sense to take a train to Fairbanks so you could fly back to Anchorage. Why?

Add me as someone confused about going to Fairbanks only to fly back, as well as, the two trips to Seward. Are you trying to cover the entire train route? It sounds like you are. If that's the case, you could just start your trip by flying into Fairbanks instead of Anchorage. From Fairbanks, catch the train down to Denali and then onwards to Anchorage afterwards. You could do an open-jaw ticket which would allow you to fly in to Fairbanks and out of Anchorage. This will save you from having to backtrack. Also, you could look at doing a one-way rental car.

I think you can shake out a couple of days from your itinerary. Here's an example:

May 26: Fly to Alaska; o/n Fairbanks
May 27: Alaska RR to Denali
May 28: Denali
May 29: Denali
May 30: Alaska RR to Anchorage; o/n Anchorage
May 31: Alaska RR to Seward - Resurrection Bay

The train leaves Seward early enough that you can do the cruise on Resurrection Bay the same day.

Jun 01: Drive to Homer (Rent car in Seward)
Jun 02: Bears - Homer
Jun 03: Bears - Homer

A couple of extra days shook out, so I added one in Homer.

Jun 04: Drive to Whittier - Ferry to Valdez
Jun 05: Valdez to Wrangell
Jun 06: Wrangell
Jun 07: Wrangell

Here's another extra day which I added to Wrangell

Jun 08: Drive to Anchorage (Drop off Rental)
Jun 09: Fly Home

The one way rental will add extra costs, but I think that's offset by the savings from not going to Seward twice. I just threw in the extra two days wherever, so you can add them elsewhere if you like.

Are you doing too much? Well, maybe, but things are a bit more comfortable with this itinerary, I think.

Ack - where I wrote, "The train leaves Seward early enough..." should have been, "The train leaves Anchorage early enough..."

Valdez deserves more than just a brief overnight stop

After reading lifelist's suggestions I have a couple more comments. I like lifelist's suggestion of flying to Fairbanks and flying out of Anchorage. However, from your itinerary I concluded that only reason for you to go to Fairbanks was flying to Anchorage from there.

Don't plan on spending your last night in Kennecott and getting in time for your flight back home. If everything goes well you should have enough time to fly to Chitina from Wrangell-St. Elias NP, then drive to Anchorage but not always everything goes as planned. Due to the weather your flight from Kennecott may be delayed or cancelled for that day. You need to be prepared. last year one of our flights from our back country overnight trip was delayed 11 hours. I would skip Wrangell-St. Elias during your first visit. This is a beautiful place as many others in Alaska but your trip is going to be more enjoyable and rewarding if you spend less time on a road and more time in your destinations

Don't plan on stying in Homer and driving from there to catch a tunnel opening for a ferry to Valdez. It is too long drive. Stay in Seward or Girdwood. Again, a drive from Homer may be slow for many reasons and you wouldn't want to miss a tunnel opening in Whittier.

I agree, if you are going to rent a car in Seward and return it in Anchorage then a drop off cost may be very high. You need to decide.

thank you for the suggestions. people told us the train ride to fairbanks was worth it for the train ride itself, so we just wanted to do the train ride part. While we knew we'd be missing out on some of the things fairbanks had to offer, we thought maybe the train ride itself was worth it. Instead of backtracking by train from denali, seemed as if we'd be seeing something different.

Much to think about. Thanks!

franklin81, someone gave you a wrong, a very wrong information. train ride between Denali and Fairbanks is nothing to write home about. You want to go to Fairbanks to take a ride on a train? Do research on this topic. There is no way this section is worthy to take a ride. After Denali go back on a train to Anchorage. Everything looks different on the way back. I can't believe how someone misled you.

