Alaska May/June 2009
 

Have booked flights to Anchorage from 5/31 - 6/9/09. Any advice on specific things to do and places to stay would be appreciated. We have two children that will be 14 & 16 then. Where's the best place to raft and/or kayak? Hiking? Thanks.

Drive to Girdwood/Alyeska Resort.
take tram up mountain
hike Winner Creek Trail-unusual trolley to cross creek
take a glacier hike
take a helicopter/glacier/dogsled

Drive to Soldotna
take a flyout/fishing trip

Drive to Seward
Kayaking
Kenai Fjords all day trip
ride train back to Anchorage

Drive to Denali and Talkeetna
do a McKinnley landing in plane



There's a few ideas to get you going from Anchorage. Alaska has a lot to do, just remember that it is usually a pretty good distance to get to each place.

We did a similar trip in August of this year and it was great. We had a couple more days and went to Denali, Palmer, Seward and Soldotna (for a bear/fishing trip). You are bit early for the bears so I would focus on Denail and Seward. I have a trip report on Tripadvisor - you might want to look at that and some other reports. We really like Bear Paw Lodge in Seward and their Kayak trip. I want to second the hand tram/Winner Creek Trail hike - we entered from the Crow Creek Mine side - about a 20 min hike. Also did a great hike at Independence Mine in Palmer. Up to Gold Cord Lake.

Go to Homer and kayak. We had sea otters play with our kayaks on a May trip about 5 years ago. Also you will see lots of eagles on the beach there.

In Anchorage rent bikes and ride the coastal trail. Beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Don't miss the bear viewing trip! Especially if you go to Soldotna - there are tons of fly outs and bear viewing lodges destinations!
I personally would recommend Lake Clark National Park as one of the places to fly to for early June bear viewing - the bears are already down in the meadows eating grass and mating! Here is a link to the parks website:
http://www.nps.gov/lacl/planyourvisi...fe-viewing.htm

You might want to double check about any of the bear viewing places being open that early in the year. It seems to me late June is the earliest.

Agree with Postal, too early for any decent bear watching tours

My wife and daughter went bear watching in Katmai in mid June four years ago and they are still talking about all the bears that they saw. So they disagree that you will be too early so long as you go at the end of your trip. They flew out of Homer while my 2 sons and daughter-in-laws went halibut fishing. One daughter in law caught a halibut bigger then she was.