Our two sons decided to surprise my wife by celebrating her birthday with a 1 week trip to Alaska! We all fly into Anchorage, drive to Talkeetna, Seward and Denali. My wife and I want to extend our trip while the boys fly home. We need suggestions on what we should do for 1 additional week. Since this is so last minute we need to act quickly as we leave on our first leg on September 2! My wife is an avid photographer so of course she is interested in taking incredible photos. We love to be surrounded by nature in all its beauty and are open to all that you can offer.

Thank you!

A couple of suggestions. First, I am not a fan of Talkeetna (very touristy IMO) but you might want to stop in Palmer on the way north for a visit to the Alaska State Fair, which will be going on through Labor Day weekend. This is where you can see the mutant vegetables they grow in constant sunlight, and really get a feel for the place without being inundated by tourist schlunk. (Oh, there will be plenty of typical state-fair shlunck, don't worry.) On the way to Palmer (or on the way back from Denali) I'd stop at the Eklutna Native cemetery, with its brightly painted "spirit houses" over the graves.

State Fair



Eklutna



Since you will have already hit the interior (and note September is definitely turning into autumn at Denali), with an extra week, frankly I'd cruise south from Seward or Whittier to Vancouver. You'll see a part of the state you'll have missed during the first week, (Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage) and you can probably get a decent deal on a cruise with a last-minute booking. Just looking at cruises departing on the 9th or 10th, I can see a couple of options (e.g. a balcony cabin on a Norwegian ship leaving Seward on the 10th) that would most likely end up costing (maybe a lot) less than the same number of nights on land, but without the hassle of rental cars, unpacking, etc. You could change your air tickets to open jaws - home to ANC, Vancouver to home, with the change fee probably less than the cost of a day's rental car and hotel.

The cruise will take you to historic and picturesque places like Skagway and Juneau, past glaciers like the impossible-to-comprehend Hubbard Glacier, and will let you discover Native heritage in places like Ketchikan. Rent a car in Skagway and drive up into the Yukon, take the city bus in Ketchikan to Totem Bight State Park with its totem poles and Tlingit longhouse, visit the Russian church in Juneau... hard to beat.

Hubbard Glacier -



Alternatively, you could fly from Anchorage to Juneau and take a couple of days to explore that area using the state ferry - visit small villages like Tenakee Springs or Pelican, or take the ferry to Sitka, a beautiful and historic town, and fly to Seattle from there when you're done. Numerous options.

Thanks so much Gardyloo! One mistake I made is that we fly to Anchorage on Sept. 6-13 with my sons and then travel from the 13-20. I like your suggestion of flying to Juneau and exploring towns and villages using the ferries. How is the weather mid Sept? Also where would you fly from to Seattle?

That extra week makes a lot of difference in Southcentral/Interior Alaska. It will be fall and frankly it's my favorite time of year, so I'd be tempted to use it to travel around Southcentral Alaska - maybe down to Homer, for example.

If you like the idea of Juneau and the ferry trips, you should consult the schedules (not very easy to follow, I'm afraid) on the state ferry service's website - https://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

With a few days I'd probably take a day trip to Tenakee Springs, just to get a feel for the very small and quirky towns around SE Alaska, then I'd travel to Sitka and fly to Seattle from there.

The weather in September is all of the above - sun, rain, fog, sun, wind... and then in the second hour it will be different.

Two pictures of Mirror Lake, 30 minutes north of Anchorage, taken on (different) September days, just for example:

Good Morning Gardyloo!

I would appreciate your opinion on the following: Our trip with our sons will culminate in Anchorage and on the morning of Sept. 14 they will fly back home. My plan would be to fly early to Juneau for 4 days. On Sept. 18 take the slow ferry ( 5:00 AM departure) to Sitka). We would stay for either 2-3 nights and then fly back from Sitka to Juneau on either the 20th or 21st. There are flights from Juneau on either day in the afternoon to Seattle. What has been your experience on the slow ferry ( 91/2 hours)? We would take a cabin with beds. How many days do you suggest for Sitka? Any places to stay in both Juneau and Sitka? Does this itinerary sound logical? Thanks!

I think it's fine, although the 5 AM departure from Juneau to Sitka won't be a lot of fun. The ferry terminal for Juneau is actually in Auke Bay, a few miles north of the airport and some distance from downtown Juneau. To be there for a 5 AM sailing will require you to be away from your hotel at OMG o'clock. I also think that 4 days in Juneau might be a bit much, considering you'll have been sightseeing the previous week farther north.

