Gurdiya

8/28 : PM arrival in ANC. Rent car.
8/29 : Drive to Talkeetna flight seeing tour. Night in Talkeetna
8/30 : Drive to Denali. Night in Denali.
8/31 : Bus tour at Denali Park. Night in Denali
9/1 : Drive to Girdwood. Night in Girdwood.
9/2 :

Thanks
Gurdiya

Gurdiya

Sorry, my post got submitted before I could finish it..

9/2 : PWS tour out of Whittier. Ferry to Valdez. Night in Valdez
9/3 : Fjords tour in Valdez. Ferry back to Whittier. Drive back to ANC or stay the night at Girdwood
9/4 : Open market in ANC. Night at ANC
9/5 : Fly back to DFW.

I would like to have taken the railroad at some point but reading the posts it seems I might miss out on some great scenary.. any thoughts ?

Any feeback is much appreciated.
Thanks
Gurdiya

BayouGal

Sounds like a great trip! Try to budget time to stop at the Matanuska Glacier near the Glenn Hwy on your way back to Anchorage from Valdez--beautiful drive! A brief stop at the Copper River Princess is worth it to enjoy the view from the patio. Enjoy your trip!

Julie304

Sounds like a nice itinerary. I dont' know that you would need a whole day to go from Takeetna to Denali. We did the drive from Anchorage to Denali in one day (including an afternoon flightseeing stop) with no problem. If it was me, I'd consider doing a hike or maybe a kayak trip in Valdez rather than a second boat tour and I'd take the ferry back on 9/4 instead of 9/3. You could use the extra time to see Thompson Pass and Worthington glacier, which are breathtaking.

Have a great time!

Mama

Yes, see Worthington Glacier and Matanuska glacier

BudgetQueen

You have allowed a nice time frame, but I would not ferry Whittier/Valdez both ways, instead do a loop with the Glenn. The most scenic portion of the Alaska RR is Anchorage/Seward which you are not including?? Factor some time in Copper Center with possible, flight to Kennicott?

Gurdiya

Thank you BayouGal, Julie304, Mama and BudgedQueen for your valuable suggestions. I guess I should have mentioned that this is my first (of many, I hope) trip to Alaska. I will be traveling with my mom and our goal is to experience the beauty of Alaska without making it too hectic. I will be buying the toursaver coupon book to take advantage of the 2 for 1 deals.

Based on your inputs, I am updating my itinerary ( it is not final, so please feel free to comment ).
Sun, 8/28 : PM arrival at ANC; rent car; night in ANC
Mon, 8/29 : Drive to Talkeetna flight seeing tour; drive on to Denali; night in Denali
Tue, 8/30 : Shuttle bus tour in Denali Park; night in Denali
Wed, 8/31 : Drive to Girdwood; night in Girdwood ( what to see on the way ? )
Thu, 9/1 : PWS tour out of Whittier; Ferry to Valdez; Night in Valdez ( anything else I can fit ? )
Fri, 9/2 : Drive back to ANC ( Worthington glacier, Matanuska Glacier, Thompson Pass, Copper Princess. I am considering doing the Alyeska tram – all this doable in one day ? ); night in ANC
Sat, 9/3 : AM RailRoad to Seward; Exit glacier; night in Seward.
Sun, 9/4 : 9 ˝ hour NW Fjords tour; PM RailRoad back to ANC; night in ANC
Mon, 9/5 : ANC; fly back to DFW

We want to get some hiking done ( not too strenuous ) but will have to pass on the kayaking… Can you recommend some hiking trails in this itinerary that will be safe for 2 gals on their own ?
Do the PWS tour and the NW Kenai Fjords have similar views ? How does the flight to Kennicott compare to the Talkeetna flight tour ? Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks y'all
Gurdiya

BudgetQueen

All of your tours are different, so go ahead with them, but you have some long driving days, especially Denali Park/Girdwood, and Valdez/Anchorage. So plan carefully and get an early start.

For clairfication, the tram is NOT on your routing Valdez to Anchorage. So if a priority do it the day before Whittier.

Be aware you can not take the railroad the same day as the Northwestern Fjords tour. It gets back too late. Only option for a same day is the 11:30am tour or earlier.

Verify schedules with the ferry and boat tours, if you don't stay in Whittier, also the tunnel schedule.

As for hiking, Valdez has printable guides, consider a glacier Trek with Nova or MICA guides at Matanuska Glacier .


If you are going this year??? You need to firm this up now.