Trip Plan
Mar 5th, 2006, 11:50 AM
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Trip Plan
Below is my trip plan for 8/8/06 thru 8/23.
Any sugesstions would be appreciated.
8th Arrival Stay in Anchorage or Girdwood
9th Seward
10th Seward – Fjords Cruise
11th Seward to Homer - Kayaking
12th Homer – bear trip
13th Homer
14th Homer to Talkeetna including Portage Glacier
15th Summit flight on to Denali Park
16th Denali – shuttle to Wonder Lake
17th Denali
18th Denali to Copper Center
19th Valdez
20th Valdez – Stan Stephens Cruise
21st Valdez to Anchorage
22nd Explore Anchorage – flight 11:00 pm
Any sugesstions would be appreciated.
8th Arrival Stay in Anchorage or Girdwood
9th Seward
10th Seward – Fjords Cruise
11th Seward to Homer - Kayaking
12th Homer – bear trip
13th Homer
14th Homer to Talkeetna including Portage Glacier
15th Summit flight on to Denali Park
16th Denali – shuttle to Wonder Lake
17th Denali
18th Denali to Copper Center
19th Valdez
20th Valdez – Stan Stephens Cruise
21st Valdez to Anchorage
22nd Explore Anchorage – flight 11:00 pm
Mar 5th, 2006, 05:17 PM
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LoL . . . Lowmargin you remind me of me when I first started here on Fodors. Unlike a lot of Fodorites, I'd never used an online forum before, even though I started teaching hypertext markup language to 4th graders about 15 years ago. You'll get the hang of it. Glad to see you didn't give up! ;-)
I have a few questions:
8 & 9: it's not far from Girdwood or Anchorage to Seward, do you have other things planned for that day? Might be a good time for Portage Glacier since you have a long drive on the 14th.
11: About a 5 hour drive--longer if you stop for sightseeing--to Homer. Hope you plan a stop off at Anchor Point. What time is your kayaking trip?
17: What are your plans at Denali? Hiking?
18: Long drive, might want to consider stopping earlier than Copper Center--Sheep Mtn perhaps?
22: Are you returning by ferry or back the same route driving?
Looks like you've done a lot of research and good planning!
I have a few questions:
8 & 9: it's not far from Girdwood or Anchorage to Seward, do you have other things planned for that day? Might be a good time for Portage Glacier since you have a long drive on the 14th.
11: About a 5 hour drive--longer if you stop for sightseeing--to Homer. Hope you plan a stop off at Anchor Point. What time is your kayaking trip?
17: What are your plans at Denali? Hiking?
18: Long drive, might want to consider stopping earlier than Copper Center--Sheep Mtn perhaps?
22: Are you returning by ferry or back the same route driving?
Looks like you've done a lot of research and good planning!
Mar 5th, 2006, 05:41 PM
#5
Welcome aboard! I know you are excited to get info - but a little helpful advice how the forum works . . .
You have basically asked the same things 5 times. The best thing to do is not to start a new thread over an over. Instead, if you want more input, "top" one of your earlier threads. Topping means bringing it to the top of the list so others will see it. You can top a thread by posting anything to it. Just ttt (To The Top) or more info about your first post. To find all of your threads, click onn your name and they will all display in the frame too the left.
Also - it helps if you use more detailed titles. Even if you click on "Alaska" your thread ends up on the general United States forum. So "Trip Plan" could be about anything.
Don't worry - most "newbies" make the same sorts of mistakes since Fodors doesn't do a good job of explaining things. We are all here to help - you will soon become addicted
You have basically asked the same things 5 times. The best thing to do is not to start a new thread over an over. Instead, if you want more input, "top" one of your earlier threads. Topping means bringing it to the top of the list so others will see it. You can top a thread by posting anything to it. Just ttt (To The Top) or more info about your first post. To find all of your threads, click onn your name and they will all display in the frame too the left.
Also - it helps if you use more detailed titles. Even if you click on "Alaska" your thread ends up on the general United States forum. So "Trip Plan" could be about anything.
Don't worry - most "newbies" make the same sorts of mistakes since Fodors doesn't do a good job of explaining things. We are all here to help - you will soon become addicted
Mar 5th, 2006, 05:50 PM
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Also, if you don't see your thread, try clicking the "refresh" option on your internet toolbar at the top (usually a circling arrow or some icon like that).
