For those who have travlelled to both ?
Which is more beautiful /

south east-kitchiken,juneay,skagway or
south central-denali,anchorage,fairbanks etc

also cruise or independent ..for a couple in early 30s who is planning to leave in 10 days..

Tough question.
Question to you - do you like Colorado OR the Carribean? The Grand Canyon OR Yosemite.

Southcentral and Southeast are two very different areas.

When most people think of 'Alaska' they think deep blue water, cascading glaciers, whales, unspoiled dark green forests, etc - that's Southeast (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway - throw in Sitka). It is beautifule but can be very damp and overcast for weeks on end even during middle of summer.

Moose, brown bears, caribou, Denali, lakes, vast unspoiled expanses - you are talking southcentral (Homer norther to Mount McKinley). Could be overcast and rainly as well.

How are you traveling? Recommend car or motorhome (I recommend) in SC - SE you are talking State Ferry or Ship Cruise. (Unless you are made of money and can fly from place to place).

10 days? Hope you are kidding.

We did the ferry not a cruise ship. We like doing things on our own schedule and preferred southcentral Alaska. But a cruise that ended in Seward would be nice. You wouldn't have enough time to do Fairbanks and Denali. The drive (or train) between Seward and Anchorage is spectacular. The wildflowers are beautiful in late June. If you smell a sweet fragrance in the air, look for large white umbrels of cow parsley (horrid name!). There's a big stand of it on the hillside by the rest area overlooking the Homer Spit. Take a flightseeing trip even if it's just a short hop. Look for mother and baby moose. We know people from our state who have moved to Alaska and we tended to occasionally run into others who used to live here. Fun to hear why they moved there.

we don't know how long the OP is traveling ...

But I would add that you can get a good bit of what the SE offers with day trips in Southcentral. It's tougher to get a sampling of SC in the Southeast ...

I'd alter the Southcentral version to include Denali, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula -- trading the Kenai Peninsula -- which is the highlight for many AK visitors -- for Fairbanks is a no-brainer, especially for young, independent travelers

Repete is right on with response. Easier to do a SE addition to your SC trip rather than the other way around. Highly recommend a flight seeing tour. Take a day cruise out of Seward (2 hours by train or car out of Anchorage) for the ocean trip (or Whittier which is reached by car/train where you can do the 7 glacier tour).
You cannot get to Homer by train. I love Fairbanks because it is 'funky' but I would skip it - you are pushing the northern boundary of your trip by going to Denali. If Alaskans have to drive (rather than fly) the best road to see remote Alaska, views of Denali, caribou, bear, during the summer is the Denali Highway - but we reserve that for ourselves and generally do not tell tourists about it.

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