Looks like a place through one of the VRBO’s is available in the Denali area but I get the sense you think the other areas in the south, like Homer, are better? I hear I should at least get to Talkeetna for an awesome photo of Denali, but now I am torn to even try that. I am probably driving you guys crazy. Thanks for all your help. This has been a great learning.

You might not see Denali. It depends on the clouds or lack of clouds. We were lucky to visit when the view was spectacular and even have a video DH filmed in the middle of the night since it wasn't dark (just after summer solstice) and we could see the mountain from a cabin we were staying at. A friend just returning from a cruise to AK wore a winter jacket and rain gear the whole time.

Due to distance there is more to see and do from Anchorage south. You have a good chance of seeing moose on the Kenai peninsula and eagles around Homer. Salmon fishing should be starting. When you see the number of fish in perfectly clear water, it is amazing. You won't know until you get there what will be your most Alaskan experience but I bet it's going to be something different than a photo of Denali. I really liked the museum in Homer and eavesdropped on a person telling a docent that he had passed up a chance to move to AK years ago and wondered how his life would have been if he had done it. Friends moved there around 1996 planning to be there just a couple of years and they are still there. We got so close to orcas that I was amazed at how they swam and dove in unison. We also got so close to a humpback that we could smell "whale breath". (Major Marine out of Seward) When you are in the glacier area, they shut the boat engines off so you can hear the groans from the glacier movement and the ice hitting against the boat.

I vote for being able to do as much as you can during your visit and I'm afraid the Talkeetna and Denali require too much time on the not so scenic road.

In order to prevent too much backtracking, I'd go directly from Seward to Anchorage, then to Homer, and finally to Girdwood on the way back. Because there's only one road to the south from Anchorage (it splits before Seward, one fork going toward Homer, the other to Seward) the bit between Anchorage and Moose Pass (where the road forks) gets traveled three times in this itinerary, or just twice if you take the train from Seward to Anchorage in the first place. The good news is that it's a very scenic length of highway.

Here's a map showing the various locations. https://goo.gl/maps/ecaiwbmKL852 If you took the train straight from Seward to Anchorage, rather than stopping for two days in Girdwood, the driving map would look like this - https://goo.gl/maps/X2VZNUhSCFr .

So with Homer in place of Denali, your itinerary (my recommendation) would go like this:

Seward 2 nights
Anchorage 1 or 2 nights (day trip to Independence Mine?)
Homer 2 or 3 nights
Girdwood 1 night (depart from ANC next day)

We flew from Homer to Katmai National Park to see the bears catching salmon in the waterfalls and walking around the park’s trails.. It was expensive but one of our all-time favorite travel memories.

Ok so if we stay in the south. Will it be crazy to drive to Talkeetna from Anchorage to see the mountain and get a few pictures?

Before making a long drive, you should know Denali (The Mountain) is often clouded over. We spent a couple days in the area and never saw it. Have a great time, whatever you decide!

I checked mileage and it said 2 hours Anchorage to Talkeetna so it's doable. Just make sure mountain is visible before you make the drive because it's not very scenic otherwise. I thought each town had its own personality and Talkeetna is definitely different. But, the scenery south of Anchorage is stunning so I don't think you will miss Denali if you don't get a photo.

Logistics on this thing is a nightmare. Our group of 10 will trim to 8 on Friday evening on a flight out of Anchorage.
i had talked us into a schedule like this:
off ship I’m th AM
rental cars in Seward
Seward night of 22 and 23
Homer night of 24 and 25
return rental car on 26th to Seward
board train to girdwood stay in girdwood night of 26th
transfer to Anchorage get rental vehicles morning of 27th
head to Denali spend 27 and 28th in Denali
tour denali on 28th
from here back to Anchorage or north to Fairbanks?

also the couple leaving early has suggested to flip the acript
and skip Homer and said why not do the following:
seward night 22 and 23
24 board train from Seward to Anchorage and stay in Anchorage for 3 nights-24,25,26
or board train to Denali for the 3 nights or via rental cars picked up in Anchorage.

I thought I really had something going with my plan until they felt like the other might be better. I guess my question is it worth moving around that much or can we just do the sightseeing and cover the same territory with day trips out of Anchorage. gardyloo?

also the remaining 8 would would leave Anchorage and then head toward Denali
After the other couple flew out.