Well having returned from being in Alaska for 25 days, and spending 10 of those days in and around Fairbanks, and then working our way down to Anchorage. Fairbanks has SOOOOO much more to offer than Anchorage. Cannot vouch for the train ride, as we drove it. But very different scenery and if you are planning on being in Fairbanks for any length of time there is so much to do and see, we could have spent another week there, but had reservations down the line so had to leave. When we arrived in Anchorage and contacted my DH cousin who by the way has lived, worked and raised five children in Anchorage area, said there was nothing to see or do except for the museum, which they took us to. We are in our late 70's and hiking is way out, kayaking the same. To us Anchorage was a very grey and boring place. Loved Fairbanks.Thank goodness for Seward, Whittier and Valdez it made our trip worthwhile being in the Anchorage area.We drove so believe me I was up and down every single street in Anchorage and spent long hours on the computer before we left. The drive from Anchorage to Seward was absolutely gorgeous. Then we took the train from Anchorage to Seward, spent three days and took two different tours. This is very different scenery then when we drove it. Do what you feel you would like to do. I also asked different questions before we left, and was told that if we did not hike the tundra, kayak, take a flighttour and drive to Homer we would not have a good time. Well I planned our whole trip and it was the absolute most gorgeous trip DH and I have taken.

Franklin, to us Alaska is so beautiful that we personally don't feel you'd go wrong visiting any part of this magnificent state. Plus, it's so huge we could use a lifetime of yearly vacations and still not experience the whole state. There were some places we found spectacular, but if the "not so spectacular" sections were separated out and put anywhere else in the US, then they'd stand out as spectacular, too.!;-) We spent 2 weeks there, planned our on independent trip, driving by rental car the entire time (except for boat tours), and truly feel we had the trip of a lifetime. Your trip sounds wonderful . . . so good, in fact, we would LOVE to go along!:)

BTW, I didn't comment on your actual itinerary because you have gotten so many wonderful suggestions already, that I figured I'd wait and see how you revised it and go from there. Have fun with the planning, and we'll all help as best we can. You can revise your itinerary and post it anytime, and do that over and over if that's what it takes to figure out what is best for you! :)

And if everyone liked and did the same things, the world would not be to good. Everyone has different opinions etc and that is good. DH and I felt we have seen all of what we want of Alaska, have no plans to returning. It was a great trip, and we will have many fond memories of it.

I think you should give serious consideration to reversing the order of your visit - Kenai Peninsula/Prince William Sound first, Denali last.

Some years the interior of the park (past Eilson) isn't even open until June; Wonder Lake campground seldom is. Most folks use June 15 as a reliable rule of thumb date for extensive in-park activities; certainly any bush country hiking will have a high probability of being a soggy go up till then, possibly past.

In addition to not being as scenic as people would want, the train is also quite a lot slower than driving. And not to harp on the weather, but what if you take the train to Denali and arrive in the rain, which then lasts until you're ready to leave? You're stuck. With a car, you can drive back to Talkeetna, or up to Fairbanks, or visit a native village like Cantwell, or poke around until you find a dry-ish area for some hikes, and so on.

Then when you're finished you can go back to Anchorage or up to Fairbanks (if you want) or whatever, rather than being tied to the train.

I've printed all of this off and we're going to sit down this weekend and definitely revamp our itinerary. I think we had information overload between friends, parents, guide books, etc.

We're used to planning trips to hawaii where we've just done one island at a time and the scale isn't nearly so large :)

Thanks for all your input, its much appreciated getting a good neutral view on things!

Wow, was I wrong about the rental. I had some time, so I checked the Hertz website, and the one way rental costs twice as much: $350 vs. $780. Ouch.

Yeah, Lifelist, (love the screen name--did you check a lot off your list in Alaska, BTW?) we wanted the one way rental last year but it was cost prohibitive. Plus, rentals have gone up a lot this year to me, I guess they figured since we were all paying more for gas, we could pay more for rentals. UGH! :(

I'd have to respectfully disagree with the visiting Minnesotan about Anchorage vs. Fairbanks.

It think the problem was likely:
``DH cousin who by the way has lived, worked and raised five children in Anchorage area, said there was nothing to see or do except for the museum, which they took us to.''

