I am putting together a two week alaska trip june 7 thru june 19. I need some advise on where to stay for two of the nights. We will be riding the Denali Star train from Denali to Anchorage; picking up a rental car in Anchorage on the 11th. I didn't want to stay in Anchorage that night. I am booking three nights at the Summitt Lake Lodge the 13, 14, & 15. I will be going to Seward for the Kenai Fjord cruise and day triping the area. Now... It was suggested to me to Stay at the Alyeska Prince Hotel in Girdwood. I checked ti out and decided it was too big for me. I'd really like to find a nice cabin, b&B or inn not too far from Anchorage so it's not so tiring after a long day. I looked in Palmer and Hatcher Pass. I thought it seemed like a nice direction to go before heading back down to Seward. I will be in the Kenai area after Seward for 4 days, so I thought it would be nice to head toward the Mat-Su area. Does anyone know of a nice place to stay for the two nights? Any suggestions as to how far to go from Anchorage before we are too tired to care? Thanks Rose

In Palmer we enjoyed Alaska Garden Gate B&B. Karen cooks a wonderful breakfast and has a beautiful home. We chose the large downstairs room which also had a private entrance and a kitchenette. For the rooms on the main floor, she has a huge living room. She also has a couple of beautiful house huskies who are very well behaved. We enjoyed Independence Mine but the road thru Hatcher Patch is not open before July 4. Karen has some great pictures on her website including a good view of each room. I think it's about an hour from Anchorage. Once you get north of Wasilla or Palmer, there's not a lot of choices until Talkeetna. Expect a lot of commuting traffic between Palmer and Anchorage. Heading south we enjoyed lunch at the Moose's Tooth which is convenient to the Seward Hwy. Great gourmet pizza and micro brews. June is a beautiful time of year to be in Alaska.

You can not expect to be out of the Anchorage depot before 8:30pm with luggage claim and getting a cab. You will have to pick up a car at the airport, another 1/2 hour- $20+++ , then an hour to Palmer. I don't find Palmer much more than a commuter community.

I think the best idea would be staying in Anchorage your first night.

I second staying Anchorage. Not much in Palmer, probably too late that evening to enjoy (read: tired) the trip to Independence Mine area or Hatcher Pass lodging near the mine. If you stay somewhere like Ramada Inn Limited, Anchorage, on Muldoon, they have good prices, breakfast buffet, and a shuttle van that would take you to airport next morning to pick up car (that's what we did last year). Could conceivably save you a day's rental charges by not picking up car that night. Then you could go on to Sheep Mountain Lodge for the next night or just as far as Hatcher Pass. Either would be good options if you want to see some of the Mat-Su area. If you go to Sheep Mtn Lodge, you could spend some time at the Matanuska Glacier before heading back to where ever you have to be, (Summit Lake?), for the night.

Good luck with your planning!

For clarification, the paved road to/from Hatcher Pass & Independence Mine is open during the timeframe of your visit, however the unpaved portion will not be open yet.

Thank you all for the good advise. I have decided to go to Girdwood afterall. Does anyone know of a nice cabin, b&b with private entrance they like?