My husband and I are planning a trip to Alaska May 21-31. We are an active couple in our 30's hoping to do a lot of hiking, outdoor activites, etc. Our plan is to split our time between the Kenai peninsula and Denali NP. We like to take our time seeing things and would rather spend more time at fewer places. Currently we are renting a car and planning to stay at hotels/hostels/B&B's. Our must-do's are kayaking (maybe overnight trip?) and hiking at Denali NP. Other things we're interested in are glacier hiking, boat tour, dog-sledding and flight-seeing. But our time and budget won't allow for all this. $1000 is the max we want to spend btw the 2 of us for sight-seeing activities/excursions.

Any suggestions on what things we should definitely budget for? If we kayak in Kenai Fjords park, should we also do the day boat tour or will the scenery be similar? Also, how much do we need to plan ahead vs. book when we arrive? Can we book day cruises, kayak trips, etc once we arrive? Should we book lodging in advance or can we find it as we go this time of year? Would you suggest basing ourselves in Seward and doing day trips to other parts of Kenai or staying in multiple cities? Is it realistic to drive from Seward/Homer to Denali NP (Cantwell) in 1 day or should we plan to break it up and stay somewhere on the way?

Hopefully this post is not too long..

I trust you are thinking about May 2009!

I have tried to plan for 2008 and there were just too many things that were already booked a year in advance!

I was thinking about "winging it" myself....but I wonder if that would be a good idea. After all, I am spending a lot of money and time and would hate to just be shut out of Denali Park, flightseeing, and Kenai Boat tours.

I would be interested to hear what the experts think about 'going to Alaska with no reservations"

I am currently doing final details for our mid-June 2008 trip and am finding some things filled already - but May is less busy than June.

Alaska is really, really expensive - I am impressed with your ability to stay within a budget like that.

Homer to Anchorage 6hr drive, Anchorage to Cantwell 4-5 hr drive. Do able yes but it makes for a very long day. I can't speak about the kayaking but the time you will be in AK, the lakes can be still ice frozen. Spring has been slow coming to Homer as they are still getting snow at the higher elevations. I would start making calls to the facilities/adventures that you show some interest in to ask if reservations are needed.

Our last visit was in late June. I made reservations ahead of time for weekends and even months ahead couldn't get my first choice b&b for Father's Day weekend in Palmer. My second choice was great however (Alaska Garden Gate). We were able to book a Kenai Fjords boat cruise a day ahead when we knew the weather was going to be perfect. It was mid-week and the boat was half empty. OTH we didn't have a good list of b&bs for Seward and got a referral to one I really didn't like. But for one night you make do. Basically my complaint was the difference between a b&b like Alaska Garden Gate that offers a hot breakfast and a place for guests to socialize as opposed to the room over the garage/cash only some people offer. I think socializing with the host and other guests in part of the experience. On another trip to Seward/different trip, we found an in town motel at the last minute. Nothing fancy and I liked being able to walk around without getting in the car again.
We took a short flightseeing from Seldovia to Homer that was part of a hotel package. I'd make a flightseeing my second priority after the boat cruise. I would do both kayaking and cruise since the cruise is going to take you to some of the sea life like orcas. Sometimes it's just luck but I don't think you will see the large variety that the cruise sees because of the greater distance. The scenery is spectacular. We were also really lucky to have calm water so the captain was able to enter a tiny inlet where we were almost completely surrounded by steep walls. She said it was only possible a few days each summer. The entrance was very narrow and rocky. My basic impression was that we were priviledged to see so many animals that are wild and free. I would expect Memorial Day weekend is pretty much booked as far as lodgings. Remember, Alaskans enjoy holiday weekends, too.
Homer to Anchorage is about 5 hours. Then the drive to Cantwell is long. It really depends on how much time you are comfortable in the car. Get an early start/Anchorage for lunch. But, keep in mind the most spectacular scenery is between Seward and Anchorage plus there are things to do. I wouldn't rush that part of the trip unless you have taken your time on the trip south the Seward. Seward to Homer is about 3 hours. Nice scenery but not spectacular until you get close to Homer. On our last trip we based for some of the time in Kenai which is next to Soldotna and about halfway between Seward and Homer. Nothing special about the town compared to Seward and Homer. I think it would be better to spend two nights in Seward and two nights in Homer or similar. I wanted to see Hobo Jim perform and finally got to a dinner show in Soldotna. He also plays in Seward and Homer bars but my husband wanted to avoid smoke. Also from Anchorage to Denali you might have the opportunity of a short dog/cart ride in Wasilla at the Iditarod Museum. Also, don't miss Indpendence Mine near Hatcher Pass. You'll have to take the road from the Wasilla side since the Pass is not open that early in the year.
Eating out all the time can get expensive. You might do breakfast on your own i.e. cereal in the room. You could pick up a picnic lunch at a grocery store. We alternated lunches and dinners out but we had cooking facilities. In Seward we ate a Ray's one meal, got sandwiches for back in our room for another meal. If a b&b doesn't serve a hot breakfast you can expect a bagel, juice and coffee. Some of the gas stations have breakfast sandwiches. We didn't see salmon on the menus in June but there was plenty of halibut served all different ways.
Best wishes for a great trip!