Keep us posted on your trip plans, and don't forget to come back and post a trip report when you return!
Keep us posted on your trip plans, and don't forget to come back and post a trip report when you return!
Mar 6th, 2006, 03:50 AM
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Thanks for the info on proper posting etc.
I will add Port Glacier to the 9th schedule and cancel the kayaking trip on the 11th. Would you recommend kayaking some other place?
17th - hiking etc,
On the 18th I will stop earlier Sheep Mtn.
on the 21st I had planned to backtrack to save money, as I understood the ferry was $500.00.
Appreciate any other comments or additions/subtractions
I will add Port Glacier to the 9th schedule and cancel the kayaking trip on the 11th. Would you recommend kayaking some other place?
17th - hiking etc,
On the 18th I will stop earlier Sheep Mtn.
on the 21st I had planned to backtrack to save money, as I understood the ferry was $500.00.
Appreciate any other comments or additions/subtractions
Mar 6th, 2006, 07:13 AM
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No, don't cancel your kayaking. Homer is wonderful for kayaking. Homer is great for most activities, plus it's beautiful! I was just concerned that you have time to do it that same day that you drive from Seward to Homer. If it is afternoon kayaking, and you leave Seward early, you might be able to make it.
Also great kayaking out of Valdez--Shoup and/or Columbia Glacier. We did an overnight kayaking trip out of Seward and loved it.
Very long drive from Homer to Talkeetna. Check your maps . . . you may want to rethink that day if you don't want all day driving. I don't think I'd want to cover that much in a day. Alaska is SO BIG--it's tough to get that concept when planning a first trip.
Do you have a copy of the Milepost? Would help with your driving plans.
We didn't take the ferry either . . . have to draw the line with the spending somewhere! ;-) Beautiful drive . . . I could have handled doing it twice, although it does make for a long day driving from Valdez to Anchorage, especially if you are like us and like to stop along the way.
Feel free to ask more questions, specific questions, etc. Have you worked out lodging?
Good luck with the planning!
Also great kayaking out of Valdez--Shoup and/or Columbia Glacier. We did an overnight kayaking trip out of Seward and loved it.
Very long drive from Homer to Talkeetna. Check your maps . . . you may want to rethink that day if you don't want all day driving. I don't think I'd want to cover that much in a day. Alaska is SO BIG--it's tough to get that concept when planning a first trip.
Do you have a copy of the Milepost? Would help with your driving plans.
We didn't take the ferry either . . . have to draw the line with the spending somewhere! ;-) Beautiful drive . . . I could have handled doing it twice,
although it does make for a long day driving from Valdez to Anchorage, especially if you are like us and like to stop along the way.Feel free to ask more questions, specific questions, etc. Have you worked out lodging?
Good luck with the planning!
Mar 6th, 2006, 08:56 AM
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I have rearranged the trip a little.
8th Arrival 8:30 pm - Stay in Anchorage or Girdwood
9th Portage Glacier - Seward
10th Seward – Fjords Cruise
11th Seward to Homer
12th Homer – bear trip
13th Homer - Kayacking
14th Homer to Anchorage area
15th Summit flight in Talkeetna - on to Denali Park
16th Denali – shuttle to Wonder Lake
17th Denali - maybe some hiking
18th Denali to Sheep Mountain
19th Valdez
20th Valdez – Stan Stephens Cruise
21st Valdez to Anchorage
22nd Explore Anchorage – flight 11:00 pm.
Is it any problem leaving from the Anchorage area to Talkeetna for a summit flight and then on to Denali?
The only reservations I have made is our flight from Virginia to Anchorage.
Trying to finalize where we will be each night so I can start making room reservations. Have some names of places to stay from this forum. Any recommendations would be helpful. Will be making a car reservation soon, probably U-Save.
8th Arrival 8:30 pm - Stay in Anchorage or Girdwood
9th Portage Glacier - Seward
10th Seward – Fjords Cruise
11th Seward to Homer
12th Homer – bear trip
13th Homer - Kayacking
14th Homer to Anchorage area
15th Summit flight in Talkeetna - on to Denali Park
16th Denali – shuttle to Wonder Lake
17th Denali - maybe some hiking
18th Denali to Sheep Mountain
19th Valdez
20th Valdez – Stan Stephens Cruise
21st Valdez to Anchorage
22nd Explore Anchorage – flight 11:00 pm.