Just as a thought experiment, let me throw out an alternative. Fly from Anchorage to Sitka, which will require a brief plane change in Juneau. Stay a couple of days in Sitka, then fly to Juneau rather than taking the ferry. (The plane fare will be much cheaper than the ferry fare.) Then spend a couple of days/nights in Juneau, and when that's over, take the day ferry south to Petersburg, a small and fairly picturesque fishing community, fiercely proud of its Norwegian heritage, in a spectacular setting. The ferry ride from Juneau to Petersburg is very scenic, and all in daylight so no need for a pricey cabin on the boat.


From Petersburg there are flights to Seattle (stopping at Wrangell and/or Ketchikan) so no need to double back to Juneau.

So a rough timeline might be something like this:

Sept. 14 - Fly Anchorage to Sitka (plane change in Juneau)
Sept. 17 - Fly Sitka to Juneau
Sept. 20 - Ferry Juneau to Petersburg (dep. 6:15 AM arr. 7:30 PM)
Sept. 21 - Fly Petersburg to Seattle (dep. 3:30 PM)

This is just a suggestion to investigate. There's basically nothing wrong with your plan as it is, just throwing out some alternatives.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. Is the ferry from Juneau to Petersburg a 13 hour trip?

If you're interested in a cruise there is still one leaving Anchorage on the 16th of September. Shows on Vacations to Go as Available in Balcony.

Noordam Southbound includes a stop at Glacier Bay and one in Haines (my favorite) as well as the usual. Arrives in Vancouver on the morning of the 23rd. If that isn't too late.

Yes. It's on the Malaspina, one of the ferry system's "main line" boats as opposed to the smaller regional ones.

I am now considering this itinerary ( which will cut out a lengthy ferry trip):

Sept. 14. Flight Anchorage to Juneau ( 4 days)
Sept. 18. Flight Juneau to Sitka ( 21/2 days)
Sept. 20 Flight ( evening Sitka to Juneau). Stay near airport in Juneau i.e., Best Western Country Lane Inn.
Sept. 21 Flight ( afternoon) Juneau to Seattle

While I know we will be missing out on the Ferry experience it seems to better sense for us to fly to each location. We will be able to take advantage for some day trips out of Juneau , not have to rise in the middle of the night for a ferry ride and experience as much nature that will be offered in these locations.

Also feel that we will rent a car in Juneau and not sure if we should do so in Sitka?

Do you recommend the Best Western Country Lane Inn for our 4 day stay in Juneau? If not: which hotel/B & B would you suggest?

Thanks again for all of your help!

As a photographer, you will enjoy the experience of watching the whales "bubble net feeding." I think it was Juneau where we did the whale watch trip.
Most amazing thing I have personally witnessed in nature.

You can you tube to get an idea of what I am talking about.
Hope you enjoy trip. We spent a few days in Homer which we really enjoyed.

I haven't stayed there, but I suppose if you're renting a car it will do. The Mendenhall Valley/airport area is some distance from downtown Juneau, and frankly I'd feel rather disconnected from things if I stayed up there. I'm probably not a lot of help on Juneau hotels; I've stayed at the Baranof the most - old-fashioned hotel right in the heart of downtown (something of an icon) - so if it was me I'd probably split my time. With a car, stay in the valley/airport area. With no car, stay downtown.

I think you need to do some research and decide how you plan to spend your days in Juneau. I'll repeat myself by suggesting that 4+ days might be a little long, but you could fill those days easily with out-of-town excursions, whale watching, etc. I would probably also be looking at B&B or Airbnb options, if for no other reason than it will put you in contact with locals. In general Juneau (and Sitka) is full of pretty cool people.

All reservations now completed!!

All flights, including hotels in Juneau ( 4 days Alaska Capital Inn), ( 1night at Best Western Country Lane Inn), ( 2 days Sitka Hotel), car rental in Juneau, reservations for Tracy Arm Boat excursion in Juneau.

I have appreciated everyone's suggestions and do not feel it will be difficult to fill out our days in both Juneau and Sitka.
Mendenhall Glacier, Mt. Roberts Tramway and hiking,
Drive to Auke Bay / Shrine of St. Therese, drive to Douglas Island, Hatchery, possible whale tour with Marv and Harv are all being considered while in Juneau Will also check out any day trips via Ferry .

Regarding Sitka: Russian Bishop House, Sitka National Historical Park, Downton Sitka ( St. Michaels Cathedral, Totem Square, Castle Hill, Princes Maksoutoffs Grave), Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor Center, Blue Lake Reservoir.
Dinner @ The Nugget

Thanks again for the help and encouraging words and hopefully, I will write a trip report upon returning.