Where to go last two days in Alaska?
 

I (along with my husband & 13 y.o. daughter) will be spending 9 nights in Alaska at the end of July. Although we originally wanted to include Denali, we have decided to focus on the Kenai Peninsula, because we want to take it easy and not spend a huge amount of time driving.

We will fly into Anchorage, stay 1 night, rent a car, stay 2 nights in Girdwood, 2 nights in Homer, 2 nights in Seward, and for the last 2 nights - I have yet to decide.

We especially enjoy beautiful scenery, casual hikes, and like to tour in a laid-back way, with time for rest & relaxation. I was thinking of staying one night at Thatcher Pass Lodge (though not sure if my husband will go for no running water & pit toilets - but the views look wonderful!) near Palmer and we could see the musk ox and the Indpendence Mine. Then last night back to Anchorage, so we could get ready for our flight home (5pm) in a leisurely way.

But I'm wondering if perhaps instead we should take a boat trip on the Prince William Sound. (We will have already done one all day boat trip of Kenai Fjords.) Will we be missing a lot if we skip this? Any thoughts or advice would be most welcome! Thanks!

Sheep Mountain Lodge is a pretty spot and not very expensive, but you have regular cabins with real bathrooms. The Matanuska Glacier is nearby and is worth seeing as you can walk out onto it. We did a hike up into the hills and did actually spot some sheep.

Thanks very much, Neapolitan - that place looks very nice too, and real bathrooms are a big plus! I am checking into their availabilities now.

Frankly, I would not spend two nights in Girdwood, one is enough and combine it with a boat tour out of Whittier, if of interest. Kenai Fjords and PWS are completely different. Are you taking a cruise too?? If not, then do consider this because of the extensive, close up beautiful glacier scenery.

I too would suggest 2-3 days north, you could include an overnight in Talkeetna, Palmer, Sheep Mt. Even though one night in each location, being on the move allows better access to the varied activities and these locations aren't that far apart, an hour or two.

I would consider adding another night in Homer but it all depends on what you are doing. You can easily spend most of the day driving from Girdwood to Homer. Stop at the Russian River Ferry, lunch and shopping in Soldotna, small but nice visitors center in Kenai, etc. With one full day in Homer you would have to squeeze in a visit to the Pratt Museum, explore the Spit, take scenic Skyline drive. You could add a short flightseeing trip over a glacier. We did a package overnight trip to Seldovia, over by tour boat and back by plane but the plane ride was the highlight. There are some other places to visit in Homer that we missed such as the Wynn Nature Center. Although Homer is known for halibut fishing charters, it is also very artsy. In Palmer, we stayed at Alaska Garden Gate B&B. Independence Mine was great. There is plenty to do in Anchorage so you could also consider doing Palmer as a day trip so you wouldn't have to change hotels again but I think I would explore Anchorage at the beginning of your trip. I liked the Public Market that is open on Sat and Sundays. Check the calender to see what events are going on during your visit.

If you want to do any shopping at all, Anchorage is really the best bet.I found a lot of smaller galleries that sell the Made in Alaska items there. The downtown area is full of great places to shop, and it is all very walkable, too. Plus, there are several excellent restaurants, the Museums of Science & History, and the Native Heritage Center.

I would second 1 extra-day in Palmer -- visit the Matansuka Glacier - very pretty painted mountains (like the sand paintings kids do in bottles) across the highway from the glacier. Stop at the Independence Historic Gold Mine -- then have lunch in Palmer. Go the the Musk Ox farm -- children (and adults) would enjoy this. Visit our photos in this area: http://www.camsoft.us/personal2/Alaska/Palmer/index.htm

I would then spend the other extra day in Anchorage. I hope you are there on a Saturday morning -- as the flea market was fun and you can pick up some very nice keepsakes. My daughter absolutely loves her beaverskin slippers -- wished I bought a pair for myself. I have pictures of that under Anchorage. You will have a great time. If you have time in Seward -- take a short hike to Tonsina point -- a magical forest trek. Exit glacier is also great fun -- kids love the freedom to splash in the glacier melt-waters.

Thanks so much for all the very helpful replies!

BudgetQueen - yes, in retrospect I realize 2 days in Girdwood were not neccesary - but I had found an especially attractive, well-priced rental by owner that required a 2-day commitment, so I figured we could unwind, take it easy, do the tram, Portage glacier. Would it be possible to do the PWS boat trip from here?

