I am beginning to plan for an Alaska trip next summer and would appreciate advice. I have never been to Alaska and want to see as much as possible in about 2 weeks without short changing the quality of the experience. I prefer independent travel and appreciate sites with fewer tourists. I have read many of the trip reports and found them most helpful but none quite matched what I think I would like to do. The forums helped convince me that a cruise was not a match for me, but I would appreciate someone who has been there/done that to review my ideas and let me know if I am missing something important.

Day 1: fly into Anchorage
Day 2: Anchorage: AM - AL Native Heritage Museum
PM – bike on the Tony Knowles Trail
Day 3: Anchorage AM - Anchorage Museum
PM - Hike Flat Top Mtn
Day 4: Seward AM - take train to Seward
PM – AL Sealife Center
Day 5: Seward Kenai Fjord Cruise
Day 6: Seward Exit Glacier
Day 7: Travel from Seward to Whittier
I really need help here. Up to this point a car has been unnecessary. I want to catch the Marine Highway Ferry to Juneau, but do not know the best way to get from Seward to Whittier. Suggestions would be welcome!
Day 8: Ferry from Whittier to Juneau
Day 9: Ferry
Day 10: arrive Juneau; Mtn Roberts
Day 11: fly to Glacier National Park; kayak and/or whale watching tour
Day 12: Glacier National Park boat tour
Day 13: fly to Juneau; Mendenhall Glacier and/or whale watching
Day 14: fly home

I would appreciate experienced Alaskan travelers to let me know if this itinerary is reasonable & includes appropriate wildlife & glacier viewing opportunities without duplicating experiences. I am not opposed to renting a car but didn’t see the need if there is a way to get from Seward to Whittier. I would also welcome recommendations for overnight accommodations in Anchorage, Seward and Juneau.

I can't help too much, but can give you an Anchorage biking tip. We were offered bikes with power assist. Since we bike a lot (in Illinois) we were inclined to go with standard bikes. In the end the women in our group went with the power assist and the men did not. What an awesome invention. We could have biked all day and enjoyed flying past the men on their up hill struggles. Worth the extra money! (Had 3 close up encounters with moose on the trail.)

We stayed at the Captain Cook hotel because it was part of the Princess Tour package. Nice hotel, but I have nothing to compare it with.

Also, in Juneau you can take a $15.00 shuttle to Mendenhall glacier. From there you can take various hikes. We paid for a guide since my husband loves all the information, but we saw many people doing it on their own.

In Juneau you can hike up Mt. Roberts and take a $5.00 ride down.

Thanks! Your information was really helpful. Do you recall where you rented the bikes? Do you recommend a particular bike route in Anchorage?

As for hiking up Mt Roberts - I understand it is 4.5 miles. Is it better to spend the energy to ride up and then hike trails on top of Mt Roberts or hike up and just take in the view from the top? How much time should be allowed?

The bike shop was 1 block from Captain Cook (towards the water). I can't remember the name, but there were several bike rentals in the same area. We took the Tony Knowles trail and ended up in Kincaid Park. It started raining heavily, so we didn't ride any of the many trails within the park.

Our group hiked up to the top of Mt. Roberts, took in the view, and rode down. Two members of our group were 60s- something women. It was a strenuous hike, but doable. The hike up was 2 hours. I don't know what hikes are available on top of the mt.

Appreciate the information. Biking and a Mt. Roberts hike will definitely be on our agenda.

Can anyone offer advice on taking the Marine Highway Ferry? It seems most people take a cruise so I would like to hear from someone who has used the ferry.

Why no Denali plan?

Seward to Whittier - there is a train between Seward and Whittier that runs once or twice a day - thru an incredible tunnel that is used for both wheeled vehicles and trains - it runs in only one direction at a time, hence the limited train service. Do not know website but when we checked it out, it was fiarly easy to find with google.

Mendenhall Glacier - we did a helicopter landing and walk-around thing - there are also landings with longer hikes. It was my understanding that the only way you can actually get on the glacier is to land on it - visitors center with shuttle has views, but that's it.

Whether or not to go to Denali is a travel decision, of course. If you decided to go to Denali you could trim a day off Anchorage, Seward, and perhaps Juneau and turn those into 3 days (including travel) to Denali. I think you can have a perfectly wonderful Alaska trip without Denali - you seem to have done a lot of research and planning. The question is do you want to go that far and not see some of Denali?

