mingum

Thank you so much for your information. I've changed my itinerary and I think I have it nailed down. I do so much appreciate your help and feedback.

If you would review and let me know if you think I'm doing the right thing, it would be great. We are 2 adults/child age 11 who love nature and want to get off the beaten path but not miss the things that draw so many people to Alaska either! We intend to camp every night except for in Anchorage where we'll get a b&b. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to wing it and not make camping reservations. I hope I'm right!!

Here goes:
1-overnight Anchorage
2- Drive to Seward stopping at Exit Glacier
3-Fjords boat trip, overnight in Seward
4-drive toward Hope and make it as far north as possible without being exhausted. Stop in maybe Girdwood or Portage areas
5-Drive to Talkeetna and take flightseeing?
6-Drive to Denali and do short hike at Savage River
7-Denali bus trip to Eilson Center for hiking
8-Drive to Fairbanks stopping in Nenana
9-See Fairbanks and surroundings
10-Arctic Circle flight trip? Overnight in Fairbanks
11-Drive toward Paxson stopping a lot and hanging out relaxing, camping
12-Drive toward Glenallen, stopping a lot for short hikes, and enjoying the scenery, camping, relaxing
13-Drive to Valdez, slowly and nicely
14-Take ferry from Valdez to Whittier and drive to Anchorage, overnight in Anchorage
15-early morning flight home

repete

A few thoughts:

What kind of camping and what time of the year? This might not be as easy as you think and your success in this will be a huge factor in the quality of your trip. Many visitors think they can stop anywhere, pitch a tent and spent the night.

Day 4 -- Seward to Hope/Girdwood is very easy day.

I'd consider skipping Fairbanks and possibly adding Homer instead.

Also, a great camping option is a stay in a Forest Service cabin. The cabins are very rustic, often scenic and often only reachable by boat or plane.

BudgetQueen

I too question what kind of "camping" you are looking at??? A NECESSARY reference is THE MILEPOST, be certain to get a copy. You also may want to look at the Alaska State Parks for information. I would not count on too much outside of campgrounds, at the very least, you need bathrooms. But I would NOT suggest you just wing it, I would have camping areas well thought out and plans made. Campgrounds are FULL in season including the state parks, depends when you are going??

Your route is fine with time well thought out, but it's a short distance Paxson/Glennallen, so I would combine the days and do more in Valdez, the most scenic portion of the trip and great hiking available.

For clairfication, Eielson is NOT open, you would be looking at Fish Creek. You need reservations- but they hold back 35% of the seats and release them 2 days ahead. Be on the phone at 7am and you can just about get any bus.

AKchickie

I've lived in AK for 5 years, mostly in Anchorage but with an 18 month period in Fairbanks. My hubby has lived here in Anchorage since 1968. Yes, get the Milepost! go to www.themilepost.com if you need help getting one.

I agree with the fellow who said to consider skipping Fairbanks... it is not a pretty town, and even if it was, the forest fires in the summer blanket the area with smoke that often reduce visibility drastically. The Chena River that runs thru Fairbanks isn't all that and a bag o' chips... to control the flooding that always occurred every spring, the town has basically made the Chena into something that looks like an oversized irrigation ditch. Blegh. No mountains nearby either, just some hills, nothing special. Chena Hot Springs is very rotten-egg smelling from the sulphur, and that wouldn't be so bad if the rise-off showers worked, or were clean, or the shower water didn't smell like sewage, but these were issues both times I've been there. Nenana isn't anything to see either, just a worthy potty stop.

A few miles north of Anchorage is Eklutna Lake, with a wonderful trail for hiking or biking to Eklutna Glacier at the end of the trail, great views of mountains on each side (and you can see the massive leftover damage from an avalanche about 5-6 yrs ago), and it's a great place to kayak. Please wear water-floatation vests! The water is very cold and makes swimmers sluggish in less than 2 minutes, and a guy just drowned there this weekend because he didn't wear a floatation vest... but I guess this really applies to anywhere you'll be on the water, not just Eklutna.

Homer is great, with majestic views of mountains on the other side of Kachemak Bay, and a lot of bald eagles hanging around. There's great fishing on the Kenai Peninsula too, on the drive to Homer. Don't miss it!

If you're going to Glennallen, just a bit further on the road is Copper Center, and more importantly, the Copper River Princess Lodge. We stayed there on a "stay 2 nights for price of one" internet coupon two weeks ago, but even if you don't stay there, the view of Mt. Drum from the lodge's sitting area is bee-yoo-tiful. We liked the bar & restaurant food too, friendly staff.

