hulagirl

My husband is going to run the Anchorage Marathon in June of 2010 so we are planning a 2 week vaca around the date. I've done a lot of research on Alaska a few years ago and we decided to do NZ as it was cheaper! I'm back to my sticker-shock and logistic nightmare feelings so I think I need some help.

We are budget travelers (2 adults mid 30's). We prefer the private rooms in hostels that are under $80/night. We do not mind sharing bathrooms and showers. We can grab a lunch/dinner in a gas station and be fine. We prefer to walk and will hoof it 2 miles to get some where if it's worth it. But we do not want to hike/tent camp in Alaska due to the bear issue.

Airfare from Hawaii is going to run us about $1300 RT total for 2. Not bad.
We will arrive in ANC June 12 at 5am and depart ANC on June 25 and 6pm.

The marathon is on June 19th so we do not want to head off to Denali on the first week as we will need to be very careful on hikes, etc so as not to injure anything. ;-) My thought was to hop on the 8am flight to Juneau.

We'd have from the 12 - 18 to cover the following:

Sitka (1 or 2 nights?)
Glacier Bay Natl. Park (2 nights)
Skagway (2 nights)
JNU (we fly in and out - is there any other way to get from ANC to JNU or Skagway/Sitka?)

I'm having problems getting Alaska Marine Ferry schedules for 2010 (I don't think they are posted yet) so I'm not sure if we can even get a Ferry from Skagway back down to Sitka and then to JNU. I've got a lot of logistics problems with the Ferry schedule.

So questions:

1. Any suggestions on how to cheaply get from ANC to Inside passage quickly? I'm looking at direct flights ANC--JNU at $720 RT total. Ouch. Options?

2. JNU to Gustavus by air is $186 for 2 one way. Might do air to Gustavus, stay 2 nights and then private boat/ferry to Skagway and stay 2 nights. Is this a good plan? Then want to go Skagway to Sitka and Sitka back to JNU. Does the Ferry system even run this way? Suggestions?

3. If we can get to Sitka, 2 nights there? Too long? I'm thinking 1 night in Sitka depending on the ferry schedules (agh!). Thoughts?

Once we get back into ANC and hubby runs this run we are planning to head up to Denali for a few days and then maybe explore some of the Seward Drive down south. Thoughts on this:

4. Should we take a coach/bus up to Denali and stay for a 2-3 nights? Then take the train back to ANC? I've heard the train is very much worth it. We can then save by renting a car only for the last 4 days of our trip as we drive down to Seward? Smart plan? Bad plan? Interestingly I'm finding rental car prices for only $17 a day, so the rental car isn't going to break the bank.

If you were trying to shave all costs that you could, would you coach/bus up and then train back down? Or pay $17 a day for 3 days of not using the car? See my dilemma?

Alaska is a very hard state to plan for! Hawaii is easy! We have one way to get between islands (plane) and one way to get around the islands (car). No ferry, no train, no bush-plane! ;-)

Thanks for the help!

Denise

dfrostnh

Skagway is a cruise boat stop. I thought it was a fun little town but during the day it can be flooded with shoppers. It's also very odd to see non-Alaskan shops. If I had to make a choice, I would much prefer to visit Homer on the Kenai Peninsula than Skagway. Perhaps money would also be spent on a flight seeing trip rather than a commuter plane to Juneau. We've flown a commuter flight from ANC to Kenai and didn't have much of a view. Might be different on a trip to Juneau but something to think about. Can be a lot of fun in a small plane close enough to see animals on glaciers. Keep in mind the scenery from ANC to Denali is nice. The scenery from ANC to Seward is incredible. I would add more time to the KP. The salmon run in the Russian River might start near the end of your trip.

BudgetQueen

You are underestimating time and distances required with you having only 2 weeks. The Alaska ferry requires a LOT Of time and I doubt you can make it work. I would continue with your Anchorage Juneau flight, then direct to Gustavus after at least a full day in Juneau, either fly or boat. Do you have touring plans for Skagway?? I would also fly charter Skagway/Sitka for a couple days. Again, WHAT are your touring plans?? I suggest you decide those first before you get into any serious planning and reservations. Just the above will use up your time prior to the run in Anchorage.