That is my question also as we are planning and quite a few trips do not include denali, which former visitors have told me is a mistake.

My take on Denali. We went there - glad we did. But one must go with reasonable expectations and information. It takes the better part of a day to get there from Anchorage. It is beautiful and makes you feel like you are really in Alaska. Unless one is a true wilderness hiker, there are only a few trails near entrance - and if, like us, you are not any kind of a hiker, you ride the bus.

The bus goes along a narrow dirt road into the park - and there are some dizzying heights along the way with no guard rails (so height phobic, take that into consideration). You will see wildlife - if you are lucky some will be close up, and there will be babies (we were there in early June and were lucky). The views can be spectacular - but it is still a 12 hour bus ride. I worry when I hear families talk about the wildlife to their kids who are accustomed to watching the Animal Planet on huge screen or seeing animals close up in the zoo - obviously nothing like that.

If you are only there a few days, the mountain may not be "out" - so you may never see its full beauty.

I have no regrets for taking the 3 1/2 days to get to/from Denali - it is unlikely I will ever return to Alaska so it is an experience I am glad I had. But there is much else to see in Alaska and still believe one can have a credible trip without going. Some here have had to for time reasons choose between Kenai Peninsula and Denali - glad I did not have to make that choice because it would be a tough one.

I would skip Denali on this trip, especially because of your time consuming leg to Juneau by ferry. I'm not denigrating Denali - I have greatly enjoyed my visits there. However, Alaska distances are greater than they may look on a map and the road conditions in most areas are, at best, average. You will have very few occasions where you can travel at freeway speeds. Trying to cram too many destinations into a trip can be very frustrating.

If it were me, I would also skip the ferry trip to Juneau and save it for another trip. Again, not denigrating it - it just adds too much time to your visit.

With two weeks, I would concentrate on the Anchorage, Seward, Homer, Valdez areas. There is more than enough to see and do on the Kenai Peninsula to fill your two week trip and still only experience a fraction of what is available. IMO, the Kenai is also the most scenic portion of Alaska available by road.

Hi rancherswife,

I spent several years living in Alaska, and it looks like you have received some great advice on here. I thought I would just add a few things for whatever it's worth. First, you mentioned you weren't planning on renting a car (at least initially). I notice you're planning to bike the Tony Knowles trail (great idea in my opinion). Are you planning on getting around Anchorage by bike, or what what were your plans? IMO, based on what you'd like to see/do, I'd plan on renting a car for at least part of the trip. Alaska is such a big state, and public transportation is so limited, that a car really helps save time/see more places. While it wouldn't be impossible to see Alaska without a car, it would definitely limit your schedule.

If you end up deciding to see Denali Nat'l Park, then to get from Anchorage to Denali, I'd really recommend renting a car. The Alaska Railroad does have a route that goes up there, but the schedule is pretty limited, and it's extremely expensive. If I were going to take the Alaska Railroad, I would take it from Anchorage south to Seward (much better scenery/more worth the money IMO than the route from Anchorage to Denali). I completely agree with "gail" above on her assessment of Denali. I've been many times, with varying results. Like she says, as long as you have realistic expectations, it's a good trip. For example, seeing Mt. McKinley/Denali is kind of a "luck" and weather thing. If it's not a really clear day, you might not get to see it. Some people come expecting to see it and are very disappointed when they don't. Further, you can't predict whether the animals will be out or not. In all my years of living there, I actually never got to see the mountain clearly from the Park (I ended up having to fly over it to see it). But, we were always very lucky to see a lot of animals. As gail says, once you get to the park, you have to take a bus into the park. If you do this, I recommend taking the really early bus trip and go at least as far as Wonder Lake. We always saw more animals in the early morning hours or in the evening as it was getting dark than we did during the middle of the day there.

As for the ferry trip, I also agree with the poster above who explained this will eat up a bunch of your time. We took the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry system) many times, and I loved it every time. My favorite ferry trip was taking it up through "the narrows" near Petersburg and Juneau I believe - an area the cruise ships can't go through because they're just so big. On the ferry, you get to see the same scenery of the cruise ships without all the nonsense of going on a cruise. However, the ferry is really slow. Whenever we took the ferry, it was to see the beautiful scenery and just relax . . . you can't be in a hurry.

