Renting a car & travelling for 10 days beginning 6/15. We don't really want to be on a set schedule. WOULD WE BE ABLE TO GET ROOMS WITHOUT RESERVATIONS AT B&B OR MOTELS? Places we want to see are Seward, Kenai, Homer, Talkeetna, Valdez. We are in our 50s & no children. Any lodging suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Try re-posting your question with Alaska (?) in the title and you're apt to get more responses.

Probably, but you are likely to spend a lot of time on the phone trying to find openings, and/or driving to a lot of different lodgings & being turned away before finding something. Not saying don't do it, if that kind of flexibility is really important to you...just be prepared for it to be a lot of work at times....also harder to manage your costs and/or guarantee the quality of the lodging you end up with...

I've spent a lot of time on the phone and computer trying to work out reservations for late June and early July the past couple of weeks, and am still working on it! Places are already booked!

Last summer we went late May/early June and had trouble finding vacancies when we made our reservations in January. Do you really want to risk spending all your time looking for places to stay? Maybe you could find some places that allow same day cancellations, but I wouldn't wait till I got there. There are not that many places to stay in some towns in Alaska and with the volume of tourists going each summer, they fill up fast.

Thanks everyone! I will definitely make reservations.

Definately have reservations. What people find out in Alaska is the VAST distances without any lodging. B&B's are fully booked peak season.

So unless you want to spend a great deal on your cell phone calling around and also driving around, maybe out of the way. I wouldn't recommend just winging it unless you are prepared for car lodging.

Charley-We are traveling in the same period as you-10 days beginning 6/17. I found that many places in Anchorage (our first night after the flight) and Talkeetna were already booked. I was told that this time period is very popular because of the summer solstice and fathers day. In fact, one condo broker I spoke with said they actually raise their prices this week! I tried bidding on priceline for an Anchorage hotel and gave up when my bid of $120 was not accepted. I've used priceline in several cities (Boston, Washington, Amsterdam, etc) and never paid more than $80 so I was shocked.

Re: suggestions of where to stay-I just posted my itinerary this weekend. I can't vouch for any of these places because I haven't been to Alaska before, but I've read every tour guide I can, read back posts here and on Frommers and reviewed hotels listed on TripAdvisor.

You may get more suggestions if you list your price range and any amenities you want-e.g. view, kitchen, on lake, etc.

Thanks. I actually am going to try to book at some of the places you did. Have fun!

Had you considered renting a small 20-foot motor home? We did this and always had a place to stay and could be flexible. It's the Alaska "thing to do", and not that expensive, considering the cost of renting a car and buying every meal out. We often stayed in state parks. Sometimes we paid a little for an RV park with a laundromat and a larger shower and hookups. But, otherwise, our generator kept us cosy and our beer cold and our food hot.

We are in our 60's.

If it interests you at all, google Clippership Motor Homes and Cruise America.

An RV is a great idea for those who don't want to be tied down with hotel reservations. But my min. size recommendation is 24 feet, so to have a permanent lower bed. The convertable beds are not all that comfortable and aren't that convenient to setup and take down every day. The overhead is ok if you can manage.

I sometimes travel in Alaska in summer without reservations when I'm not sure where I'll want to stop for the day, but that's always keeping in mind that I may find something great with a room available, or I may need to dig out the tent or sleep in the car. If you're not up for trying to sleep in a car with 22 hours of daylight, you'll want reservations. All of your towns you listed really require reservations to ensure you get a bed. Maaaaybe you could go to Homer and find an open room (try the visitor center, and ask for the list the B&B Association sends to the visitor center each day of availability). I know that in the past couple years, quite a few gorgeous B&Bs have come online there. Fishing cycles/runs have a lot to do with how full the town is week to week.