carlyshells

Hello everyone,

I apologize for this long post. I am planning an 11-day trip to Alaska in mid-August for my husband and I. We are active, outdoors people (hiking, kayaking) and I am also into photography. We are on a bit of a budget and I’d like to combine B&B’s with camping so that we can put more money towards tours. This is our first trip to Alaska and we will be renting a car.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and we really want to do the following on our trip: hike the Harding Icefield at Exit Glacier; do the 7 hour Kenai Fjords cruise with Major Marine; go to Homer and Kachemak SP; do the flightseeing tour of Denali out of Talkeetna; go to Denali. I am planning to use the Toursaver coupon book to save money on the tours.

I would love to get some advice on what itinerary makes the most sense in order to do all of this. I know that there will be some long drives between places and I would rather keep the driving to 4-5 hours max between places. So we could definitely stop somewhere along the way and find a place to camp out in order to break up a long trip.

We are flying into Anchorage at 1am, so our first night is a wash. Here is what I’m currently thinking:

First Full Day 1 – Hang out in Anchorage, see some friends, bike the Coastal Trail (I already have Susitna Place Inn booked downtown). Overnight in Anchorage.

Day 2 – Pick up rental car at downtown office, head to Safeway or WalMart for supplies and take off for Kenai Peninsula and Seward area. I imagine that it could take the better part of a day to drive down there with all the stops and turn-offs and mini hikes we could do along the way. Overnight around Seward.

Day 3 – Exit Glacier/Harding Icefield hike, hang out in Seward in evening to eat and drink (I should note, we are going to be in Seward during the Silver Salmon Derby – does it get crazy in town then?) Overnight around Seward.

Day 4 – Full day Kenai Fjords Glacier Tour (or could alternate days with glacier hike depending on weather). Overnight around Seward.

Day 5 – Drive to Homer, possibly rent kayaks when we get there and cruise around the bay for a few hours. Overnight in Homer, possibly camping on the Spit.

Day 6 – Water taxi over to Kachemak SP, day hike there. Overnight in Homer.

Day 7 – Start heading back towards Anchorage for the trip up north to Denali. Overnight somewhere outside of Anchorage (maybe camping at Eklutna Lake?)

Day 8 – Drive to Talkeetna, do flightseeing, drive up to Denali afterwards

Day 9 – Denali (still trying to figure out if camping at Wonder Lake for 2 nights is something we want to do, or just shuttle in for 2 days and stay at campground outside park)

Day 10 – Denali (depending on whether we book Wonder Lake for camping, we could also possibly head closer to Anchorage this evening for an overnight so that we don't have a 5 hour drive before getting onto a plane for 11 hours the next day)

Day 11 – drive back to Anchorage for 8pm flight out

Is this itinerary too ambitious? I’m sure some people would suggest cutting out either Seward or Homer, but I’m trying not to. They both seem interesting in their own right and offer activities that we’d enjoy. Or should I do this in the opposite direction and start the trip heading north to Denali first, and then go to the Kenai Peninsula? Any suggestions for tweaking this itinerary, or alternative ideas?

Thank you!

dfrostnh

I think your itinerary looks pretty good. You're taking it easy on day 1 and only driving to Anchorage for an 8pm flight on your last day. The only reason why you might switch your routes is because I thought the long drive north of Anchorage got kind of boring whereas south of Anchorage the scenery is spectacular.

Each town seems to have its own personality so I would not give up Homer. Being able to prepare some of your meals will help with your budget. Restaurants in Alaska are expensive. You will find a huge supermarket and other stores in Soldotna on your way to Homer. Heading north from Anchorage, get supplies before going past Wasilla.

carlyshells

Thanks dfrostnh, I'm glad to know this itinerary isn't too crazy condidering we want to include both Homer and Seward with Denali. Are there any thoughts on spending 2 nights in Homer vs 3 nights in Seward? A friend who lived in Anchorage thought 3 nights in Seward was too many and that Homer was worth more than 2 nts, but I did it that way considering that in Seward we want to do a 7 mile hike one day and a 7 hour cruise the next. I suppose with the sun not setting until 10pm or so during the time that we'll be there it would be entirely possible to do the hike our first afternoon, after we arrive from Anchorage.

Thanks for the supermarket recs too - very helpful to know!

I had originally planned NOT to include Denali on this trip so that we could dedicate our time exploring the Kenai Peninsula without rushing through it, but being a hiker and a huge supporter of the national parks I couldn't imagine skipping it after all! I feel like I might regret it.

Connie

How are you getting your camping supplies there? We have really downsized and packed two huge duffels with our supplies but that was before all the baggage fees. Still, even with the fees, it would save you money over hotels/restaurants.

The problem I found after doing lots of research is there isn't much tent camping done there. Most of the "campgrounds" we saw in the areas you are wanting to go to are parking lots---literally. Plus, I was warned that a lot of people don't tent camp because of bears. Now we have camped many times in Glacier and Yellowstone and not worried about it but the responses I got on this board were pretty negative when I asked about it.

We ended up renting RV's twice and really enjoyed it but it won't save you much money.

Stay out on the boat tour in Seward as long as possible. The first time we were wishing for more so we did the longer tour and really enjoyed it.

The flightseeing tour out of Talkeetna was the highlight of ALL our trips ever and we have done some great things. Very worth the money and the coupon book really helped. BTW, after we got home, I listed it on ebay and listed the coupons we had used--4 or 5. I think I got $50 for it!

dfrostnh

Nights in Seward vs nights in Homer is a tough question. I think it depends on how much time it takes you to get to Seward like stopping at Alyeska and Portage. You could drive to Homer (about 3 hours, I think) after your 7 hour cruise. It will still be light for setting up camp.

I really liked Homer, very artsy as well as popular fishing spot. I would choose more nights in Homer. Check times for the farmers market there. The Pratt Museum is small, but wonderful.

We enjoyed the Girdwood Forest Fair held around July 4th so I would go to the Blueberry Festival in Girdwood if it's during your visit.

Some Alaskans won't tent camp either choosing to sleep in their vehicles. I never even thought about bears when DS visited on his own when he was 17 and went backpacking with some other teens. Perhaps a minivan with all but the front seats removed would be something you could sleep in (relatives camped that way).