(Whoops - posted before done!)
Can the PWS trip be done while based in Girdwood? (BQ - To answer your question, we will not be cruising; these 9 days are our whole trip. We will be flying into & out of Anchorage - from Los Angeles.) Also, is it necessary to make the day boat trip reservations now - or can we wait til we get there?

Miss Maple - loved your photos - looked like you had a great trip!

,we also did PWS cruise while based 2 nights in Girdwood. Just take a look at the train/road shared tunnel schedule in Whittier so that you won't miss your boat trip !

You will miss a lot to exclude Denali.
Any chance to fly in to ANC and out of FAI ? That wuld allow you just one way drive north to Denali and then Fairbanks !

If not have you considered to extend your stay in Homer for a wonderful bearviewing trip to Katmai ??
We did with Baldmountain but there are some excellent options like Emeraldair and Hallo Bay.

We had an unforgettable day !!

Thanks, Fabio, for the information. I think we will try the PWS cruise at the beginning of our trip.

I wish I had thought of flying home from Fairbanks before - now it's too late without incurring a lot more expense. We'll just have to make a return trip to Alaska, to see everything we miss this time!

I had considered a bear viewing trip, but my daughter does not want to - I think she is afraid. (Doesn't help that she watched Grizzly Man with us recently!) Not sure whether to push it.

I too, would not go to Homer without 2 nights there. And frankly, I would not base my schedule in Girdwood with extra time just because of booking requirements. It is an extra day that could be better used elsewhere. Your schedule is not that hectic to need a day to "unwind", in my opinion. :)

You have some great plans here for a very nice trip. You just might want to keep fine tuning it based on some suggestions perhaps?

Yes you can easily get to Whittier from Girdwood.

I like the extra time in Homer also, however, I have an alternative suggestion you may want to consider. It's a little pricey but on my last trip, I flew over to Kodiak Island for the time between turning in my rental RV and catching my flight home.

It was only one day and night but it was well worth it. Kodiak became my second favorite place of all the places I've been in Alaska (with the Homer area being first). That visit included both Homer and Kodiak and I think it was one of the best travel decisions I've ever made.

dwooddon,

I'm happy to hear you rave about Kodiak as I am headed there for the Crab Festival over Memorial Day. I have few questions for you... if you don't mind.

Where did you stay?
Did you have a rental car?
How did you spend your days? what activities?

Any overall recommendations or thoughts?

Thanks!

Sid - My trip report can be found by searching this forum for "Kodiak" then clicking on the post labeled "Trip Report - Alaska & Yukon". There is also a link in that report to photos, including some of Kodiak.

I did have a rental car from AVIS at the airport. My MO when visting a area new to me for only a short time is to try and get a wide overview. I did that at Kodiak by driving to as many places around the island as I could fit in the time available. Since this was supposed to be a same-day fly in and out trip, I had only the one day for sightseeing but I did drive a great deal of the island. The photos don't do it justice but they will give you some idea of why I liked it so much.

Have a great visit.

Thanks again for all the helpful ideas.

BudgetQueen - we do have 2 nights booked in Homer - reading this site prompted me to increase it from the 1 night I had originally scheduled. And yes, you're probably right that we shouldn't need a day to unwind - but you haven't factored in how laid back (lazy?) we are! The idea of a relaxing day to start off with, coming from our everyday busy stressful lives, is very appealing - even if it does mean giving up a bit of touring time. But I think we will try and do the PWS cruise, one of the days we are based in Girdwood. Thanks for all your help.

dwooddon- I really enjoyed your trip report and photos. I will consider Kodiak - it looked entcing - though most likely will save it for next trip.

We were planning to spend 2-3 nights in Kachemak Bay. Do you think that Homer is preferable? We want to kayak, hike, etc.

Homer is a lot drier than Kachemak Bay ... :)

Seriously, Homer is basically the gateway to the bay.

We LOVED Homer . . . wish we would have known about that place in our younger, Bohemian years! ;-) There is TONS to do in Homer, so you will be able to enjoy many outdoor and water activities. Just visiting the little shops along the spit is fun, too.

Great photos, Miss_Maple! Thanks for sharing them with us! I love the Matanuska Glacier, and from your photos it looks like you do, too.

We took a small plane ride around
Mt McKinley and will never, ever forget
it! We flew directly over a group of
mountain climbers that waved up at us
and it seemed we could reach out and
touch the snow. It was breath-taking,
truly.