brmsimmons

I will be going up to Anchorage August 13-19 staying with a friend and wanted to post my itinerary to see if there are any suggestions anyone could make. My interests for this trip are hiking,kayaking, photography and food. We are basing the majority of our trip around Anchorage because well, we have free lodging there .

Day 1- Arrive in Anchorage 1:30 pm. Get settled and maybe explore downtown a bit.

Days 2-4-hike in Chugach State Park and/or Eagle River Area(which is better?), visit Girdwood/Aleyeska, Portage Glacier, Saturday Market, Alaska Zoo, fish for Salmon,bike Tony Knowles Coastal trail.

Day 5-Drive to Seward, 1/2 day sea kayak tour( afternoon or evening,which is better?).Stay overnight at Sourdough Sunrise B&B.

Day 6- Exit Glacier, Girdwood/ Aleyeska if not done previously, return to Anchorage.

Day 7- fly home.

Any thoughts?

dwooddon

If it were me, I'd only spend a day or two in the Anchorage area and spend the rest of the time in Seward or split it between Seward and Homer.

There's a saying up there that Anchorage is only 20 minutes from Alaska and I think that's true. Compared to the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage holds no charms for me.

dfnh

I would include a visit to Independence Mine north of Anchorage. Very interesting plus hiking opportunities. Combine with Eagle River area visit depending on how much hiking you want to do.
Your drive to Seward could easily turn into a full day with stops for photo ops. You didn't mention a Kenai Fjords trip which offers a lot of photo ops. If you added this to your itinerary then 2 nights in Seward would be better.
Anchorage is a big, sprawling city. I think you'll find plenty to do esp with your friend's help although you'll probably see a lot of tourists. I got a kick out of seeing Lake Hood where all the float planes are moored. Also the Title Wave bookstore has a great selection of books about Alaska.

BudgetQueen

I too would recommend more time in Seward, despite the free lodging in Anchorage. My top touring choice there is a Kenai Fjords boat trip mentioned above. Just loaded with varied wildlife and close up glacier viewing.

spirobulldog

We did the Midnight Sun Evening Kayak and it was nice. I don't know that one would be better than the other. I would do the Kenai Fjords Boat Tour FULL DAY, make sure it goes to Tidewater Glacier.

In Girdwood/Alyeksa hike the Winner Creek Trail. Very cool way to cross the creek. Tons of stuff to do on the Mountain. Take the tram up and have an inexpensive lunch. Very good fish chowder. Double Musky, or something like that is good place to eat in Girdwood.

If you could take the train on the return trip it would be nice.

brmsimmons

Thanks for all the info!

I've been sitting on the fence about taking a Kenai Fjords cruise. On one hand I think it will be an excellent opportunity for some wildlife photography, but I fear I may go a little stir crazy being on a boat for 6 hours. When I'm on vacation I'm very much a "doer" and rarely sit and relax, I always have to be walking somewhere or doing something.

spirobulldog

The tours that go all the way to the glacier are longer than 6 hours, if my memory is correct. More like 8 hours. The first hour and last hour is the most boring. There is a lot to see on the way out if the way of wildlife. I could sit and watch the glacier calve for an entire day and not get bored. If anything the trip wasn't long enough for me. I would have loved to stay longer with the whales and the glaciers. We probably stayed well over an hour at each of those. A really cool thing would be to take a small taxi boat out and Kayak near the glacier, although you don't want to get to close.

JoAnnee

Save your self a trip to Girdwood ,It is a ski town with lots of construction going on while the weather is decent not much to do there .We were there is june and enjoyed going to eagle river and hiking some ot the trails. mosquitos are plentiful!! nice place to stay is Wildflower Inn in anchorage great B&B larry is a wonderful host. If you want a cheap hotel Days Inn right is town is clean . Portgage glacier is not worth it if you are going to Seward.Exit glacier is great.you can go on hikes all the way to the snow or hike to the bottom. Spend more time in Seward if you can and take a wildlife cruise out to the fjords . there are many different tours with 4 or 6hr or all day cruises depending how much time It could take your whole day. very nice and seward is a cute little town.