From Copper Center, if you're willing a 2 1/2 hour drive on reasonable dirt roads (and pretty views), drive to McCarthy, cross the footbridge, and take a shuttle van ($5 pp each way, & friendly drivers) to Kennicott/Kennecott, and see the old mine and views of the glacier (awesome). Also, the van driver told us that there's a glacier three miles out of town (Root Glacier Trail), and we started on the easy trail only to realize we wouldn't make it back in time for dinner, so we didn't go. We're planning on going back, staying in the Kennicott Glacier Lodge (another "stay 2 nights for price of one" coupon), so we can do the hike and not have to worry about having to be anywhere at a certain time.

On the drive to McCarthy, stop at Liberty Falls, there's an incredible campsite there right next to the rushing falls. Awesome sound to fall asleep to.

Valdez is great too, lots of waterfalls coming down the mtns from snowmelt, and you can hear the distant roar of the water in the middle of town, it's that loud. Lots of hiking trails, but bring bear spray and talk loudly or sing so you don't startle any wildlife, particularly bear or moose with babies.

Make reservations for overnight stays whenever you can! Anchorage hotels fill up fast. Forest Service cabins are great, but you usually have to grab them as soon as you can book 'em, 1 yr in advance. Hubby and I haven't been able to get one yet. Another thing to consider is making alternate plans if the weather doesn't allow flying out to the cabin.

Phew! That's my 2 cents. Enjoy Alaska!

AKchickie

In reference to dfrostnh's comment about the salmon in Bird Creek, along the Seward Highway about 1/2 hr south of Anchorage, they're putting in a new parking lot for the fisherpeople (politically correct) because they used to just park on the side of the hwy, not safe. To keep fisherpeople from congesting the site while construction crews work there, Bird Creek has not been stocked with salmon for the past 3 or 4 years. So, if you stop and look, that's why there's no combat fishing going on. Russian River, however, is getting into full swing, great place to see salmon (and bears looking for a free lunch and bossing fisherpeople around if they don't get it).

mingum

We are going the first two weeks of August and plan on camping in official campgrounds. It sounds like it won't be too hard to get a site from some other things I've read and researched, I hope I'm not wrong. My current worry is now bears and it's starting to freak me out a bit, camping with my 11 year old son in bear country. The hotels and lodges are so expensive I'm not sure if it is doable. Adding up the cost of the rental car the cost of this trip is starting to feel exhorbitant. I'm liking the idea of sleeping in a van, like a previous poster said! RVs aren't for us so I don't think that's a real option.

repete

It's easy to get bearanoid, but the odds of any incident are very slim.

Just be absolutely strict about keeping all food away from the tent and watch out for sloppy campers nearby. If you cook meals in camp, do it away from your tent and gear.

But if bears are an issue, then dropping Fairbanks for Homer makes even more sense, because you can camp on the Spit -- which is also a great place for an 11-year-old to play.

You could also look at a B&B for a night or two in bear country. FYI, Valdez always seems to have a busy black bear population.

AKchickie

Some info on bears:

About 6 people are attacked by bears in Alaska every year, and one person is killed every other year. Two thirds of the people attacked are hunters creeping through the woods to find game, and they startle a bear that's protecting its young or a yummy moose carcass. You may have heard of the two Alaskans killed in their tent in ANWR this weekend by a predatory grizzly, but this is highly unusual (good gravy, I'm probably not helping you feel better about this, am I?).

If you're sleeping in a van, no worries, but keep your campsite squeaky clean in regards to food, so they don't come sniffing around. If it's a popular campground you're at, bears are unlikely to wander in because they'll be spooked (unless they're brazen because some fool was feeding them human food)... this is true for trails too, more people walking the trail, less chance of bears.

I live across the street from Far North Bicentennial Park, which is on the far east side of Anchorage, butting right up to the mountains, and it's primo bear territory. I get freaked being on "game trails", the really narrow trails with heavy brush on either side of you, where you can't really see what's around the corner.... I stick to those nice, three feet wide, groomed trails, usually the ones that are used by cross-country skiers in the winter.

Just remember to make noise; my hubby and I find our evening hikes are great for loudly discussing our day, or singing obnoxious songs ("Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot is a favorite, very catchy, and very embarassing when you realize hikers behind you on the trail are clapping and calling for an encore).

You'll be able to find campsites to drive into, stick your $10 bill in the pay booth and fill out a ticket for your windshield, but you have to know where to look for another site in case one is full... this is where the Milepost is handy. We've always been able to find a campground in the summer for our RV or van to park in and catch a few winks, but I guess we're pretty familiar with the area.

Another thing about van-camping: Campgrounds always have bathrooms, and nearby businesses have "Pay Showers" because it's very common to have people who are tent-camping and need to clean up (not to mention residents who get by without running water). The only thing I'd worry about is keeping cool in the van when you're parked (we had this problem in our Honda Element)... if there's no screens on the windows, mosquitoes will come in, and they are fiesty this year.