Sights to See, Tours to Take or Not Take
 

l) Flight over Denali from Talkeetna to see the park/Mt. McKinley
2) Kenai Fjord catamaran or boat tour
3) Misty Fjord
4) Tracy Arm

Self touring to Denali and than back to Seward. Afterward leaving Seward on Holland Lines South in early September.

In mid June we took the sightseeing flight over
Mt Mckinley/Denali. Best experience of my life! We also took the Kenai Fjord wilderness boat tour and saw Orcas, Humpbacks, sea lions sea otters, dall porpoises and a glacier calving 4 times. This made a stop at Fox Island for a 1 hour dinner. 8 hours total. This was very exciting also.

We did the Misty Fjord flight tour - it was very beautiful- landed the float plane for a 10 min stop - I think the McKinley flight seeing might be more dramatic but didnt do it so hard to compare.

My cousin went on a bear viewing trip she really enjoyed - very expensive though - some operators will give a big discount if you call the night before and there is stand by space available.

We did whale watching out of Juneau- saw humpback whales doing " bubble net feeding" It was amazing- the highlight of the trip.

Skagway we did the Whitepass Rail trip - also beautiful scenery - enjoyed very much

In Denali we did the Tundra Wilderness tour- saw several grizzlies- 1 right beside the bus, plus moose, cariboo, golden eagle, Dall sheep ( very far away)

We also visited Husky Homestead - sled dog presentation by 4 time Iditerad winner and got to play with the babies.

We also spent 2 days in Homer which we enjoyed very much.

Guess that about covers it

Tracy Arm was one of the highlights of our trip. The glacier was calving almost constantly and the sea life and eagles were very active. Many of the most beautiful photos from our Alaskan adventure were taken on that tour. Denali is also wonderful!
Take advantage of the free dogsled demonstration there, it's interesting and informative.

We really enjoyed the flightseeing over Denali from Talkeetna, getting a brid's eye view of the glaciers and base camps used by the climbers. Also liked staying in Talkeetna.
Loved Tracy Arm and floating in zodiacs among the pieces of the glacier. We woke up there on the first morning of our Lindblad expedition cruise

Loved the Kenai fjord tour - on the 9 hr tour you'll be the only boat that goes to the Northwestern glacier. It was stunning with almost non-stop activity that was actually pretty disconcerting as we could see parts of the glacier change shape in front of our very eyes (the captain said it's not usually that active). As others are saying, you'll see humpbacks on the way in and out (very close to the boat -- captains communicate with each other to update about locations, etc).

I hear that skipping the dinner tour is a good idea as it's a bit of a promo for the lodge that Kenai Fjords is associated with and food appears to be quite mediocre (according to reviews anyway). At first, we were a little worried about the $196 pp cost (inc taxes) but afterwards, we felt it was the bargain of a lifetime to have the opportunity to witness that.

We also did a flyout with Alaska West to Crescent Lake for fishing (and there were bears there too). Also quite expensive (almost 500/pp) but again, we were stunned into silence and the only ones there. This is prob only worth it if you're really into fishing, though - which was great with almost non stop action for at least 6 hrs (plane ride is 45 min each way).

I have done all your tours listed, and all are very worthwhile. For Kenai fjord, I went out three times this year, and most important - make sure you have at least 6 hours on the water. Second, if you want a summit flight of McKinley, these are superb. There are summit "view" flights that allow a glacier landing, which is of interest to some.

Misty Fiords by float plane is very different, all green. With independents, you may have the opportunity to land and get off the plane. This isn't available with ship contracted flights.

I've had better trip into Tracy Arm compare to my one this year, but there aren't alot of options for day trips. It is a worthwhile tour, but in my opinion going out of Prince William Sound has an edge.