Denali Park needs 2 nights, at least, and a full day to transit the park, more time, if you want hiking- which is endless. Taking a bus or train, adds 2 days. NO, the "train" isn't worth it without an extra day- 8 hours. The tracks just about parallel the Parks Highway. Plenty of it is trees and more trees. The best rail route to consider is Anchorage/Seward- BY FAR!!! Having a car is way superior- with your budget priority. There won't be many "budget" lodging options arriving by train, since you are going to have to have lodging with some type of shuttle. No car also greatly limits your Denali Park access, same with meals. It is "necessary" for cost savings to stop by Wasilla and stock up on food items. There isn't anything around Denali Park except high cost convenience store.

Do your homework and find out exactly what you plan on doing in each location. That will better dictate time. Then look further at routes and distances.

Gardyloo

Intra-state travel is very expensive. I'd reconsider your overall itinerary and either eliminate SE Alaska altogether, or else plan on an open-jaw air itinerary HNL-ANC//SEA-HNL or some such (or v.v.) and just pay for one-way flights (or better, use FF miles - do you have any with American, Alaska, Delta or Northwest?) for a one-way flight from ANC to JNU to catch the ferry one-way down the coast, ending in Bellingham (from which bus or train to Seattle or Vancouver for the flight back to the islands.) One good thing is that the ferry can be compatible with your accomodation budget - sleeping bag, guitar and the words to Kumbaya on the top deck, and you're good to go.

Just IMO but two nights in Sitka is one too many. Maybe two too many. YMMV.

If you eliminated the SE Alaska portion (and yes, the towns are indeed inundated with cruise people) there's still plenty of excellent maritime/mountain scenery to be had around Prince William Sound.

dwooddon

I also suggest eliminating the SE Alaska portion from both a time and a cost perspective. As others have said, the sight-seeing opportunities on the Kenai Peninsula are almost unlimited and it is a much faster, cheaper, and easier area to visit from Anchorage. My suggestions would be Homer and Kachemak Bay, Seward and the Kenai Fjords NP cruise, and/or Valdez for a great mix of mountain and marine activities.

repete

Here's a third.Gardyloo's advice is golden.

cwn

Hi, We are on our way home (Texas) from a 2 month trip to Alaska in our small motorhome. This is the second time we have seen Alaska in a Motorhome and fifth time visiting Alsaka. Frist time we flew to Anchorage and rented a small RV near the airport....in my opinion the best way to go. Food and lodging are costly in Alaska but the state and national campgrounds are $160to $20 a night.

The best train trip is Achorage to Seward, skip the Denali train or drive up spend two nighs and drive your car into the park. You can only drive in 13 miles unless you reserve the camp ground that is 30 miles in. We have been to Denali three times. I wouldn't waste my time doing the all day park bus. The scenery is just a repeat of what you see on the first 13...almost, but it isn't really that much better. Our best animal sighting was on the hiking trail Savage River. The best views of Mt McKinnley are on the Parks highway heading up two Denali if the mt is out....a 30% chance.(See our blog, address below, for more details on our time in Denali, we were actually there twice this time!)

You can get to Sitka on the AMF system from Seward to Juneau then change ferries to Sitka. It is very time consuming and you have to go through Juneau to get in to and out of Sikta.

Having been both those places plus all over the rest of the state, with the limited time you have, I would spend my time on the Peninsula as stated above. The islands are small and crawling with several thousand cruise passengers in June. Glacier sighting and The Russian influence is just a good on the Peninsula.

For cost sake you might look into the smallest RV, maybe a van conversion, and camp, no bear problem if you are in a hardsided camper/RV. Alaska has awsome campgrounds everywhere. The road from Achorage to Valdez is world class in scenery as is the one from Anchorage to Seward, far better scenery than up to Denali with much more to do. That is why I sujest taking the ferry from Seward or even Whittier to Valdez. You can do a loop and see some of the best Alaska has to offer. You can sleep on deck on the ferries and the food is not too expensive if you are careful with your selections.If the RV is small it is not too expensive either.

