bokill

Is the stretch betwwen Palmer and Glenallen on the Glenn Hwy the most picturesque or is it the section from GlenAllen to Valdez..

Is Valdez worth a visit if one is already doing Whittier, Seward and Homer and what is there to do there.

Also how far of a drive is it from Valdexz to Talkeetna. Can it be done in a day?

Thanks

BayouGal

IMHO, some of the most beautiful scenery while driving the Alaska Loop is between Palmer and around Matanuska Glacier area, and then from around Copper Center all the way to Valdez. Great kayaking to Columbia and Shoup Glaciers out of Valdez, and some great PWS boat tours, too. We really enjoyed the drive along the Richardson Hwy from Delta Junction all the way to Valdez, but we were not bothered by smoke from wildfires when we were there.

If you are traveling the Richardson Hwy, try to make time to travel the 20 miles of paved road on the Denali Hwy--breathtaking views of the Alaska Range.

If you just read through the last 50 or so threads including "Alaska Itinerary -Trying to do too much?" you'll get lots of answers to your question. That topic has been discussed a lot on this board in the past few weeks.

Good luck with the planning! This board will provide a font of information on Alaska for you, and most of the folks are experts.

Also, be sure to request the tourist brochures from the areas you think you might like to visit--lots of photos and good info.

Do you own a Milepost? If not, the 2006 edition comes out in March--you need it.

You will love Alaska . . . we all do!;-)

rubigayle

The Glenn is really beautiful, although whe we went there was a bit of road work which slowed down our trip. The drive down the Richardson to Valdez is not as scenic however once you get closer to Valdez it does get more scenic. Driving into Valdez, you drive over Thompson pass which is beautiful. You can get out of your car and walk on the mountain pass and there was also a stop at a state park which was next to a glacier. We really liked Valdez- We took the ferry from Whitier-very cool with all the ice floating around in the water. When we were there the Salmon were spawning and it was cool to visit their spawning grounds. There is a place there where you can do a quick 45 minute white water trip if you are into that. When we left we drove to Carnival Cruise lines' copper center hotel-really nice- and then took a four seater plane into Wrangel St. Elias national park where we hired a guide who took us and our two kids out on a glacier for a day. Simply the most amazing experience of out lives. If you can afford the trip-(we couldn't but we did it anyway) it is truly a one of a kind experience. Anyway, we did alaska about four years ago and nothing will every compare with that trip. Homer Spit is a blast- we stayed at Land's End, and Seward was nice too. I suggest you log on to the Great Alaskan Toursaver website. It is a coupon book that was about 100 dollars, similar to the entertainment coupon book, but we saved a fortune in lodging and attractions- probably about 2000.
Good luck!

BudgetQueen

My clear preference for scenery is definately Glennallen/Valdez.

No, I do not recommend Talkeetna to Valdez in a single day. The whole reason to travel it, is for the many extended stops you can make and get out. Far better then just driving by. At the very least, stop in Copper Center, Mantanuska Glacier- go trekking with MICA guides, Worthington Glacier etc.

All these areas are completely different and worthwhile, but it shouldn't be a marathon drive racking up miles without enjoying the areas.

bokill

thank you.. these are very good suggestions. We wil break our trip from Valdez to Talkeetna by staying a couple of nights in Glenallen/Palmer..Thanks

bokill

Which operator did you use for this and how much did it cost:

"" took a four seater plane into Wrangel St. Elias national park where we hired a guide who took us and our two kids out on a glacier for a day ""

BudgetQueen

I have flown with Wrangell Mt Air, great flightseeing. http://www.wrangellmountainair.com/