I agree that if you make Denali a part of the trip, you'll probably need to plan a good 2.5-3 days to include that in your trip. Two weeks is a perfect amount of time for a trip to Alaska, and it's just a matter of deciding what's most important to you. I agree with the poster above dwooddon above that were it me, I'd probably concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula -- a very beautiful part of Alaska, and I agree it's one of most scenic portions of Alaska available by road.

Good luck with your trip!! I'm sure that it will be a wonderful adventure no matter what you choose to do.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed reply. I recognize that I am probably an atypical visitor to Alaska. While it will be my first trip there, I probably arrive with a different perspective. I am not willling to roll the dice for Denali in my limited time frame. As a rancher's wife, I live on 10,000 acres in Florida and while that is small by Alaska standards, I fully understand the concept of wildlife not showing up when the tour bus goes through. I was fortunate to have seen Mt. Cook, NZ on a clear day & understand the gamble you take with shrouded mountains so I am completely ok with missing Denali and concentrating on Kenai instead. I am most appreciative daph4ne of your opinion - having lived in Alaska. Your take on the ferry is most refreshing as I was discouraged by all the negative reactions I was receiving. Your description made me realize I was making the right decision for me. Due to time, if I have to trade a train & bus ride in which I may or may not see a mountain and view animals from a distance for a slow boat ride that is a cruise without frills and gives me the oppotunity to travel as native Alaskans, I know I am making the best choice for me. For me, it sounds ideal!

I will take your car rental advice to heart and seriously consider renting a car once we get to Seward. Currently we plan on flying into Anchorage and spend 2 nights there. We'll visit the Heritage Museum, bike the Tony Knowles trail, check out the Anchorage Museum and hike Flat Top Mtn before taking the train to Seward. We then have 3 days before taking the ferry from Whittier to Juneau. I would love your advice! We plan on taking the longer cruise through the Kenai Fjord; visit the Exit Glacier & the Sealife Center; maybe work in a kayaking trip too. Should we drive over to the Cook Inlet side and visit Homer? How hard is it to rent the car in Seward and drop it off in Whittier? If you could fill in logistic gaps for me, I would be most appreciative!

From Juneau, we plan to fly (or ferry) to Glacier National Park so will have another opportunity to kayak & take a boat tour. We're seriously considering a heliride to the Juneau Icefield as I have already purchased the Alaksa Tour Saver book. I know weather is unpredicable so I wanted to give myself second opportunities to see animals, glaciers, etc. I would also appreicate it if you could lend your opinion as to which may be better places to kayak and see glaciers. I know all will be spectacular but if I have to pick and choose without duplication, which would be best? Also can you recommend accomodations in Seward and Juneau? I prefer quiet (but conveniently located). B & B's are great but I must have 2 separate beds and a private bathroom. I am leaving my cowboy at home and am traveling with a girlfriend. We plan on flying home from Juneau so the idea was to select a few specific areas and not try to do everything. I am most appreciative of any opinions of those who have been there and done that before.

Let me comment on the Whittier > Juneau ferry, and make an alternate recommendation.

Because you're crossing the Gulf of Alaska, you're in open ocean for much of this trip. The ferry used on this run is rated for these conditions, but it's a pretty small vessel and it will bump and roll a lot during the crossing. There also isn't all that much to see, as you're offshore and some distance from the mountains on the mainland. Plus, frankly, it's not very good value IMO considering you pay extra for cabin accommodations and food. Add the hassle of getting to/from Whittier (the trains are timed to serve the cruise ships at Whittier more than the ferries) and the very high rental car prices for pick-up or drop-off in Whittier (or Seward, for that matter) and IMO it doesn't add up to the best way to spend a couple of days and several hundred dollars. Opinions will definitely vary on this, of course - many people love the relaxed atmosphere of the ferries - sleeping on the top deck in sleeping bags, etc. Probably more fun on the Inside Passage than crossing the Gulf, I'd guess.

Instead, let me make an alternative suggestion. Rent a car in Anchorage for your explorations. Relying on public transportation in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska is a recipe for spending a lot of time - time you've paid for in airfare and accommodations - fussing with arrangements - taxis to train stations, buses to various parts of Anchorage (e.g. how were you planning to get to Glen Alps and the Flat Top trailhead?) and so on. Not saying it can't be done, just saying it's a huge time suck.