It rains alot in Alaska so what ever you plan on doing, plan on doing it in the rain so you are not disappointed. We have had great days and rainy days on each of our five trips.

If you want to see some pictures of camp grounds and some of the areas I mentioned go to our daily blog for this trip. Just click on the days/location that interest you. We are in British Columbia right now.

www.northtoalaskajuly2009.blogspot.com

Be sure you make reservations for car, RV, ferry or hotels, as you will be there at high season. There will be lots of cruise ship passenagers traveling on their own and lots of tours. I have seen many hostels in Canada, but didn't notice them in Alaska...though I am sure they are around.

Alaska does take some planning if your time is limited, but it is worth it! Have fun.

rolncathy

How badly do you really want to see Southeast Alaska? The rest of Alaska is at least as beautiful! We just got back from a 3 week driving tour of Alaska. I have also taken the cruise up the Inside Passage, and been to visit friends on Kodiak Island. The most commercial and my least favorite is southeast, with all of the cruise ships and shops. I will second the writers who suggested the Kenai Peninsula. I hated leaving after spending just over a week there.

A tip on doing this on a shoestring. Stop at Fred Meyer or some other discount store and buy a foam cooler, ice and basic picnic supplies. We kept plastic flatware from take-out, etc. as well as napkins, bought a mug for warming food or drink in the microwave and made our own breakfast and lunch every day. Dinners were quite large so we either shared a meal or took the rest back to our room to heat up the next evening. If yo want to do some boat tours, rafting and museums check out the Alaska tour Saver Book. You can find it online and pay $99 to get one. We saved $160 on one tour, the rest was gravy!

hulagirl

Wow!! Now you all have me really thinking about killing the whole SE part of the trip.

Many asked what we want to do. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure yet. We like to hike - 5-9 miles as a loop is our max distance in a day. Can pull off 15 if needed but the days are shorter up there. Very much interested in the history/mines/wildlife. That's why we were looking at Sitka and Skagway.

I will freely give up Sitka and Skagway if I can see just as good in KP and down towards Homer. But what about GBNP? It IS a national park - worth a day trip over there? Is a day trip even possible?

I've put about 8 DVD's in my Netflix que on Alaska. We've seen 2 and both liked the look of KP and Homer.

I tend to over-plan our trips and was hoping to have less of a schedule on this trip. The hubby does NOT want to rent an RV. He's never been in a road trip in one (I have a love it!), is a little freaked out about being cold and out in the middle of no where in Alaska. ;-) We are finding hostels for great prices so I think we may just rent a car.

So my main questions now:

1. KP the week before the marathon. Seward, Homer, Kenai. Is there a "must see" in this area? Something not to be missed?

2. Glacier Bay NP side trip before run? Possible to do from Whittier?

3. 1 week after marathon - Denali. Perhaps we do a Glacier NP side trip after the run and spend 1 week down on the KP. Then spend 4 days up near Denali?

It's too big!

Thanks for all the help! Will look at blog links and search for the Tour saver book now.

Mahalo - Denise

dwooddon

You said in your OP that you will be there in June. Days are not shorter - they are longer then. Depending on where you are in Alaska, you will have anywhere from 19-24 hours of daylight. The farther north you get, the more daylight you'll have at that time of year. The summer solstice (the day with the most daylight) is June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere.

I still heartily recommend dropping the SE portion of the trip and concentrating on South Central (Anchorage, Denali, Kenai Peninsula). For 2 weeks, I would even drop Denali. I'd go as far north as Palmer to see Hatcher Pass then head south and pick from Homer. Seward, and Valdez, depending on the weather then and your interests. Alaska is so huge, you won't appreciate looking at maps how far apart everything is. It's not that I dislike SE or Denali. It's just that 2 weeks is not enough time to do justice and I think SC is considerably more scenic and interesting.

Have a wonderful trip.

BudgetQueen

Glacier Bay isn't a "day trip" either. At the least you need to consider 2 overnights then a full day boat tour to the glaciers. The 6 hour Esther Passage glacier boat tour out of Whittier is excellent, and at least would give you some great glacier viewing. Also consider a glacier trek, since you are into hiking. Can do this on Matanuska 2+ hours from Anchorage- add 4 hours for a tour, or Exit Glacier trekking. You "need" a guided tour in my opinion.

