dfried1

Hi,
My husband and I are planning a trip this July (very last minute!) to Alaska, and would love any help the experts could offer. We have 8 or 9 days and my first question is - is it possible to do a bear-viewing trip from Homer with this amount of time? We have one potential itinerary with a trip to Homer and one more liesurely option without. I'll list the two possibilities here - any advice would be much appreciated!!!!

Itinerary 1:
Day 1 arrive Anchorage
Day 2 Drive to Homer (how long is this drive?)
Day 3 Bear viewing (5-hour tour with Hallo bay) and then maybe a short hike in the afternoon back in Homer
Day 4 Drive to Seward, maybe Kayak in the afternoon (?)
Day 5 Kenai Fjords tour
Day 6 Drive back to Anchorage, stopping at Exit Glacier along the way
Day 7 Talkeetna with a flightseeing trip
Day 8 Denali bus tour
Day 9 back to Anchorage and fly out

O.K. That was the manic version of the tour. Itinerary 2 would be more liesurely and would skip Homer, in favor of spending more time in Denali and Seward and places in between.

What do you think? Is tour 1 doable or crazy? Do you think we are too late for planning any of this?

Thanks for your help!

tom22

Take a look under www.alaskatravel.com and you will get a good overview, how busy the different hotels and tours are during your time (i.e. denali).

dfrostnh

Anchorage to Homer is 225.8 miles -about 5 hours. This could easily take more time if stopping for photo ops and lunch but a leisurely drive on your first day would be nice. Time from Homer to Seward is 3-4 hours. Not as picturesque but you will still probably want to make some stops i.e. Russian River ferry area. Seward to Anchorage is 127 miles. Anchorage to Talkeetna is 113. If you made a leisurely drive on Day 2, you could visit Exit Glacier and get to Talkeetna on Day 6 to give you a little more time in the Talkeetna/Denali area. I don't think you should cut Homer from your trip. There is great eagle viewing. Your bear viewing trip might be the highlight of your trip.

BudgetQueen

I think this is too much and not enough time budgeted if you want Homer, Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali. You need at least 2 nights in Denali.

For clairfication- I do not recommend the Denali bus tours, the shuttles are superior for a bargain and getting farther into the park.

dfried1

Thanks to everyone for your help! The drive times between places is especially useful information. We ordered the Milepost, but haven't received it in the mail yet. Budget Queen, I appreciate your expert advice. Why do you think it is important to stay 2 nights in Denali? I scheduled one night in Talkeetna, thinking that would be close to Denali anyway, but maybe I'm missing something. Also, if we do the drive from Anchorage to Homer - does anyone have suggestions for places to stop/things to see along the way? Thanks again!

dfrostnh

Talkeetna is very small. If you can do flightseeing and then continue on to Denali, it would be a better idea. Once you get the Milepost, it will be a lot easier to plan the details of your trip since everything is listed. The most spectacular scenery south of Anchorage will be along the Cook Inlet/Turnagain Arm. We stopped several times just to take pictures plus took the tram ride up Mt Alyeska. In late July the salmon were running up Bird Creek so we spent time there watching the fishermen. I'm not sure how much activity there will be on the Russian River in July. I liked the Portage Glacier visitors center but don't know how it compares to Exit glacier. Between Anchorage and Soldotna there are lots of scenic places but not very many gas stations and restaurants. You will drive thru a commercial area of Soldotna that offers lots of options for food and gas, gift shops etc. At this point, you are also driving near the Cook Inlet and can see the volcanos on the other side but the terrain is much flatter. You can figure 1 1/2 hours before you see much commercial activity again. Some in Ninilchik and just before you get into Homer. As you approach Homer there is a great roadside overlook with a breathtaking view of the Spit. If you haven't taken a break from driving, Soldnota would be a good place to do so. You'll see typical big name places like any small city in America but a place I particularly liked is a little cluster of small shops under one roof near the intersection. There's a nice little bookstore, gift shop, deli, etc. If you've forgotten anything, there's some big grocery stores, very good outdoorwear place. Good place for gas. Each of the towns on your list have a distinctive personality. Just remember, whatever you choose, it will be a great trip.