Drop the car at ANC and fly to Sitka. Sitka is a lovely little town in SE Alaska that's bypassed by most of the cruise ships in summer (no adequate dock facilities hence they have to tender into town.) Lots of Russian colonial history, great music festival if you visit in June - http://www.sitkamusicfestival.org/ and superb scenery nearby.

Then take the ferry to Juneau - around 5 hours in the afternoon, and resume your trip there.

The flight to Sitka will be cheaper than the ferry to Juneau (especially when you add in access costs to Whittier etc.) and IMO you'll find that if you spend a comparable time in Sitka to what you would have spent on the ferry, you'll come away with a much deeper feel for places you'd miss otherwise.

Just my tuppence, but I'd encourage you to do some research and number crunching on the matter.

in answer to your question:
>>How hard is it to rent the car in Seward and drop it off in >>Whittier?

You can't. Whittier has only Avis, Seward has only Hertz. Anchorage has a much larger array of rental providers.

Our first trip to AK was via the Marine Ferry from Bellingham but we had a car with us so we could drive from Skagway to Anchorage. The car and a family member were staying in AK otherwise a car on the ferry is very expensive. Friends had encouraged us not only to take the ferry but also to camp out on the fan tail deck. You have to bring your own duct tape to prevent the tent from blowing overboard. We booked a cabin. The food was mediocre. The Forest Service lectures great. But, as small as the ferry is compared to a cruise ship, the small boats that visit the glaciers out of Seward get you much closer to nature and wildlife.

I don't blame you for skipping Denali as chancy. But I recommend the Independence Mine State Park north of Anchorage.

Each town seems to have its own personality. I liked Homer a lot but not just for the fishing and eagles but also the number of artists. We did an overnight to Seldovia. Nature cruise over, flightseeing back. The Pratt Museum is great. Great view from the Skyline road overlooking town.

Although we made a brief visit to the Transportation Museum outside of Wasilla, we skipped a mid-June plowing demonstration because we were attending another event. There's a lot of early flight information at the museum.

It's a long drive from Seward to Homer passing through the busy town of Soldotna. It's not as incredibly scenic as the Seward highway along the water.

I appreciate the insights. Your suggestion to see Sitka is appealing and I will certainly rethink the ferry (again!). We are already committed to taking the train from Anchorage to Seward & so didn't see much point to renting a car while in ANC. We plan to stay downtown and there appear to be tours or other transportation options available to get us to the museums and Flat Top. I am looking forward to several days in the Kenai Peninsula so don't want to skip that. I also want to spend time in Glacier National Park hence the idea to travel by ferry to Juneau. I did look at flying from ANC to JNU and once I compared the time and cost of traveling back to ANC from Seward, airfare & hotels, the ferry seemed a good trade off. Because of the time the ferry departs, it utilizes 2 nights which we would be sleeping and spending for hotels. There is a bus service that runs daily from Seward to Whittier for $55 (takes 2.5 hours). From your description, you must have had a very bad experience with seasickness and the ferry. Are there other travel options from getting from Seward to Juneau? Should I consider flying from Seward to Juneau or would that be expensive?

Again thanks for your advice.

Seward doesn't have a commercial airport. You'll understand why when you get there.

I certainly don't mean to hijack your plans; by all means if you want to go car-less in Anchorage it's doable. (However, be warned: Anchorage is a sprawling city with very few "walkable" areas outside of the downtown core.) A car simply gives you options that aren't available on the bus or in organized tours; in addition it can allow you to stay in cheaper accommodations outside of the downtown core (or B & Bs if so inclined) that might help offset some of the car costs.

Regarding the train, I guess my point is that while the train is scenic, it follows more or less the same route as the highway, but won't allow you to stop for pictures or take side roads (e.g. to Hope) or little hikes (e.g. at Potter Marsh, Portage Valley or McHugh Creek Falls) which a car would do. Plus, when you arrive in Seward, you'll once again have to rely on local sources for transportation and access to such places as Exit Glacier. The car carries your luggage, keeps you out of the rain (and it does rain - sometimes a lot - in Seward in the summer) and offers more flexibility. Just my opinion.