She visited the museum but there is so much more, such as the Native Heritage Center, tons of things to do in Girdwood and environs (which is in the municipality) that don't involve hiking. There's Lake Hood and Earthquake Park, the scenic drive along the Seward Hwy, including the Potter Marsh bird area and the sheep that hang off the cliffs. There are beluga whales in the Arm. Eklutna spirit house ....

http://www.alaskanative.net/

There are also decent dining options with far better seafood and local produce options than you'll find in Fbx. And while I don't want to bash it, some Fairbanks attractions push envelope in hokiness.

Anchorage is a bigger city and the state's commerce center so it doesn't cater to tourists the way smaller towns must. It's not all pretty but the surroundings are --- and there is plenty to do.

Marleneawe certainly has a right to her opinions but it sounds like she had a couch potato for a tour guide ... :)

Ok this is the last time I will post here. I am giving you all our Itinerary when we were in Alaska. And if you read the whole thing you will see that repete shot his/her big mouth off calling our tour guide a couch potato, which we had no tour guide I planned the whole trip!!!!!!

Fairbanks: Arrived May 28th

El Dorado Mine Tour
Dredge #8 tour
Walking tour of Fairbanks
Fairbanks Ice Museum
Pioneer Park and Alaska Salmon Bake
Artic Circle Tour
Drove every major road in and around Fairbanks
Chena Hot Springs Ice Museum
Alyeska Pipeline
North Pole
Ester and Nenana
Chatanika Gold Camp
University of Alaska Museum
Discovery Riverboat tour on Chena River

We then left for Denali Park, took the Wonder Lake tour. Stayed at Crowsnest cabins.
Left for Anchorage, visited Talkeetna
In Anchorage we went to the Museum and had Thai food which we had never had.
Anchorage itself the city other than a couple museums nothing. We drove as far as Hope on the Seward highway. Took the train to Seward, took the Kanai Fjord tour, Exit Glacier Tour, dog sled, Sea World, toured the town of Seward and did some shoping. Ate at the Roadhouse. We took another tour via train to Whittier for the 26 Glacier tour. Went to Palmer to Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine, Wasilla to the Air and Transportation museum. Also at Palmer we went to the Musk Ox farm. Forgot to mention when we were in Fairbanks we went to Chicken. We left the Anchorage area and headed for Valdez and spent three nights there.

So I hardly call this having a couch potato as a tour guide. I suggest unless you absolutely know what the heck you are talking about you do not throw out name calling. I still stick to the fact that Anchorage in itself the city has very little, you have to drive out of the city and then yes there is lots to do. Also we saw whales, sea lions, otters and eagles on our drives and tours . I am finished here now, and will not post again, I love sharing and giving opinions and suggestions to people when they ask. Thought that was what this board was for, not being slamed because I do not agree with everyone. I drove 9,642 miles round trip and DH and I had such a great time and saw so much. We loved Alaska, and are very happy that we were able to make this trip.

chill, marleneawe, I wasn't referring to your tour planning. I was specifically trying to counter "DH's cousin" who said "nothing to see or do except for the museum."

I feel sorry for anyone who lives in such a place they feel is so boring.

And it's not the Anchorage I know -- or lived in.

((Y))Amen repete. Everyone certainly has their opinions, but I think it also has to do with whether you are into exploring independently of local friends and relatives likes/dislikes..
I think of past travels with in-laws and/or friends, when they didn't want to do certain things, and my husband and I would return and have a different experience because of our age/interests.
I never have enough time to do half of what is available in Anchorage, and that's not shopping. It's biking trails, hikes, golfing, indoor water recreation, and outdoor activities.
True, Anchorage is a gateway of sorts, but it's wonderful restaurants, native crafts, air museums, panoramic vistas and more are a great reason to share it's value and beauty with visitors. Happy travels, J.

thanks, j,
wasn't trying to be mean, but it sounds like marleneawe was stung by a few other remarks here as well. I had two purposes, one: point out that the local relative didn't provide the best advice (in fact, it was flat out wrong ...) and two: note that there are plenty of things to do in ANC.

