ladybug98

First, what amazing advice you all give!! Thanks to budget queen I've prepared an initial itinerary but need some more input. My husband and I will be travelling from seattle to alaska and then flying back to NY for a total of 6 1/2 days around Memorial day weekend. Not big hikers, but love to see wildlife and tours, and don't mind long driving days. Here is my thought, please any and all comments, changes etc are appreciated!!

Day 1 Tues 5/22 - arrive Anc 3pm and drive straight to Denali area stopping for dinner somewhere as well Wassila for groceries(I know many of you will think this is too long, but we are up for it!)

Day 2 - take 9am bus into Denali to Toklat

Day 3 - Thinking maybe the 3-4 hour rafting trip in the am or back into the park if we feel we missed out on something the day before. Then driving down to Talkeetna for flightseeing trip. If up to it drive to Anc for the night or stay in Talkeetna area.

Day 4 (friday) - drive to Seward in am for boat cruise (I'm leaning towards the 6 hour one) and maybe exit glacier as well

Here is where things get questionable

Day 5 - Can I drive to PWS as a day trip still sleeping in Seward? Maybe do the 26 glacier cruise as well as a few hours kayaking?

Then I still have all day Sunday and Monday with what to do? I have a 10pm flight Monday night out of Anchorage back to NY. Do I go to Homer? Kodiak Island (crab festival on this weekend)? Someplace else I have not even thought of? Up for anything and willing to change order of things as well - only things set in stone are my flight times!! Thanks in advance and sorry this was so long.

dfrostnh

We enjoyed a visit to Independence Mine which is near Wasilla, something you could do on your return from Talkeetna. You are also skipping the tram ride up Mt Alyeska with a view of 7 glaciers. The drive from Seward to Whittier is do-able but you'll have to check your times against when the on-way tunnel to Whittier is open. It is not open all night. Keep in mind Whittier is a former secret military base and the town is not very attractive. Possibly a trip to Kodiak could be included if you take a commuter flight. This would mean either travel back to Anchorage or over to Kenai. I would also check if there's a possiblity of weather delays. I think you're racking up too much mileage so I would skip Homer and thoughts of Kodiak and do more things along your initial route. You need a copy of the Milepost to plot your trip to Denali. Once you get past Wasilla, there's not much in the way of restaurants either until you get to Talkeetna. I didn't care for the restaurants in Wasilla. OK but basically family restaurants.

egret

I would definitly keep Homer on the itinerary.

amdc

Keep in mind that NY and Ak are 2 different time zones. You're going to have jet lag so be safe when you're driving. Day One - you're going to drive to Denali, eat dinner, and stock up on groceries in Wasilla, that's a lot and you'll get into Denali very late (probably about midnight Alaska time or later). Make sure you have bus reservations in advance. The buses fill up and you want to make sure you're not turned away. Take snacks on the bus with you. I don't remember how far into the park Toklat is but you'll be able to relax on the bus and take pictures. On Day 3 I wouldn't recommend going back into the park. The rafting trip should be fun though, again, advance reservations are important. You are going to have to coordinate all your reservations and allow for adequate travel time. Sometimes there are road delays (construction, car accidents that create traffic jams, etc. and at other times all goes smoothly). Give yourself a little wiggle room just in case. The cool thing is that in Ak you can pull over to take a short nap (lots of rest stops) if needed. People die every summer in Alaska because they are tired when they drive. Don't underestimate the travel distances, if you take turns driving it should be okay. What is PWS? 26 Glacier Cruise is fun. If you want to spend any time in Anchorage, depending upon your interests - the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the museum downtown are both interesting places. Lots of good dining in Anchorage. Just outside of Anchorage (about 45 minutes drive south) is Portage Glacier visitor's center. There is also a Wildlife Park near Portage where they have rescued orphaned and injured animals. It's a chance to seek baby moose, caribou, bears, etc. You won't have time to fly to and from Kodiak and actually have time to do things there on Sunday and Monday. I honestly think you are underestimating the travel distances between destinations. Others may have more suggestions. Have a great time!

bdawk

I noticed, you are flying from Seattle to Anchorage, if that is so, going on to Denali won't be so bad as Seattle is only 1 hr off the AK time zone. If you are flying all the way from NYC, give your self a rest and head up the next day since AK is 4 hrs different than EST. As for taking the rafting trip in May would be a little questionable. We were there last year during the same time period to go fishing but could not fish because the rapids were too strong. Another word of advice, it will be cool/cold in the morning waiting for the bus but by afternoon it got warm so dress in layers including a hat & gloves. The flight seeing trip would be a better option vs. the raft trip at that time of the season. After that I would stay in Anchorage then head down to 26Glacier tour in the early morning. Must plan your travel times around tunnel openings in order to meet the scheduled time for glacier tours. They don't wait for late arrivals. Then after the Glacier tour, I would head to Seward. I don't quite understand what you mean about driving to PWS. Prince William Sound is mostly traveled by boat. You could check into Alaska Ferry System as an option to cross the PWS from Whittier to Valdez. Another bit of local info, Salmon fishing traffic heading south during the weekends you are there can be quite hectic so be on the alert.