With 2 weeks, you do have enough time for the Kenai Peninsula and Denali Park. Again, you need to research what the Kenai Peninsula has to offer and what is the interest to you. www.kenaipeninsula.com also request www.seward.com also Homer, Soldotna.

The Kenai Fjords boat tour, (don't consider any less that 6 hours on the water) is loaded with varied wildlife. You would see a fair amount of the same animals as you would from Sitka. Always sea lions, eagles, puffins, usually sea otters, harbor seals, sometimes whales, bears. It's a jackpot what you get the day you are there. You also get a nice close up extended view of a glacier.

pspercy

Just a slight diversion - I know SE Alaska gets really crowded from cruise ships (going to do that too) but how about Prince of Wales Island ? For fishing & general wandering around it would seem to have much of what Kenai has (except glaciers I think) but is apparently not crowded.

hulagirl - you're right, Alaska makes Hawaii look cheap !

pspercy

cwn
Great blog, a trip I'd love to do too. Too bad you're apparently not into fishing !

dfrostnh

for a great visit to a mine - Independence Mine near Hatchers Pass north of Anchorage.
You have a good chance of seeing moose on the KP in June, mothers with calves frequent suburban areas.

hulagirl

dwooddon - oops! Sorry! I got my trips mixed up there. (I'm currently planning a detox after 5 days in Vegas at a convention in late Nov...got 'em mixed up there.)

Thanks for the links and info. I think we are 99% sure that the SE is out. Doing my research on KP, Valdez (all I know is oil spilled there...gotta do some R&D!), Seward, etc. I'll have more questions soon I'm sure!

Mahalo!
Denise

rolncathy

http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/kenai_guide/index.htm is a great reference for the Kenai. Friends of ours who used to live there recommended it. You might want to check out bear viewing in Lake Clark NP. It is a fly-in, 4 hr., 8 hr., or 12 hr. trips. It is NOT CHEAP. but would be great trade-off with the money you are not spending going to Skagway. Most of them fly from Soldotna or Homer and some from Anchorage. Glaciers can be found near Seward (Exit Glacier) and from the Kenai Fjord boat tours. We also recommend the 6 hour tour. The little museums are full of history and tons of information. Watching the fish spawning in the rivers and the fishermen trying to catch them can make for an interesting stop. Just drive slow and take lots of side trips. Anchor Point has a tractor that backs out into the bay to pick up incoming pleasure boats as the tides don't allow for docks. There are Beluga Whales and Dahl sheep to watch for along Turnagain Arm on the drive south from Anchorage. If there is a large group of cars pulled to the side of the road, STOP! They are watching something. Near Portage is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where they house injured and rescued animals - grizzly bear, musk Ox, Moose, deer, etc. If Denali is visible you can see it from north of Wasilla, around Willow. From there to Talkeetna are a number of great view points. Independence Mine was planned as a quick stop. Four hours later we finally moved on without walking some of the longer trails. Don't try to get to Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine from Willow as rental cars aren't allowed. Drive through Palmer. Valdez is a 2 day drive from the Kenai. We loved our stay there, but it is a long drive, something to think about when you are pressed for time.

spirobulldog

Instead of "bear viewing", go Salmon Fishing. We fly in from Soldotna to Lake Clark. I believe the exact location was Wolverine creek. The flight is incredible, we caught 140lbs worth of sockeye and shipped it back home. We saw 20-30 black bears only 15-20 feet from the boat while we were fishing. They were there almost the entire time. We only saw grizzlies from a really far distance. We did this around june 30. You would need to check with a local guide to determine what kind of fish, when, and where. Salmon runs are not all summer, certain species at certain times.

If your husband is into running, he should consider the running down the mountain event in Seward. I think it is always july 3.

hulagirl

Thanks everyone! The tickets are booked! Now I need to work on hostel reservations and the rental car.

I'm still in shock about how big the state is. Thanks for the help!

dwooddon

I think the example that brought home for me how huge Alaska is is the fact that it is larger than the entire continental United States east of the Mississippi River.