Hello,

I will be attending a conference in Anchorage at the end of June, and will have 3.5-4 days before I need to fly home. I've never been to Alaska before, but I'm excited about the opportunity to see some wildlife, a glacier or two, and take pictures (I've got a new DSLR I'm itching to test). I will most likely be traveling alone and am open to renting a car, or ferry(ies). I also enjoy hiking and the outdoors in general.

Any suggestions you can provide so that I can build my itinerary would be very helpful!

From what I've read, it seems that the most popular destinations around Anchorage are Seward/Kenai, Denali National Park and Valdez. I feel like if I go to Denali, I would definitely have to pair it with one of the other places since I desperately want to see a glacier too.

Another variable to consider is that the conference I'm attending offers a discounted rate on a 3-hr night-time Prince William Sound Whittier Cruise. Should I attend this? I'm skeptical as to how much we'll actually be able to see in the dark...on the other hand, they say that this trip is not offered normally and is a "special" event and therefore unique.

Here's my itinerary so far.

**Thursday 6/25 (~5pm): Conference ends in Anchorage. Rent car and leave Anchorage. Find somewhere to stay in Matanuska Glacier Area (suggestions?)
**Friday 6/26: Morning with MICA Guides Ice Trek Tour. Then drive to Valdez. Explore Valdez in the PM. Overnight in Valdez.
**Saturday 6/27: Columbia Glacier Excursion w/ Stan Stephens (8 hours). Want to see calving! Second overnight in Valdez.
**Sunday 6/28:7am ferry w/ car from Valdez to Whittier with the MV Aurora. Arrive in Whittier at ~1pm. Drive to Seward?
**Monday 6/29: Need to be at the Anchorage airport by 3pm to return car and catch my flight at 5:30pm. What can I do outside of Anchorage (will have seen the city during the conference)?

What else can I do Sunday or Monday? Is there anything else I should plan to see in Valdez? Is the Columbia Glacier cruise from Valdez better than the Kenai Fjords Tours?

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

I'm skeptical as to how much we'll actually be able to see in the dark...

Sunset in Anchorage on June 21-26 is 11:42 PM, sunrise is at 4:20 AM or so. It doesn't actually get dark. Remember midnight sun and all that.

Denali in mid summer really needs at least a 2 1/2 day commitment, as the drive from Anchorage takes half a day, you need a full day to get to the interior of the park and back, and then the drive back to Anchorage.

Frankly I would scrub the Valdez trip, use the cost of the car ferry to pay for a flightseeing excursion to Denali from Anchorage, definitely take the evening Whittier cruise, and spend at least 1 1/2 days in Seward, including a Kenai Fjords cruise - more glaciers, wildlife, etc. You could throw in a glacier landing on the flightseeing trip, or a walk to Exit Glacier outside of Seward. Less time in the car, more time seeing things.

I agree with Gardyloo.

you get to see lots of wildlife from the Kenai Fjords cruise. We saw humpbacks, orcas, seals, otters, puffins, even a bear on the shore.
We also saw quite a few glaciers, and one of them calved. I think you get a good mix of stuff.

I think Gardyloo's plan is good.

"…will have 3.5-4 days before I need to fly home."
- rent a car (book it now & check daily to see if you can get a better price)
- with this short time I feel you need to decide to either head north (towards Denali) or south (towards the Kenai Pen.); not both.
- for the variety of activities, I'd head south



"discounted rate on a 3-hr night-time Prince William Sound Whittier Cruise. Should I attend this? I'm skeptical as to how much we'll actually be able to see in the dark…"
- In late June, unless it's a particularly overcast night, it won't get dark (perhaps dusky, but not dark). e.g. you could play baseball or golf without extra lighting

"Here's my itinerary so far."
- here are suggestions/changes I would do:

6/25 - stay at Sheep Creek Lodge

6/26 - go on the trek as early as possible (great lighting in morning sun). Don't head to Valdez, losing too many hours driving. Head towards Seward. Stop in the Girdwood/Portage/Whittier area (see: http://goo.gl/dPvuEJ)
6/27 - still in the Girdwood/Portage/Whittier area. drive to Seward for the night
6/28 - Seward (marine cruise and Exit Glacier)
6/29 - get up early & drive back to ANC (head up to Glen Alps trailhead for great views of city, arms, inlet, and surrounding mountains)

Thanks, guys. These responses are very useful! It completely slipped my mind that the sun goes down so late. Woops!

It seems there's a consensus to skip Valdez given the time that I have. That makes sense, I think.

@Gardyloo: the flightseeing tours look amazing. I'll have to look into options because some of them look pretty expensive. Do you have any suggestions about which ones get you the best bang for your buck?

@China_cat: I would love to see all of that wildlife! Definitely going to the Kenai Fjords now!

@sdpryde: What's at the Sheep Creek Lodge? I didn't really understand, is there a trail nearby to the lodge?

Thanks again to everyone!

...the flightseeing tours look amazing. I'll have to look into options because some of them look pretty expensive. Do you have any suggestions about which ones get you the best bang for your buck?

They are expensive for sure, but incredibly memorable. As for which one, that's easy - if it's flyable, a Denali flightseeing trip is something you'll never forget. You simply can't imagine the size of the mountain until you approach it at 3000 feet altitude and watch it literally fill the sky. Plus, the approach to Denali from Anchorage over the Susitna Valley gives you a real sense of the awesome scale of Alaska, and how trivial the human impact actually is.

I recommend Denali (or any flightseeing for that matter) be done from one of the Lake Hood floatplane operators (of which Rust's - http://www.flyrusts.com/ - is the best known.) It gives you a twofer - the flight itself, plus the experience of taking off and landing on water. If you haven't done it before, it's a real blast.

Oops, I got mixed up, I should have said Sheep Mountain Lodge (for if you are heading out to the Matanuska Glacier).

Thanks for all of the amazing advice, guys!

China_cat - which tour operator/tour did you go on? I'll be in Alaska in a few weeks and what you described is exactly what I am looking for!