BudgetQueen

I would reverse your order and do Denali Park last. You are going early and with the significant snowfall this year, you will get into the park farther the later you go. They get farther into the park daily, so even a couple days will make a difference.

I too do not recommend thinking you'll get to Denali park your day of arrival. Best to allow 6 hours for the drive and time. You don't mention your flight arrival time?? But I would still recommend going south first due to your May timing.

Homer is a 2 night location for me, never anything shorter. I would skip the rafting in favor of Homer frankly and with only going to Toklat, one night at Denali park is probably enough.

In Seward- I never recommend anything shorter than 6 hours on the water for a Kenai fjords boat trip, not even worth considering in my opinion.

I would not do a PWS boat tour on a day trip from Seward, why not schedule it on your way back to Anchorage??? Most tours go out at 1pm and end 5-6pm. Leave Seward around 9am, through the 11:30am tunnel, have lunch, then your tour. After, head back to Anchorage.

caligirl56

We stayed in Anchorage while we were doing trips out of Prince William Sound (one day we kayaked, and on another we took a wildlife cruise). It is a beautiful drive from Anchorage down to Whittier--all along the Turnagain Arm. And I think that it might be a bit shorter than driving from Seward to Whittier (not sure).

Homer was wonderful. But, it's a long way to go if you're only going to spend one night. And part of the charm of Homer is sort of settling in and just "being there". You'd miss that on a rushed overnight.

We stayed in Anchorage for several nights and enjoyed biking the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (very very easy), the Anchorage Art and History Museum, the Native Heritage Center as well as 2 trips to Whittier (to kayak and go on PWS cruise).

You could spend a good part of a day driving the Turnagain Arm--stopping at various scenic points. Maybe go to Mt. Alyeska Resort for the view (if it is clear.)

Next time we go to Alaska we will go when you are--late May/early June. We'd like to see Denali NP with more snow. And I've heard that there might actually be Dall Sheep in the lowlands (not tiny specks on the hills) early in the summer.

ladybug98

Hi everyone - THANK YOU SO MUCH for the advice!!

We will already be in Seattle for 5 days before we leave for Anchorage so the 1 hour time difference will be no big deal at that point for us. We actually arrive in Anc at 3pm so plenty of time to do something and not waste the afternoon.

I'm sorry it seems as though I confused everyone with PWS - I meant leaving from Whittier and being on the sound via 26 glacier tour and kayak. I was not sure of driving distance to do this in a day trip from Seward since most people do not recommend staying in Whittier. But Budget queen that sounds great dong it on my way back to Anchorage. I'm concerned about reversing my order though and doing Denali last. It puts me the farthest away from Anchorage for my flight home and more potential for traffic problems etc. Also, since Portage Glacier and Mt. Alyeska etc are all south of Anchorage, if I was coming from that direction and felt I had time for a pit stop there are more options.

Can someone tell me what is so great about Homer? It seems like it is a quaint town, but a boat ride is needed to cross over and do any tours/kayak etc right? Is it just a place to relax and soak up the scenery and if so why the need for 2 nights?

Thanks again everyone, the help you all give is invaluable in planning a trip!

farm123

I hope there is lots to do. We are staying there for a week. We do want to relax and enjoy the scenery, but not the whole time!!

dfrostnh

We did an overnight to Seldovia from Homer so we only had a short time in the morning to explore, just a couple of shops plus the farmers market (which included some crafts). We went back a few days later to explore the Pratt Museum, more of the town and the Skyline Drive. We watched an eagle soaring around. I thought Homer was more artsy than other towns although it's also a big fishing spot. The exterior of Cafe Cups is decorated with mosaics and the inside is whimsical as well. You have a good chance of seeing bald eagles, in fact, they are almost pests in Homer. I don't think anyone is allowed to feed them anymore except the Eagle Lady (that's another story). There always seems to be a story behind everything. If you read the catalog for one store that makes fleece garments and canvas bags you can read how they started in a school bus. There is a video at the Pratt about homesteading Alaska in the 1950s. I think Homer can be very educational. If you aren't planning on a trip to see the bears, you could take a short flightseeing trip over a glacier across the bay. We used Smokey Bay. For fishermen, Homer could be an exciting adventure. Although we didn't eat a lot of meals there, others have reported some good restaurants. You'll have some great photo ops esp of bald eagles plus the dramatic scenery. You can take a "nature cruise" over to Seldovia but it's not as great as the one out of Seward. We saw mostly birds and sea otters.