Help planning 10 day Alaska RV trip
Apr 5th, 2017, 03:44 AM
#1
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Help planning 10 day Alaska RV trip
Planning a mid-August family RV trip to Alaska (3 adults and 3 kids ranging from 12-14). First time to Alaska and first time RV'ing. With the kids we want to be fairly active, having a good hike or excursion each day. Below is the tentative itinerary we are considering and looking for feedback and suggestions.
Day 1 - Arrive Anchorage very late [stay at airport hotel]
Day 2 - Pick up RV and drive to Seward, check out town and Alaska SeaLife Center [stay at Seward waterfront RV park for next 3 nights]
Day 3 - Full day Kenai Fjords cruise
Day 4 - Guided kayak trip out into Resurrection Bay, Exit Glacier
Day 5 - Drive to Girdwood - hike Winner Creek and then onto Talkeetna [suggestions on where to stay?]
Day 6 - Flightseeing, zip lining or guided fishing trip in AM then drive to Denali [stay at Teklanika River or Savage River campground for next two nights]
Day 7 - Bus trip into park, hiking
Day 8 - Maybe whitewater rafting in AM then drive to Anchorage
Day 9 - ??
Day 10 - ?? late night flight from Anchorage
Don't want to be in an RV for the 10 days and have a couple of unplanned days, so we have some questions:
Is there enough to do/see in Seward for 3 days? Was looking driving to Homer as well, but seems like a long drive with more activities around Seward.
Should we do 2 or 3 nights in Denali? As we will be dry camping in the National Park, how long can we survive in a 30' RV without access to water, sewage or electricity?
As we have a two unplanned days, suggestions if we fly to Juneau for a couple of days on our way home (I read that it could be rainy and miserable in mid-August), check out an affordable wilderness or fishing lodge (is there such thing as an affordable wilderness lodge in Alaska?), explore Anchorage (doesn't seem too exciting) or extend the RV or get a car/hotel to visit another part of the state.
I understand that you can overnight on the side of most roads in road Alaska, but not that many posts on this. Any suggestions welcome on pictures spots to stop and overnight.
Really excited about our maiden voyage to the 49th state. Appreciate all your assistance.
Day 1 - Arrive Anchorage very late [stay at airport hotel]
Day 2 - Pick up RV and drive to Seward, check out town and Alaska SeaLife Center [stay at Seward waterfront RV park for next 3 nights]
Day 3 - Full day Kenai Fjords cruise
Day 4 - Guided kayak trip out into Resurrection Bay, Exit Glacier
Day 5 - Drive to Girdwood - hike Winner Creek and then onto Talkeetna [suggestions on where to stay?]
Day 6 - Flightseeing, zip lining or guided fishing trip in AM then drive to Denali [stay at Teklanika River or Savage River campground for next two nights]
Day 7 - Bus trip into park, hiking
Day 8 - Maybe whitewater rafting in AM then drive to Anchorage
Day 9 - ??
Day 10 - ?? late night flight from Anchorage
Don't want to be in an RV for the 10 days and have a couple of unplanned days, so we have some questions:
Is there enough to do/see in Seward for 3 days? Was looking driving to Homer as well, but seems like a long drive with more activities around Seward.
Should we do 2 or 3 nights in Denali? As we will be dry camping in the National Park, how long can we survive in a 30' RV without access to water, sewage or electricity?
As we have a two unplanned days, suggestions if we fly to Juneau for a couple of days on our way home (I read that it could be rainy and miserable in mid-August), check out an affordable wilderness or fishing lodge (is there such thing as an affordable wilderness lodge in Alaska?), explore Anchorage (doesn't seem too exciting) or extend the RV or get a car/hotel to visit another part of the state.
I understand that you can overnight on the side of most roads in road Alaska, but not that many posts on this. Any suggestions welcome on pictures spots to stop and overnight.
Really excited about our maiden voyage to the 49th state. Appreciate all your assistance.
Apr 5th, 2017, 05:54 AM
#2
A couple of comments, and please note I'm not an RVer so you or others might disagree with my views...