I've been on much bigger water on the state ferry than you'll likely encounter going from Whittier to Juneau. If you're an okay sailor (and/or take the right precautions) I wouldn't worry too much about seasickness. You'll probably encounter equally rough or bumpier conditions on the Kenai Fjords tour. My point was that the two days on the Whittier > Juneau ferry might be less entertaining than you think, compared to an equal amount of time in someplace like Sitka. As for cost, if you want a cabin, the ferry will be more expensive than flying, even counting the need for a hotel in someplace like Sitka.

I wasn't suggesting Sitka in lieu of Glacier Bay; I was suggesting it in addition to Glacier Bay.

Just saw that you had replied rancherswife, and based on your questions, wanted to give you my two cents in regards to the above. First, in regards to Denali - that makes total sense to me. It sounds to me like you're making the right choice for you by skipping Denali.

RE: the rental car in Seward/Anchorage, I agree with what has been said by other posters above. In giving you full disclosure, when we lived in Alaska, we lived in the Fairbanks region, so unfortunately, I know far less about Anchorage/Kenai peninsula area than Interior Alaska. We took several trips to Anchorage, however, and I agree with Gardyloo about public transportation. If it were me, I'd plan to rent a car in Anchorage (in my experience, it was cheaper renting one there than in Seward) and just using it for the duration of my time except for any time spent on the railroad. Like Gardyloo says, public transportation is probably doable, it's just that there isn't a lot of it up there. (Let's just say it's not a popular mode of transport for the locals, so there's not much of it.) So, it'd just be a big time suck, waiting around for a bus.

The above posters are also correct about the ferry being expensive - you certainly don't take it to save money!! It's typically so you have the convenience of your car wherever you're headed, honestly. And, maybe to see some great scenery in between, depending on the route you take. I agree once again with Gardyloo that the ferry from Whittier to Juneau probably isn't quite as scenic as the Inside Passage (which was the route we took). I do get seasick, and had my moments on the ferry in open water, but just took some Dramamine, which seemed to do the trick.

I got similarly sick on the Kenai Fjords cruise (but again took some Dramamine, which made the trip just fine). I thought it was a beautiful and very worthwhile trip down there. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not the best to give advice for what to do while you're down in the Seward region. We stayed at the Armed Forces resort down in Seward, which was perfect for us (definitely check this out if you have any military connections). You'll find that decent/clean hotels in Alaska are just more expensive than in the lower 48 (we initially got sticker shock just finding out how much the Super 8 was), especially in the smaller towns. Our main purpose for going to Seward/Homer was fishing, so I'm afraid I can't help you much with kayaking recommendations. My Mom and I did a fly fishing trip on the Kenai (neither one of us had much fishing experience prior), and we were surprised at how much we enjoyed it (but we might be unusual women in that sense). We did see Exit glacier, and that was really awesome - definitely worth it. I thought the Seward Sea Life Center was ok - Mom gets really seasick, so she spent an entire day there while the rest of us went on the Kenai Fjords trip. She got a little bored after an hour or two. Don't get me wrong - IMO, the Sealife Center is well-done and interesting, but probably just not worth more than a few hours if you've been to a lot of really nice, big aquariums. There were some great seafood restaurants in Seward (I'll try to find the name of our favorite for you), and overall, I thought Seward was one of the most beautiful places we ever went in AK. The thing is - it's a lot prettier when you go if it's not clouded in. If it's a cloudy day, you'll never the huge mountains surrounding the place, which is a don't-miss.

I never got a chance to go to Sitka, but regret not having made the trip while we lived in AK. I like the above poster's recommendation of that, and would certainly recommend considering it. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to spend much time in the Juneau area, so I'm just not much help there. Good luck on your trip, and have fun!! I'm jealous.

Just a quick reply to my above posting. The restaurant we ended up liking in Seward was the Exit Glacier Salmon Bake. We liked it so much, we went back a couple of times. It was reasonably priced and quite tasty - great, fresh Alaskan seafood. Since our trip was a couple of years ago, I looked on Tripadvisor, and it looks like the Exit Glacier Salmon Bake is still getting consistently good reviews, so might be worth a try. Others had recommended we go to Ray's Waterfront Restaurant, but we liked the Salmon Bake so much, we just never made it.