lia835

I recently moved from anchorage where I lived for a year. While living there, I hiked a lot of the trails and I love photography too. I have taken hundreds of photos while hiking. You should check out this website for hikes in the Anchorage area: http://www.akhs.atfreeweb.com/
Off the top of my head, some of best ones for scenery and photography are Portage Pass (most bang for the buck hike, as most hikes are long. This one is only 1 mile uphill. At the top, you have view of Portage glacier and behind you, you have views of the water with small ponds of water in the mountain, only good if it's a clear day), Crow Pass to the glacier, Bird Ridge (don't have to go all the way to the top to get nice views of Turnagain Arm with the mountains), Harding Ice Field above Exit Glacier, and Eagle/Symphony Lakes in Eagle River. How ambitious of a hiker are you?

spirobulldog

I disagree with Girdwood, we found a lot there to do. Some touristy some not.

brmsimmons

I'm learning a lot with this thread. As far as hiking I'm looking for at least 1 4-6 hour hike with some good elevation changes.Its flat where I live now and I miss the mountains! I've heard that the Eagle River area will be closed in August, is this true?

lia835

If you're looking for a 4-6 hour hike, Harding Icefield is probably out due to distance and difficulty level. Eagle/Symphony Lakes might be out b/c the hike is flat most of the way, although you are in the valley between mountains. Portage Pass is too short, but the views are so amazing that I hate to discount it. Bird Ridge can be as short or long as you want it to be, depending on if you want to go to the top. Some people continue on the ridge past the top, but I've been too tired once I get to the top to go much further. This hike is really steep. Crow Pass might be the best one for you. You hike up the mountain, see a lake and a glacier. I believe it's 3-4 miles one way to the glacier.

Postal

double check on the Kenai Fjords cruises. I know ours was a six hour cruise and we spent plenty of time watching the glacier calve.

spirobulldog

perhaps I am wrong on the time. just make sure you don't do the Resurection Bay only cruise. it is shorter, but doesn't go all the way to the glaciers. it would be nice, but the glaciers are worth going to.

brmsimmons

OK, I've been convinced that a Kenai Fjords tour is worthwhile, now I'm just trying to get my hands on a slightly used Alaska toursaver book on ebay

I've forwarded the hike suggestions to my friend to see what she thinks.

dfnh

Great decision. You'll get to scenery you can't see from a road. I think you might be surprised how close you get to orcas, etc. True, the first and last hour can be boring. The boat picks up speed and there is less naration. My husband chose to nap in the cabin. Although we didn't see the glacier, Portage visitors center is very interesting. Listen to recordings of people who experienced the great earthquake. We have video of orcas swimming in unison. I'm sure your friend will take you to the Moose's Tooth for pizza!

spirobulldog

On our tour they handed out the food right away. Eat it then, as you will want to watch things after the first hour. We really liked Renown Tours. The food wasn't much, but everthing else was perfect.

brmsimmons

Here's my revised itinerary

Day 1- Arrive in Anchorage 1:30 pm. Get settled and maybe explore downtown a bit.

Days 2-4-hike in Chugach State Park , visit Girdwood/Aleyeska, kayak/mountain bike tour at Lake Eklutna with Lifetime Adventure, Saturday Market, Alaska Zoo, ,bike Tony Knowles Coastal trail.

Day 5-Drive to Seward, 6 hour Kenai Fjords NP Tour.Stay overnight at Sourdough Sunrise B&B.

Day 6- Exit Glacier, Girdwood/ Aleyeska if not done previously, return to Anchorage.

Day 7- fly home

spirobulldog

In Girdwood, do check out Winner Creek Trail. This is behind Alyeska Resort. You cross the creek in ( I don't know what you call it or how to even describe it). It is a box attached to a cable that you pull yourself across the creek.

brmsimmons

Here's a more refined itinerary.


Day 1- Arrive in Anchorage 1:30 pm. Get settled and maybe explore downtown a bit.Moose's Tooth for dinner.

Days 2-kayak/ mountain bike at Lake Eklutna or kayak at place recommended by friend's coworker.

Day 3-Hike Bird Ridge or Crow Pass, Alaska Zoo in the evening.

Day 4-Hike Flattop or Girdwood, saturday market if time allows.

Day 5-Drive to Seward, 6 hour Kenai Fjords NP Tour.Stay overnight at Sourdough Sunrise B&B.

Day 6- Exit Glacier , return to Anchorage.

Day 7- fly home