1. Especially on the road to/from Seward, the scenery along the highway is the real draw. Many RVs (don't know your particular model) have limited-to-poor visibility for anybody not riding in the front; the bench seating faces inward and you can often only see out of one side of the vehicle as you go along.
2. In mid-August Seward, especially the campgrounds that can accommodate a large RV, is jammed with people participating in the annual Silver Salmon Derby. If you don't already have space booked, I'd jump on it ASAP. You might also find the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Seward (one of the most scenic roads in the US) is jammed with RVs and trucks pulling boats. I know the idea of a traffic jam in Alaska sounds unlikely, but it happens.
3. No idea how you'll do for that long without hookups in Denali. Frankly it doesn't sound to me like a lot of fun, especially since you'll likely be dusty and tired from the day's bus rides. Food options inside the park are extremely limited, too.
4. Roadside camping is allowed but that doesn't mean you're going to find all that many places to do it. And when would you be planning this? It's only a couple of hours between Anchorage and Seward, so no real need to stop part way; and between Anchorage and Denali the drive is only 5 hours or so, and many of the attractive pull-outs are near stream crossings, and chances are good that those will be full of people fishing.
So I guess my feeling, and again, be aware of my bias, is that the RV might turn out to be more a burden than a benefit. A minivan combined with B&Bs or motels might give you more flexibility, certainly better visibility, and might not cost that much more. But maybe the die is cast and this is just speculating on my part.
The Juneau stopover is fine. Sure, it might rain, but it might rain anywhere/everywhere. I've spent many a bleak August day in Seward surrounded by people cursing at fish that won't bite. Losers.
But I might also suggest a thought experiment. You can fly from Anchorage round trip on Alaska Airlines to Nome for around $320 per person. Nome is an historic gold rush town on the Bering Sea that could give your group a terrific view into bush Alaska. You can even rent vehicles in Nome and head out into the Seward Peninsula bush - tundra, muskoxen, bears, caribou, gold rush relics, Eskimo villages... You might find that more interesting than Juneau, which is certainly an enjoyable town in glorious surroundings, but which tends to be impacted heavily by several thousand daily cruise ship visitors.
http://www.alaska.org/destination/nome/scenic-drives
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm...ewardpeninsula
1. Especially on the road to/from Seward, the scenery along the highway is the real draw. Many RVs (don't know your particular model) have limited-to-poor visibility for anybody not riding in the front; the bench seating faces inward and you can often only see out of one side of the vehicle as you go along.
2. In mid-August Seward, especially the campgrounds that can accommodate a large RV, is jammed with people participating in the annual Silver Salmon Derby. If you don't already have space booked, I'd jump on it ASAP. You might also find the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Seward (one of the most scenic roads in the US) is jammed with RVs and trucks pulling boats. I know the idea of a traffic jam in Alaska sounds unlikely, but it happens.
3. No idea how you'll do for that long without hookups in Denali. Frankly it doesn't sound to me like a lot of fun, especially since you'll likely be dusty and tired from the day's bus rides. Food options inside the park are extremely limited, too.
4. Roadside camping is allowed but that doesn't mean you're going to find all that many places to do it. And when would you be planning this? It's only a couple of hours between Anchorage and Seward, so no real need to stop part way; and between Anchorage and Denali the drive is only 5 hours or so, and many of the attractive pull-outs are near stream crossings, and chances are good that those will be full of people fishing.
So I guess my feeling, and again, be aware of my bias, is that the RV might turn out to be more a burden than a benefit. A minivan combined with B&Bs or motels might give you more flexibility, certainly better visibility, and might not cost that much more. But maybe the die is cast and this is just speculating on my part.
The Juneau stopover is fine. Sure, it might rain, but it might rain anywhere/everywhere. I've spent many a bleak August day in Seward surrounded by people cursing at fish that won't bite. Losers.