Is it any problem leaving from the Anchorage area to Talkeetna for a summit flight and then on to Denali?
The only reservations I have made is our flight from Virginia to Anchorage.
Trying to finalize where we will be each night so I can start making room reservations. Have some names of places to stay from this forum. Any recommendations would be helpful. Will be making a car reservation soon, probably U-Save.
Mar 6th, 2006, 09:39 AM
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I noticed you are flying from VA. Just remember there is a 4 hr time difference, so getting in at 8:30 will feel like 12:30 a.m. EST. I would recommend staying in Anchorage and then venture to Seward the next day. Homer to Talkeetna is a 7 hr drive without any stops. Staying the night in Girdwood would break the trip in half.
Mar 6th, 2006, 10:33 AM
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Looks like you have made good changes to a great trip. You have been doing your homework! ;-)
We did the exact thing you have planned, drove from Anchorage, hung around Talkeetna most of the afternoon and took our summit flight, then headed on to Healy, where our Denali area lodging was located. We had a fun day, plus we were blessed with Denail out in all its glory!
You will be glad you are staying in Anchorage or Girdwood that fist night. We stayed in Anchorage. We are CST, and our flight arrived at midnight, Anchorage time. We thought we would be exhausted, but we were so pumped from the views while landing (in the land of the midnight sun there was a lot of sunlight, even in May). Our shuttle van driver even took us on a midnight tour through Anchorage so we'd kind of start to get our bearings without any city traffic. She even narrated along the way--what a great gal!
I think you'll love the Sheep Mtn/Manatuska Glacier area. I just couln't believe you could see that big glacier so well from the hwy, nestled among the mountains--and we'd already seen many glaciers at that point in our trip.
Make your car rental reservations now to lock it in . . . you can always cancel and make new reservations if you find a better deal.
We did the exact thing you have planned, drove from Anchorage, hung around Talkeetna most of the afternoon and took our summit flight, then headed on to Healy, where our Denali area lodging was located. We had a fun day, plus we were blessed with Denail out in all its glory!
You will be glad you are staying in Anchorage or Girdwood that fist night. We stayed in Anchorage. We are CST, and our flight arrived at midnight, Anchorage time. We thought we would be exhausted, but we were so pumped from the views while landing (in the land of the midnight sun there was a lot of sunlight, even in May). Our shuttle van driver even took us on a midnight tour through Anchorage so we'd kind of start to get our bearings without any city traffic. She even narrated along the way--what a great gal!
I think you'll love the Sheep Mtn/Manatuska Glacier area. I just couln't believe you could see that big glacier so well from the hwy, nestled among the mountains--and we'd already seen many glaciers at that point in our trip.
Make your car rental reservations now to lock it in . . . you can always cancel and make new reservations if you find a better deal.
Mar 6th, 2006, 02:17 PM
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You didn't answer BayouGal's question about the Milepost.
This is a city telephone book sized guide with everything you need to know, including excellent maps, detailed descriptions of what you will see, organized by highway mileposts, AND lists and descriptions of lodgings. And many other services.
It is essential. I counted about 14 listings for lodgings in Homer in my (several years old) issue.
Go to www.themilepost.com
You can buy it online, as I remember.
This is a city telephone book sized guide with everything you need to know, including excellent maps, detailed descriptions of what you will see, organized by highway mileposts, AND lists and descriptions of lodgings. And many other services.
It is essential. I counted about 14 listings for lodgings in Homer in my (several years old) issue.
Go to www.themilepost.com
You can buy it online, as I remember.
Mar 6th, 2006, 04:30 PM
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Yes, I have ordered the Milepost, but it has not arrived yet. I did find numerous B&Bs on the internet, just wanted some recommendations for places others have stayed and would recommend or not recommend.
Mar 6th, 2006, 04:57 PM
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Mar 19th, 2006, 12:38 PM
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Mar 19th, 2006, 12:42 PM
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lowmargin, if you do the topic search on this board for Valdez and Girdwood you should find many posts recommending or not recommending B&Bs in these two destinations. We are not B&Bs people so I don't have any personal recommendations but at least your post is going to get ttt
Mar 20th, 2006, 11:36 AM
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We could not stay at Blueberry Mary's in Valdez because there were 3 of us, but we did look at it. Great location and B & B. Try it if there are 2 or 4 of you going. We haven't overnighted in Girdwood.
Have a great trip!
Have a great trip!
