sahara102

I'm planning a 15 day RV trip to Alaska for June 7th through June 21st. Please review my itinerary and let me know if I need to make changes or give me your opinion on some of the places I plan to visit. Thanks!

Day 1:
Pickup RV from Great Alaskan Holidays
Anchorage RV Park

Day 2:
Alaska Native Center
Travel to Talkeetna
Denali Flightseeing & Glacier Landing w/Talkeetna Air Taxi
Talkeetna Camper Park

Day 3:
Mahay's Jetboat Safari
Travel to Denali
Denali Grizzly Bear Campground

Day 4:
Denali Tour
Denali Grizzly Bear Campground

Day 5:
Denali Saddle Safari
Wilderness Run Rafting
Denali Grizzly Bear Campground

Day 6:
Travel to Fairbanks
University of Alaska Museum
Pioneer Park
Chena Marina RV Park

Day 7:
El Dorado Gold Mine
Riverboat Discovery
Chena Marina RV Park

Day 8:
Arctic Circle Fly/Drive Tour w/Northern Alaska Tour Company
Chena Marina RV Park

Day 9:
Visit North pole
Travel to Gakona or Glennallen
RV Park??

Day 10:
Travel to Palmer
Musk Ox Farm
Independence Mine State Park??
Homestead RV Park

Day 11:
Travel to Seward
Goodwin Glacier Dog Tour
Stoney Creek RV Park

Day 12:
Kenai Fjords Tour
Stoney Creek RV Park

Day 13:
Visit Exit Glacier
Kayaking w/Miller Landing - 3 Hour Thumbs Cove Trip
Stoney Creek RV Park

Day 14:
Travel to Girdwood
Alyeska Tram
Crow Creek Mine??
Anchorage RV Park

Day 15:
Drop off RV
Rent car
Flight out is at 8:50 pm - any suggestions on what to do this day?

mlw

Just a few suggestions, based on our Aug26-Sept 6 trip this year. We enjoyed spending first night in a downtown hotel in Anchorage (Ramada Downtown) Gave us a chance to unwind after long flight from east coast, walk around downtown Anchorage,eat, shop a little, etc. The hotel shuttled us to Great Alaskan the next morning and we felt refreshed and ready to RV.
Sounds like you have a lot packed into 15 days...we found we didn't do as many activities as we thought we would. We enjoyed stopping to look at scenery,sitting at our campsites and enjoying the view,etc. As many on this board have said, the distances are vast in Alaska. I would recommend checking out the city waterfront campground in Seward.It may be very crowded in June, but we really enjoyed our time there. There is a great path along the waterfront, you can walk to the downtown area, the Sealife Center, restaurants, watch the fishing boats and the cruise ships come in. The view is great. We liked the fact that we could just walk to the Kenai Fjords tour. Take the longest one, the Northwestern Fjords. We stopped at several of the private campgrounds and didn't like them (to be fair, I don't think we saw Stony Creek). Our last night we spent at Williwaw USFS campground near Portage Glacier. The Portage glacier visitor center and surrounding scenery made us very glad we did not miss it. The most beautiful photo I took (and I have plenty!) was taken in that area. It was close enough to Anchorage that we were able to drive back and turn in the RV on time the next morning.Enjoy your trip, wish I was going back this year!!

dfrostnh

Last summer we visited from mid-June to July 6 and had fabulous weather, even too warm some days (don't forget sunscreen). At the beginning of your trip, I would visit the Title Wave bookstore in Anchorage for reading material. They have a huge selection of books about Alaska. One of my favorites is Tish, a biographical novel about a teacher who moved to Alaska in the early 1900s. If you don't already have the Milepost, you could buy it then.
We enjoyed Independence Mine. Several buildings have been restored and the history is interesting. June 21 is the Summer Solstice. There may be events the weekend before. Check the calendar on Anchorage Daily News website www.adn.com. I recall a lot of festivals and parades during the summer in different communities. We enjoyed the 4th of July parade in Kenai. Add the Sea Life Center to your Seward itinerary. We also liked the Portage Visitors Center.
I liked the trolley tour in Anchorage. I think you will find plenty around Anchorage to do.

Pat2003

Sahara, I am very impressed with your itinerary. It looks as you did an extensive research. It is nice to see you are not trying to pack too much in two weeks. How I wish we spent more time hiking in Denali. I would combine days 9 and 10 and stay in one place around Palmer.
Sahara, here are going to be people who tell you there is not much to do around Palmer. If you are interestd in a gorgeous scenery and outdoor activities you will be pleasantly surprised. If you stay two nights in Palmer you could spend one day visiting Hatcher Pass. There are lots of walks and hikes along paved portion of the road from Palmer to Hatcher Pass.
On day 15th what time your plane departs ANC? Why are you renting a car? You could spend a nice part of the day at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.

BudgetQueen

I assume you will have a www.toursaver.com ??? Anyway- for clairfication- I don't recommend ANY of the TOUR buses in Denali Park and only use the SHUTTLE buses. What is your reason for Glennallen??- way superior is the Glennallen -Valdez portion. I wouldn't do this route without it myself, coming back across the Glenn Highway is OK, consider a stop and trekk with MICA guides if you do. Take the Large animal research tour at the Fairbanks U- superior to the Musk Oxen farm in terms of science. Also consider the city waterfront "lot" in Seward- scenic and convenient, also the Chena River State Park in Fairbanks is just excellent. Pick up a "Carr's" Safeway card for gas discounts- every little bit will help, for what it's worth, I would only rent a 25 ft or more.

BudgetQueen

Also Eagle River State park is beautiful, the rental car option the last day is excellent, the RV has to be turning in early. Request the Anchorage visitor guide www.anchorage.net if interested in history the drive to Hope is a nice day trip.

mlw

We really enjoyed having the rental car the last day, since we had about 12 hours between RV turn-in and our evening flight. Drove up tp Flat Top for the view, went to a couple of the parks, coastal trail, ate at Moose's Tooth, shopped a little. It gave us a place to keep our luggage too, while we went exploring. Great Alaskan will take you to the airport, where you can pick up the car. Very easy to do.

repete

A pretty good itinerary, BUT I would would seriously trim down the interior Alaska section.

Skip the jetboat safari on Day three and hit Denali for the late afternoon or early evening rafting (very doable.) Drive to FBX after the Saddle Safari on Day 5.

Compress your Fairbanks days (trust me, this is too much) and add a trip to Homer once you reach the Kenai Peninsula.

lanememory

Hello Folks. My wife and I planning our first trip to Alaska having just retired. Renting a 25 ft RV and a 14 day trip. The gentleman who posted that 15 day itinerary was excellent. I took some of the suggestions the readers made and incorporated them into his itinerary. Arrival is Jun 29. We are looking forward to it.