Buy a toursaver book which will give you two for one discounts on things like flightseeing, cruises, etc. www.toursaver.com I believe

We RVed on the Kenai in late May 2004 and found the campgrounds empty and no need for reservations anywhere. We could wait to book our Kenai Fjords tour the day we went to check out the weather and the boat was not full at all. We did a kayak trip accross the bay from Homer, were the only ones there, and had sea otters playing with our kayaks.

I have no clue how the winter of 2004 compares with thtis one in Alaska but for us the weather was great and the lack of crowds wonderful. Be sure to bring a warm waterproof coat and over the ankle hiking boots as the trails will be wet, and in some places muddy that early in the season.

Have a great time - Alaska is AMAZING!

Thanks for the tips so far! We are talking about 2008. Sounds like I probably should make lodging reservations.

Would Talkeetna be a good overnight stop btw the Kenai peninsula & Cantwell? We already have reservations in Cantwell for Denali NP.

Would you spend time in both Seward and Homer or somewhere else?

I assume you realize you're arriving earlier than most tourists, pros and cons. Pros - some preseason discounts are available; Cons - some things won't be in full swing yet. Did you check to see when Denali Park opens? I can't recall but I know it may be right around the time you arrive.
Talkeetna might be fun. It's a small town, not much there, but funky. There is a Talkeetna bluegrass festival yearly, not sure when that happens. Probably later in the year.

I like both Homer and Seward. They are similar yet different. Be prepared, it may still be a little chilly at that time.

That is pretty early for a lot of stuff here.

Weather is a big consideration - it is snowing here in Anchorage as I write this. Which means at higher elevation (Anchorage is at sea level) there will be more snow which will stay around longer which means roads (like the one into Denali) will not open as soon.

I don't know, but I assume Denali NP visitor center will be open but I would not expect the buses to traveling that early, or if they do, how far back into the park they will go.

That is too far to drive - Homer to Denali - in one day. Figure 45mph on highways here with time to stop and take pictures.

Anchorage has really good hiking around the bowl and back into the Chugach Mountains - but snow will be a consideration if you go back in more than an hour.

Bears may be active and wildlife viewing should be good.

Seward is a good place to stay - you can hike Exit Glacier (if it is open), kayak and take a tour. You might consider taking the boat tour out of Seward and renting kayaks out of Whittier (or the other way around) so you are not retreading the same area. Whittier is sufficiently close to Anchorage or Seward so your trip out of there can be from either spot. Whittier is accessible only by a tunnel with limited hours - don't know when they are but you need to know ahead of time.

Weather typically will be better when you get away from the coast (Homer/Seward/Whittier) but as you drive to Denali, it gets a little higher in elevation and will be drier but cooler. Fairbanks and interior will probably have the nicest weather then.

Good luck on that $1,000 budget - hiking is cheap but all the tours and flight seeing is not. There should be some early season discounts on those tour outfits operating then.

Flightseeing can be done out of any of those destinations - if you do it out of Seward it would be of the Ice Fields and some glaciers, Anchorage would be same more or less with an option to go to Denali but most people who do flightseeing into the park leave out of Talkeetna. Good chance to see lots of climbers if you go up to the mountain for summit viewing or glacier landing.

A cheap but fun day trip out of Seward is to the Caines Head State Recreation Area and Fort McGillvray. There are a number of trails out there with excellent views of Resurrection Bay. Last year I took the Seward Water Taxi out there and hiked around for over 5 hours including explorering the World War II bunker complex.