Also assuming everything was available what would be top 5 of places to stay near Denali? Suggestions?

Leaving Anchorage on 27th stay in denali area that evening morning of 28th enter park and do bus ride. That night will stay in denali area. Morning of 29th what to do? Stay in this area one more night? Drive north? Or drive back south?

Train from Seward to Anchorage is very scenic. Highly recommend it.

I would still like to hear some opinions on the last few posts. However my south Alaska planning is over I have made all reservations and am pleased with what I have put together. Thank everyone for the help this far. Now it is time to conquer the Denali area. So here it goes, questions. I will be in Anchorage. 1.)From Anchorage does it matter what time of day we leave? Or should we leave Anchorage early in morning ?
2.) number of nights? 1, 2 or 3? All at the same hotel? How far from park?
3.) Hotel recommendations?
4.) from this area return south to fly out of Anchorage or continue north and fly out of Fairbanks?
5.) total time to a lot to this leg?

If you don't already have something booked in Anchorage, consider staying in Eagle River or even Wasilla to shorten the drive to the Denali area. We stayed at the Microtel in Eagle River and drove all the way to North Pole (east of Fairbanks) and drove back to Denali early the next morning for our bus trip out to Eilson. Buy your shuttle bus tickets before you get there (online). The good hotel rooms in Anchorage are quite expensive compared with Eagle River IMO.
I favor seeing Fairbanks over skipping it and driving back south. The University of Alaska - Fairbanks museum is worth seeing. Pioneer Park and the Salmon Bake place next door are worth a visit.
We also dove north of Fairbanks to a spot where I stood under the Alaska Pipeline.

As far as leaving Anchorage, what time of day, remember that Anchorage is a big city. There will be a lot of commuters during rush hours although you probably won't have a problem heading north/opposite of commuters. I like tomfuller's suggestion to stay north but not sure I would stay there three nights. It depends on what you will be doing during your 3 days/nights. It's about a 45 minute drive between Wasilla and Anchorage. We stayed near Wasilla on our first visit and drove back and forth to Anchorage a couple of times.

At this point in time, you might have to take what you can get in the Denali area.

I would look at the difference in cost for renting the car in Anchorage and dropping in Fairbanks or doing a round trip from Anchorage, and the cost of the flight home from each city. Fairbanks is much closer to Denali than Anchorage, so if the cost is close, that would be my option.

If you are doing a cruise in July, there is absolutely no reason to do something special to see bears. I found out that the salmon runs start in July and the bears are already awake and hungry..I saw bear poop on a trail at Mendenhall. In July you can see them from any of your port stops. Haines is especially good for bears or you can do it from Skagway if you decide the train is too expensive.
There will also be no shortage of bald eagles, believe me.

I just got back from a cruise. We saw eagles every single day. Lots of moose with babies running around near Anchorage and visible from the train to Seward. I liked the train, also recommend Major Marine in Kenai Fjords. Even on just the 5 hour cruise we had orca and bubble-netting humpbacks visible just south of the harbor. not sure why you are doing Girdwood AND Homer AND Seward And then also you'll be in Ketchickan, Juneau and at least on other stop.

The people who went to Denali with the land package before my cruise saw Denali..We were on the June 10th Noordam Southbound from Seward. Also nice weather in Glacier Bay. I like the one way cruise itineraries much better. Less time wasted on sea days, longer days in port, and they cost less. Haines, by the way, is my favorite land stop. It's so nice to have just the one ship in port and even then a lot of passengers probably on excursions. Comparing that to Ketchikan with four docks and every one of them full..yuk!

I found Delta flights worked out pretty well to Anchorage one way and then back from Vancouver at the end.

Awesome great information. I have just been taking advice of the travelers on this post and also with minor tweaks here and there for availability sake.
train is booked and from what I understand is the most scenic portion of the tracks, we will see.
where did you stay when you went to Denali? At this point I am considering 1 night for arrival in Denali 1 night after the park and then checkout and move on. I still haven’t decided if we will go north toward Fairbanks or return South to fly out of Anchorage.

I would stop diddling around and book something. Use Hotels.com, Tripadvisor, Expedia and the other typical resources.

What opinion do you guys have of the Grand Denali hotel bs the princess wilderness hotel in Denali?