Oh boy am I going to regret this but here goes: So all Anchorage has to offer is biking trails, hiking trails, golf, indoor water activities and restaurants? So that proves my point that for us there was nothing to do in the city of Anchorage. DH and I do none of the above. We did the two museums, was going to do their walking tour and that was a dud. Anyway once we got out of the "city", it was great.

As far as thinking that DH cousin was to blame, and that we should not "depend" on relatives to show us a good time. Neither is true. For fact we did not even think the cousin was going to be back from their trip. They flew in so they could catch us before we left. We did not even ask them to take us anywhere. They asked us what we wanted to do and see. Therefore I left it up to them. They are also in there 70's. Not "couch potato" or boring at all. They are very active in Anchorage in both of the Museums and also in their church and a couple other groups. We had already checked on the internet and via brochures etc and knew we had to go out of the city to really experience the scenery and beauty. My DH was very surprised and happy to see his cousin that he had not seen for over 25 years. And we had a lovely visit with them. I was talking for our experience, that Anchorage had nothing to offer, and I again stick to it.

As a longtime resident of Anchorage I agree to a point - Anchorage is a pleasant middle-sized town that happens to be located, as the saying goes, "15 minutes from Alaska." The city's heritage is not long; its economy has been dominated by government, military, and oil companies since its inception. As the biggest city in a small (population) state, it takes on many of the same functions of comparable places - medical facilities, shipping and shopping entrepot, a place to buy a car... ordinary stuff. What did you expect from an American town of 250,000? The Metropolitan Opera? The Louvre? Harrods?

90%+ of tourists never see Anchorage at its best, which is in midwinter. Then, there's a vibe, an energy about the place that makes it really come alive. It's all about the local people then, not the tour buses or the RVs queueing down the Seward Highway so the occupants can whack fish on the Russian River.

If people are bored by Anchorage's offerings in the summer - the beautiful gardens, hikes up to Flat Top or birding at Potter Marsh; burgers and onion "rings" at the Roadrunner (beside a creek with salmon in it) or the buzz of floatplanes taking off for God knows where at Lake Hood or the view of the sun setting (at 1 in the morning) over behind the the Sleeping Lady... well, fine. More than fine, actually. Two roads out. Pick one.

marleneawe~ I respect your opinion of Anchorage.
You said you and your husband do not do many of the things I listed, many of which are recreational and would offer some folks an enjoyable experience, including those who travel with children and grandchildren:)
To you, Anchorage has nothing to offer.
I would only regret that hundreds of other potential visitors, after reading the post, might choose not to visit.
I felt as an Alaskan resident that I should speak up.
I wish you good health and safe travels, J.

Gardyloo=D>((Y))((I))**==((*))((F))

Gardyloo, we loved Anchorage for its diversity plus all the activities mentioned above. It's like stepping back in time in many ways, but it also has the modern amenities and conveniences. We saw a moose on one street and within minutes we were walking into Nordstroms. This small town girl was impressed with Anchorage, which as you said, really is a small city. Where else can you find a city of that size with so much to offer?

After reading your post above, I feel we've missed so much Anchorage has to offer, and now we must get back there to appreciate its rhythm in the winter. Thanks for posts - you Alaskan's have a lot to be proud of, and I admire you for always putting its/your best foot forward!:)

As I said in my first reponse, I recognize M's right to her opinion, but I stand by remarks that she got faulty help (or had incomplete research).

It was interesting that M ``cherry picked" the activities she didn't like in her response -- and ignored what I'd mentioned.

As for ``both museums," I'd say choose two:

Alaska Heritage Library and Museum
Alaska State Trooper Museum
Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
Alaska Museum of Natural History
Oscar Anderson House Museum
Imaginarium museum
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Anchorage Fire Department Museum
Russian Orthodox Museum

Then there's
Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' o-operative
Salmon jumping Ship Creek
Alyeska tram
Earthquake Park
An underrated botanical garden
Fabulous drives along the Arm (still in Anchorage)
The Whale Fat Follies

Gardyloo, you've got to remember that we all can't come from a state where the No. 1 tourism attraction (by far) is a shopping mall. (Although the deep-fried cheese curds and walleye on a stick are quite good.)

repete~ ah, the Whale Fat Follies. I have always wanted to enter, but with little talent, what would my chances be to wear the tiara?

