Alaska July 2001 second trip - what to see this time
 

I have a meeting in Anchorage in late July 2001 (I know it's high season) so I hope to get in a 4-7 day pre- or post-meeting vacation with my husband. I am looking for suggestions for what to do this time. We like the outdoors (dayhikes), wildlife, scenery, and local culture. We don't fish and my husband wouldn't spend more than 1-2 nights "trapped" on a ship. <BR> <BR>On our first trip to Alaska about 8 years ago we flew into Anchorage, rented a car, drove down to Homer, took the fjords tour from Seward (great whales and glaciers), drove to Fairbanks, took the bus into Denali (and hiked away from the road for a picnic--that tundra is rough), went white water rafting, and flew overnight to Barrow (great local show, crafts, and wandering around). <BR> <BR>We had such a great time before--where would you go now?

Hi, Kay, <BR>A couple of ideas, varying expense and logistics: <BR> <BR>Kodiak, hits all your points. <BR> <BR>Fly home via Juneau or Sitka. Southeast is a different world. <BR> <BR>Drive (long drive but neat) to Dawson City, Yukon, take a flutter at Diamond Tooth Gertie's casino. Drive up the Klondike if you can - awesome view of history. Read your Robert Service and Jack London first. <BR> <BR>Okay, you don't fish. Don't fish??!! Still, how about a fly-in to a lake on the Kenai for a couple of evenings with only the loons and coots for company? Lots of float plane operators at Lake Hood will drop you off and pick you up a couple of days later. Cabin, canoe, silence. <BR> <BR>

Kay--this is exotic....but if you've been to Barrow, you're probably up for it: Kennicott Glacier Lodge. DO the research and you'll find this was the richest copper mine in history...built by the Guggenheims & Morgans just after the Klondike Gold Rush. <BR> <BR>It's basically a ghost town with a great lodge in the middle of it. Nobody's mining there any more and the whole town recently was purchased by the Nat'l Park Service. <BR> <BR>But it's smack in the middle of the Wrangell St Elias Nat'l Park. There's a HUGE glacier that sits outside the front porch and remnants of the copper mine strewn all about the place. it's spooky....and stupendous. Host Rich Kirkwood is a good guy. There's only 26 rooms at the lodge and meals are served family style. I've taken my family out there for the past couple of years. <BR> <BR>The nearby town of McCarthy also is intersting--but with a little less historical significance. There's a great museum on the mine there, however. If you have the extra time, consider a "ridge ride" up the hill to a staging point to hike further up to the old "Bonanza Mine". Be sure and take the nightly tour of the ghost town which leaves from the front steps of the lodge. And there's also an optional $25 tour which takes you through the insides of some of the mine buildings. My wife took it and loved it. I opted for the guided glacier walk. <BR> <BR>Happy Trails, sm <BR> <BR>PS--You can drive there--but adventurous travelers drive to Chitina (halfway btwn Glennallen and Valdez) and fly with Wrangell Mountain Air (Kelly & Natalie Bay) for the flightseeing tour of a lifetime on the way into the lodge...a real time saver! No kidding...it's 60 miles and it typically takes 3 hours to drive. Plus, if you drive a rental car there and it breaks down--you have to pay for the wrecker yourself! I am not making this up! Cost for the air tour is about $170 rt...I think it's well worth it. It's GREAT. It's ALASKAN....you know the rest! <BR> <BR>sm <BR> <BR>

Thanks for the help. Scott, as a travel colunmist and promoter of a discount ticket book on various sites, do you recommend these specific businesses because of your personal experience or do you also have business relationships for the referrals? <BR>

We also flew into anchorage and went down to Homer. Loved Homer. Two things we did that we loved - the drive into Valdez over Thompson Pass ( or highway- don't remember) incredible scenery. We also flew over to Cordova to see Child's Glacier. It is quite spectacular- constantly calving and the sounds were as good as the sights. The down side is aside from the Glacier not much to see in Cordova- but if you take the early flight out you can take the late flight back. By the way, the flight over to cordova was worth it alone.