Whittier to Denali via Anchorage
Jul 19th, 2009 | 07:58 PM
#1
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Whittier to Denali via Anchorage
Our cruise from Vancouver arrives in Whittier Aug 26 at 7 am. Plan "A" is to take a shuttle as soon as possible (looks like Whittier Shuttle bus leaves at 10am) to ANC airport for our rental car to begin a leisurely drive to Denali. If time allows, we would take Hatcher Pass or stop at Talkeetna.
Plan "B" would be to take a 6-hour glacier cruise of PWS before leaving Whittier at 6pm on Magic Bus. We would plan to leave in our rental car from ANC at 8pm and make a beeline to Denali for, I assume, a 12:30am hotel check-in. Obviously this precludes any stop along the way.
Aug 27 would be spent in Denali NP. Aug 28 we would drive back to ANC with a stop at Talkeetna (maybe flightseeing?) and/or Hatcher Pass if we did not see either on the trip up.
Which plan is best? Is either far too aggressive (we are accustomed to long tiring days on vacation)?
Plan "B" would be to take a 6-hour glacier cruise of PWS before leaving Whittier at 6pm on Magic Bus. We would plan to leave in our rental car from ANC at 8pm and make a beeline to Denali for, I assume, a 12:30am hotel check-in. Obviously this precludes any stop along the way.
Aug 27 would be spent in Denali NP. Aug 28 we would drive back to ANC with a stop at Talkeetna (maybe flightseeing?) and/or Hatcher Pass if we did not see either on the trip up.
Which plan is best? Is either far too aggressive (we are accustomed to long tiring days on vacation)?
Jul 19th, 2009 | 09:50 PM
#2
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As a fishing charter operator in Whittier, you are going to see a lot of glaciers on the way into port. Very few people rarely get off the ship and want to cruise back into Prince William Sound, weather permitting also.
Not sure of your rental car provider, but Avis is in Whittier if that helps you get on the road quicker. 99% of rental car companies also require you sign a liability waiver indicating you will not take their vehicle off of paved roads. I write this tidbit because the road to Hatcher's Pass is not 100% paved.
Both Hatcher's Pass and Talkeetna are worthy stops. Hatchers Pass offers a lot of history with guided tours from the National Forest Service, but there are no services. Talkeetna is also very historic, but you are on your own. Talkeetna also has accommodations should you not want to venture the remaining 1-2 hours to Denali National Park. There are a few flying companies in Talkeetna that will fly you to land on glaciers surrounding Mt. McKinley. You can also stop at Hatcher's Pass on the return to Anchorage.
Not sure of your rental car provider, but Avis is in Whittier if that helps you get on the road quicker. 99% of rental car companies also require you sign a liability waiver indicating you will not take their vehicle off of paved roads. I write this tidbit because the road to Hatcher's Pass is not 100% paved.
Both Hatcher's Pass and Talkeetna are worthy stops. Hatchers Pass offers a lot of history with guided tours from the National Forest Service, but there are no services. Talkeetna is also very historic, but you are on your own. Talkeetna also has accommodations should you not want to venture the remaining 1-2 hours to Denali National Park. There are a few flying companies in Talkeetna that will fly you to land on glaciers surrounding Mt. McKinley. You can also stop at Hatcher's Pass on the return to Anchorage.
Jul 19th, 2009 | 11:47 PM
#3
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Plan A - it will not really be a "leisurely drive". Drive time Whittier-ANC is about an hour and a half - but it could be quite a bit longer if you have to wait at the tunnel for your turn/tunnel direction. So let's say you get to ANC to pick up car at noon. Then you have to go thru the rental car nonsense, get something to eat. Say you are on the road a little before 1 PM.
Sunset is around 9:30 PM at the end of August. It is about a 5-6 hour drive to Denali from ANC. The math does not allow for Talkeetna stop with flightseeing, Hatcher Pass and lesiurely drive to arrive before sunset, which I would recommend.
Plan B - I don't see how the 6 hour cruise, transit to Whittier, picking up car gets you on the road at 8 PM - that is just too tight to be realistic. And that starts you on your trip close to sunset. I would not feel comfortable on that road after dark - it is a perfectly fine paved road (we drove it a year ago) but after an 18 hour day with risk of hitting some big creature, I would not do it.
So I find Plan A aggressive (to use your words) and Plan B not advisable. We found Alaska did not operate at the frantic to the second schedule we were accustomed to in the northeast US - and Plan B assumes the cruise ship, glacier cruise, transit bus schedules all interface perfectly with no even minor delays - this is not reasonable to assume.
Sunset is around 9:30 PM at the end of August. It is about a 5-6 hour drive to Denali from ANC. The math does not allow for Talkeetna stop with flightseeing, Hatcher Pass and lesiurely drive to arrive before sunset, which I would recommend.
Plan B - I don't see how the 6 hour cruise, transit to Whittier, picking up car gets you on the road at 8 PM - that is just too tight to be realistic. And that starts you on your trip close to sunset. I would not feel comfortable on that road after dark - it is a perfectly fine paved road (we drove it a year ago) but after an 18 hour day with risk of hitting some big creature, I would not do it.
So I find Plan A aggressive (to use your words) and Plan B not advisable. We found Alaska did not operate at the frantic to the second schedule we were accustomed to in the northeast US - and Plan B assumes the cruise ship, glacier cruise, transit bus schedules all interface perfectly with no even minor delays - this is not reasonable to assume.
Jul 20th, 2009 | 04:07 AM
#4
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Patriot Express, thanks for the reply - although our large cruise ship will presumably not get nearly as close to the glaciers as a PWS tour, we will likely take your advise and get our long day started to Denali.
It would be nice to pick up the car in Whittier if there is no or minimal drop-off fee in ANC (still far less than a bus transfer to ANC though I imagine). But currently we have Hertz. Anyway, I will now do some checking on the Avis option and also see if Hatcher Pass is not permitted by either company. How much is unpaved?
Gail, I agree it would be preferable to get to Denali before sunset. I didn't realize that was only 9:30 in late August. Still, I had read that the drive from ANC would be 4.5 hours without stops, so I thought going through Hatcher Pass (if I chance the rental car) OR stopping in Talkeetna might still be possible. But it seems we could not factor in flightseeing on top of that. Maybe trying that on the trip back would be better.
In any event, it seems our limited days in the area means we may need to choose between the Pass and Talkeetna no matter which direction we want to stop there.
It would be nice to pick up the car in Whittier if there is no or minimal drop-off fee in ANC (still far less than a bus transfer to ANC though I imagine). But currently we have Hertz. Anyway, I will now do some checking on the Avis option and also see if Hatcher Pass is not permitted by either company. How much is unpaved?
Gail, I agree it would be preferable to get to Denali before sunset. I didn't realize that was only 9:30 in late August. Still, I had read that the drive from ANC would be 4.5 hours without stops, so I thought going through Hatcher Pass (if I chance the rental car) OR stopping in Talkeetna might still be possible. But it seems we could not factor in flightseeing on top of that. Maybe trying that on the trip back would be better.
In any event, it seems our limited days in the area means we may need to choose between the Pass and Talkeetna no matter which direction we want to stop there.