;)Reminds me of a joke. What's the difference between a local resident and a whale?
A. Twenty pounds and a tavern jacket.

P.S. Do not miss Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn on your next road trip(I know, would have been better last night)..if you think I'm pulling your leg, Google it. A real place in Alaska:-D
Yes, BayouGal, they sell t-shirts((y))

J, that would have been a WONDERFUL birthday gift ((G)). . . but, there's always Christmas!!!! :-D

No no my friend~ I'm so spoiling the surprise, but I was bringing two, one for you, one for matnikstym!
I will be walking five paces behind in my stylish pareo, the better to hide my swollen liver.:D
Girl, I just cleaned my kitchen floor on hands and knees(wood w/finish), and felt so sad... will Nick ever find another girl who will treat what's left of him with the respect he so deserves..makes all the moan-eek business pale by comparison.
Hey, any good dinner ideas? I'm tired of fish, had a roast last night..((I))
Kids, you think on it whilst I shine up like a vintage Corvette.
Hey, has anyone ever toured with a car group? (insert necessary travel talk).. I have some older friends who have a roadster..((c)), J.

OK, I appreciate the response from everyone. We sat back down and prioritized what we really want to do.

Does this look a bit more reasonable from our first itinerary?

May 26 fly to Alaska – arrive at 3:30; drive to Seward (Seward)

May 27 Resurrection Bay (Seward)

May 28 Exit Glacier; helicopter tour and glacier walk (Alaska Tours) (Seward)

May 29 drive to Whittier; ferry to Valdez (Valdez)

May 30 Valdez area activities (Valdez)

May 31 drive to Wrangell St Elias (???)

June 1 Wrangell St Elias activities (???)

June 2 drive to Denali (Denali)

June 3 Denali (Denali)

June 4 Denali (Denali)

June 5 Denali (Denali)

June 6 drive to Homer (Homer)

June 7 bear trip (Homer)

June 8 Homer activities (Homer)

June 9 drive to Anchorage; fly home – depart at 4:00

We've essentially cut out a lot of the backtracking and the train ride. Honestly, I love driving and would be much happier driving myself so I can stop when and where I want, so that seemed like the easiest thing to take out.

Sounds like there is some good hiking around Valdez (Keystone Canyon) and Homer (Kachemak Bay State Park) so that gives us things we like to do in there instead of more driving.

Again my opinion only, but I would never consider the Bay cruise in Seward, hopefully you mean at least 6 hours to Kenai Fjords??? I also would book direct with Godwin's for the helicopter flight, I never recommend booking agents. Establish a relationship with the vender, get all your questions directly answered.


I would not make the drive in one day Wrangell to Denali Park, you are passing by some pretty spectacular possibilities, you have a marathon day that will allow no changes. I would overnight in Palmer, Talkeetna etc. Give yourself some time for ad lib stops. Glacier Trekking is a highlight www.micaguides.com

Same with Denali to Homer in the same day, you are looking at 10 hours with brief stops. Is the bear watching that much better in this timeframe- making you backtrack??? Otherwise I would link it up at the begining with Seward.

I would consider making June 5 a stop in Talkeetna or even farther south (Wasilla or even Anchorage), possibly with a Denali flight along the way. It would also bite off a small chunk of the drive to Homer -- and you want to take your time on the drive to Homer because there are many potential scenic stops along the way.

I wouldn't skip Anchorage entirely. The Flattop hike is excellent. We used to run it as training for the Mount Marathon race in Seward. Tremendous views. (Plus at this time of the year, there'll still should be a snowfield for glissading on the way down -- if this appeals to you. It's not for the outdoors timid.)

It's still a ton of miles, but it sounds like you're my type of traveler that likes to squeeze a lot in. Best of luck.

We somehow did close to a 1000 miles on a week trip to Kauai, so a lot of driving is never an issue for us :)