But I might also suggest a thought experiment. You can fly from Anchorage round trip on Alaska Airlines to Nome for around $320 per person. Nome is an historic gold rush town on the Bering Sea that could give your group a terrific view into bush Alaska. You can even rent vehicles in Nome and head out into the Seward Peninsula bush - tundra, muskoxen, bears, caribou, gold rush relics, Eskimo villages... You might find that more interesting than Juneau, which is certainly an enjoyable town in glorious surroundings, but which tends to be impacted heavily by several thousand daily cruise ship visitors.
http://www.alaska.org/destination/nome/scenic-drives
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm...ewardpeninsula
Apr 8th, 2017, 03:03 AM
#3
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This is very helpful Gardyloo. Given the crowds with the Silver Salmon Derby and that the waterfront RV campsite in Seward does not take reservations, would you recommend we avoid that and go to Homer with a stop in Cooper Landing instead?
Apr 8th, 2017, 04:01 AM
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How long you can go without hookups - maybe 3 days IF nobody takes a shower and uses campground toilets/showers as much as possible. We did not camp in AK but used a small station wagon (just 2 of us) and b&bs. Used to tow a camper. Bad thing about hookups is the dump station.
Talkeetna is very small. I foolishly thought in late June mid-week, we wouldn't need reservations. Fortunately tourist help sent us to wonderful cabins but miles away from any restaurants. Gate Creek Cabins. We hadn't prepared to cook our dinner but put together easy meal. Would have done a lot better if we had grocery shopped in Wasilla. 5 people in an RV at night is cramped.
If you go to Talkeetna, I would stop at Independence Mine to break up the drive. You can do some hiking there. We just walked around the mine area plus the historic buildings.
There's a lot to see and do in Homer. We did a package overnight trip to Seldovia, boat over (not as exciting as Kenai Fjords) and plane back. An RV might be a problem on the switchback roads up to overlook but can access from the other direction.
Don't miss the Kenai Fjords boat trip. You should visit Seward but I agree it would be easier to be in a mini van than an RV.
Talkeetna is very small. I foolishly thought in late June mid-week, we wouldn't need reservations. Fortunately tourist help sent us to wonderful cabins but miles away from any restaurants. Gate Creek Cabins. We hadn't prepared to cook our dinner but put together easy meal. Would have done a lot better if we had grocery shopped in Wasilla. 5 people in an RV at night is cramped.
If you go to Talkeetna, I would stop at Independence Mine to break up the drive. You can do some hiking there. We just walked around the mine area plus the historic buildings.
There's a lot to see and do in Homer. We did a package overnight trip to Seldovia, boat over (not as exciting as Kenai Fjords) and plane back. An RV might be a problem on the switchback roads up to overlook but can access from the other direction.
Don't miss the Kenai Fjords boat trip. You should visit Seward but I agree it would be easier to be in a mini van than an RV.
Apr 8th, 2017, 06:30 AM
#5
Try for a night somewhere off the Slilkak Lake Road.
http://www.campgroundsalaska.com/skilaklakeroad.php
It's a dirt road but I had no trouble driving slowly with my rental car (Subaru Outback).
http://www.campgroundsalaska.com/skilaklakeroad.php
It's a dirt road but I had no trouble driving slowly with my rental car (Subaru Outback).
Apr 8th, 2017, 08:32 PM
#6
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You really need to check
www.rv.net/forum
This site is expert in all things related to RV. stuff and Alaska is a special subject..
Short season, LOTS of people...Therefore roads are crowded and lots RVS.
They would have advice about 3 days dry camping..
www.rv.net/forum
This site is expert in all things related to RV. stuff and Alaska is a special subject..
Short season, LOTS of people...Therefore roads are crowded and lots RVS.
They would have advice about 3 days dry camping..
Apr 8th, 2017, 10:13 PM
#7
OK -- i personally would NOT have my first ever RV experience be in Alaska. Just not the 'fun/romantic' free wheeling you may imagine.
A lot of expense and hassle . . .
Now, if it was your own RV and you had a ton of experience/were road warriors - that would be a whole different kettle of fish.
A lot of expense and hassle . . .
Now, if it was your own RV and you had a ton of experience/were road warriors - that would be a whole different kettle of fish.
