Limited time in Alaska- Must Sees?
 

I'm am running a marathon in Anchorage in June and need some suggestions for trip planning. My husband and I will be there for 10 days but 4 of them will be spent in Anchorage due to the race. I am looking for suggestions on day trips from Anchorage as well as where to travel with the 5 remaining days we will have. I appreciate any advice you may have! Thanks.

We enjoyed the package tour by rail from Anchorage to Whittier, then on a large catamaran for a 26 glacier tour of Prince William Sound.
http://www.alaskantoursandvacations....acier_cruise:_

From Anchorage, consider a day trip to Independence Mine. The wildflowers are wonderful in June. Our choice has also been to spend time on the Kenai Penninsula. The drive to Seward is beautiful and will require an overnight if you want to do a Kenai Fjords cruise to see wildlife and calving glaciers. Homer is also nice (Pratt Museum is great) and about another 3 hours drive. Either coming or going, plan to visit the visitors center at Portage Glacier, tram ride up Alyeska in Girdwood, etc. Homer is about 5 hours from Anchorage. If the salmon runs have started you might want to spend additional time between Seward and Homer watching the fishing activity. If you go to Homer and Seward, one night in Seward and two nights in Homer would be the minimum. Check the dates for the Forest Fair in Girdwood if you like arts and crafts and music. If you like quilting, Quilting on the Kenai is usually mid-June. The Kenai/Soldotna area is where we saw moose, including mother and calf. With 5 days I think you'll have most things to see and do south of Anchorage within a 5 hour drive. If you like old vehicles and airplanes, the Transportation Museum in Wasilla (north of ANC) is small but interesting, esp information about early bush pilots.

Dfrostnh gave you some good advice. With 5 days, I'd probably spend the whole time on the Kenai Peninsula, particularly Homer and Seward. Two nights Seward--take the NW Kenai Fjords boat tour, the rest in Homer--tons of outdoor and water activities, not to mention the incredible views.

Good luck with your planning!

Thank you for the suggestions. I think we will take everyone's advice and focus our last 5 days on the Kenai Peninsula. We are thinking about doing an overnight trip to Denali 2 days before the marathon. Is that feasable from Anchorage?

Sorry, forgot to mention that we will have a rental car.

We drove from Anchorage to Denali and camped overnight so we could get on one of the first busses. We went all the way to Wonder lake. On our return to the visitor center we drove back toward Anchorage but were too tired to complete the trip and stayed overnight and went the rest of the way in the morning. If you choose a shorter journey within the park, you might be able to drive all the way, but it is a long trip.

I'm with BayouGal on this one. After marathon (good luck!) spend two nights in Seward and three nights in Homer. Consider going from from Homer on bear watching trip.

We will be taking the Wonder Lake tour and it is a 11 round trip tour. We are staying overnight at the Crows Nest cabins and heading for Anchorage the next morning. It is 236 miles from the park to Anchorage. So for us it will not be a long trip but if you plan to do it all in one day I would say even with it being light so late a tiring trip.

I don't think I would do such a quick trip to Denali before marathon. Don't get me wrong, I love Denali and I think everyone should visit this place at least once. But before a marathon? This is only my personal opinion. You need to decide as you know your abilities and not us but I agree it will be a long tiring tour of Denali.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like driving to Denali wouldn't be a reasonable idea before the marathon. I'm always too ambitious with my travel planning!

I too agree, you need more time for Denali park. I would perhaps head to Talkeetna instead and consider flightseeing of McKinley. Hatcher Pass is a must do in my opinion. Very doable.

Consider also www.micaguides.com if you want to get on ice. 2 hours each way from Anchorage.