Just starting to make plans to visit Alaska next summer. Do I ever have questions but I'll go easy to start:

On the long ride from Anchorage to Denali, are there places along the way to buy food and have restrooms or separate rest stops? Once in Denali, are there restrooms around? We need to take our lunch in the park with us?

What lodging would you recommend at Denali? We don't mind a bit rustic but not to the point that the bathroom is detached.

Other than Anchorage and Denali, where would you recommend staying for 2 nites - Seward?

I thought at first a regular type hotel would do but now I'm thinking of Bed 'n Breakfasts. Can you recommend any special ones (flower gardens and a babbling brook)? Our group will need 2 or 3 rooms.

Sightseeing and photography are our main interests. We're all middle-aged.

If you have any other suggestions/tips on car rental, restaurants, attractions, tours, I'm all ears.
Are there any websites on those sort of services I could check?

When is salmon time? (for bears to catch, restaurants to serve fresh) Any time of the summer best for avoiding the clouds?

Thank you!

Wow, lots of questions, Dolores. You might want to start by picking up some travel guides and The Milepost at your local library. You may want to wait until the 2007 guides come out to purchase a few. Also, the 07 Milepost should be out in the early spring, which is highly recommended.

To learn more about traveling in Alaska, type key words in the search box at the top right and highlight the state name, "Alaska." For instance, for your first question, you might search "Parks Highway" and/or "Denali."

I highly recommend Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy for your stay at Denali NP.

There are so many threads about traveling to Alaska on this forum that you will find a wealth of information just by highlighting the state name, "Alaska" and clicking on the search button. Happy reading!

Dolores, once you kind of know more about Alaska, and have a better idea of where you'd like to go and what you'd like to do, please feel free to start new threads with specific questions. It seems like the threads with only one or 2 questions get more responses since it doesn't overwhelm the person trying to help and it also doesn't take as long to answer just a few questions at a time. Good luck with the planning!

Bayou Gal is right, you need a Milepost because there are going to be times when you wonder where the next gas station is. Talkeetna is a good stopping place between Anchorage and Denali. It's an interesting town with some good restaurants.
The highlight of many peoples' trips is a boat tour of Kenai Fjords so Seward would be my recommendation for two nights. Homer would be my first choice if you didn't want to go on a boat. The Pratt Museum in Homer was great. The salmon run started in the Russian River area in late June. It was interesting to see hardly anyone around one week and then hordes of fishermen the next. This would be a slight detour on your way to Seward but right on your way if headed to Homer. I think you'll have to check an Alaska website for when different rivers and streams get salmon. We saw a lot of activity late July at Bird Creek and read that there's some bears hanging around there too right now.
There's not a lot of regular hotels outside of Anchorage although a new hotel was just built in Seward. Our favorite b&b was Alaska Garden Gate in Palmer (just north of Anchorage) which would be perfect for a small group. A small group was there same time as us but we chose a basement room with separate entrance. Karen's a great cook and you would enjoy her very spacious living room. The other b&bs we stayed in were very basic, too much so, like a room over the garage and a small studio apartment. I prefer a place where you can socialize with the other guests.
I like late June because there are a lot of wildflowers in bloom then. It's a little early for salmon to be on some menus but there's plenty of halibut.
If you go to Anchorage Daily News' website www.adn.com you can read their visitors guide and follow links. I frequently check their website for interesting stories. This is especially helpful just before your trip to see what's going on. We saw a lot more traffic when the salmon run started in the Russian River but it was locals. Probably the most crowds we saw was at Girdwood's Forest Fair which is held late June/early July but not as many people as you would see at a big fair in my area.
Send for all the visitors guides. I would also suggest you stop at the Title Wave bookstore in Anchorage which has a large section of books about Alaska. You are going to see some wonderful hanging baskets and flower planters throughout Alaska. You might check www.adn.com event listings for garden tours and local gardening column. We missed the Botanic Gardens in Anchorage. If people in your group have specific interests you should follow up on them. There's some very nice quilting and knitting shops. Also outdoor wear/sporting goods.

Start be searching on this forum. If you enter "Alaska" you soon see why. Here are tons of great and very helpful information.

As for the drive Anchorage/Denali Park, your LAST grocery is Wasilla, so be certain to stock up there. There are only gas stations and very limited food marts near Denali Park.

If you take the SHUTTLE bus, then yes, you need to pack and bring all your own food and drink.

A bargain motel is the Denali Park Motel, my recommended B&B is Touch of Wilderness.

Seward is a top area with plenty to see and do. Always a stop on my trips.

With a trip next year- plan carefully and take all the time you can. This is a common mistake many Alaska visitors make- underestimating distances and time necessary. I recommend at least a week.

Talkeetna, is always a stop for me and usually an overnight. A great funky town.

You will need a fly in for bear viewing eating salmon. Viewing June-Sept. depending on specific areas.

Head to your library and take out Alaska travel books, the more you know the better.