Alaska - Summer 2007 (2200 miles in the Last Frontier)

'Alaska' just popped out of the blue last night at home & here I am trying to break my head over it. We(me & my better half) are not 'cruise people' & if we are lucky enough to do Alaska, it will definitely be 'fly & drive' unless there is any better option.
I did some very basic research & my only firm conclusion is 'too pricey'. But we are going to take the plunge.

Our basic idea would be to cover the central part of AK(leaving out the Inside passage). Ideally, we would fly from SF to Anchorage & back. We might rent a car there(expensive again) for a couple of days.
Anchorage, Denali(the Tundra tour), all the small towns, Kenai Fjords, a local glacier cruise(so as not to miss the Inside Passage effect). We would love to include Katmai, but is proving to be very expensive for us.

I have no other idea of what to see & what not to. Any tips on what all to see & how to save some money(anywhere possible), would be gratefully appreciated!! :-)

Also, when is Borrealis visible from Alaska? I would be on top of the world if I could see it.
We are of the hiking kind, but I can be paranoid when it comes to wildlife. Bears can give me nightmares, so camping is out of question.

I will be looking around for more threads around here, but any help is appreciated.

And yeah, this trip might even happen summer or early fall of 2007.

thanks everyone,
cool

I cannot offer any advice of any sort, I'm afraid, but I just wanted to say... I am sooo jealous! That sounds awesome. Sometimes you just have to say hang the expense and go for it. I think this is one of those times.

Trying to see country as big and remote as Alaska can be a daunting exercise. When my wife and I did our trip some years ago, we only knew generally what we wanted to see. Basically we were like you, we wanted to see the interior (Fairbanks and Denali), the coast (Anchorage and Seward) and some of the old Alaska uniqueness (Talkeetna and a ride on the Alaska Railroad). We searched and searched and in the end we found a great service that worked out of Seattle at the time. They set everything up for us: rental cars, Bed and Breakfasts, meals, entertainment, train, whale watch and glacier boat rides - the whole nine yards. The beautiful part of what they did was that while we were on a package tour, we travelled on our own. This sounds just like what you and your husband are looking for. Now, these tours are not cheap, but then neither would be travelling in Alaska on your own. I'll recommend that you have a look at them: Rainbow Mountain Adventures. The tour we followed was basically The Heart of Alyeska but they have plenty to choose from and they are quite willing to work with you to mix and match different parts of their various tours. If nothing else, the descriptions of their tours should give you some great ideas of what's available.

Unfortunately, the time to see the Aurora is when the nights are long, namely in the dead of winter. You cannot combine camping and aurora viewing. But the University of Alaska in Fairbanks has an excellent presentation on them that is almost like seeing them.

Good Luck!

AZBuck

I have a vague memory that at one point there was a travelogue on this site about a guy and his wife that drove to Alaska from Dallas. It was well written and I remember it catching my fancy at the time. But, I don't see it anymore. Maybe one of the Moderators or Mark will remember what I'm talking about. Either that or I've dreamed this up, in which case just please ignore the crazy lady in the corner.

Laura

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Originally Posted by lhuff

I have a vague memory that at one point there was a travelogue on this site about a guy and his wife that drove to Alaska from Dallas.

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Laura, it might have been this epic journey that Tim Vasquez and Shannon Key completed in six days in May, 1999?

Mark

Craig,
Once the trip is confirmed, will post here & then you can go ahead with being jealous. Not yet :-)

AZBuck,
Will definitely look into the link. Any kind of info will be helpful. I am totally lost now.

Laura & Mark,
That was indeed a good travelogue. Thanks a lot for the link.

I am sure a lot of people from here have visited AK. Will wait patiently.

thanks,
cool

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Laura, it might have been this epic journey that Tim Vasquez and Shannon Key completed in six days in May, 1999?

Mark

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That's it.

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Originally Posted by cool

I will be looking around for more threads around here, but any help is appreciated.

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Here are a few ideas:

Talkeenta -- might have been the model for Cicely, Alaska—the quirky little town featured in the TV show "Northern Exposure."
The Milepost -- here is my review for the 2006 guide and I promise I will get the 2007 version on the site soon....
John Holod's Video Collection -- We haven't done reviews on any of his new stuff -- but here is a good one about roadtripping in Alaska.
NJ to Alaska -- road trip
Colorado to Alaska as shared by "seat 2A"

Mark

Be sure to visit Homer on the kenai peninsula, one of the most beautiful areas in Alaska!

Hi,

As an Alaska resident, and with all due resepct to AZbuck, a guided tour of Ak in not the best use of $$$$ and will not be the best experiance (IMHO). While the distances are large the roads are almost all in good shape. The best places for a visitor to see are all easy to find. If you come in a tour you often get a canned experiance. A rental car out of Anch. is the best jumping off point for a trip to Ak.

Talkeetna is a great little town but often very crowded in the summer. Don't go on a weekend of holiday if possible. There isn't all that much to do there all though it is a fun visit. Denali and the Kenai peninsula. are both great. Seward is the best place to visit the Kenai Fjords if you only have a few days. They have glacier cruises, hiking, a Sealife Center and nice town. Homer is good but it is a bit farther and not quite as scenic IMHO.

If you want to visit some slightly out of the way places, try a drive on the Denali highway. that is not the road that goes into Denali NP, but a dirt road that starts about an hour south. It is stunning and there are few people. You can spend a couple days on the road, as there is a lodge in the middle or just make it a day trip and only do part of it. Also a great place is Wrangell-St. Elias NP. It is a bit out of the way from the Denali-Anch.-Kenai axis but is another fantastic place.

Be careful of the small towns, they are often touristy. however people are friendly. Unless you want to stay in hostels, cheap can be hard to find. We are like any other place in the US during tourist season.

Early fall(September) is a great time. It is starting to get cool, prices drop and the crowds are gone. However some places will start to close up. Check the places you want to see carefully. I have seen the Aurora in Sept. but that is not common.

Be cautious of bears but don't worry about them. The precautions are simple and bear attacks are rare.

greg in anchorage

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

As an Alaska resident, and with all due resepct to AZbuck, a guided tour of Ak in not the best use of $$$$ and will not be the best experience

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I think it depends on the energy level of the traveler at the time of the trip. AZBuck is an accomplished roadtripper with a proven penchant for off-the-beaten-path exploring, but a state like Alaska can be daunting for even the most adventuresome of travelers. I have utilized both forms of travel in AK and I prefer my own wanderings -- when I can. Thanks for stopping in and sharing your expertise and ideas!

I have a couple of other planning tips:

Bring a good telephoto lens -- I have friends who have captured some amazing photos of grizzlies, caribou and other large animals right from the Alaskan Highway (without getting out their trucks...)

There are some game refuges that enable up and close and personal viewing of some of the magnificent animals that call Alaska "home".
Yukon Wildlife Preserve (near Whitehorse, YT)
The Large Animal Research Station in Fairbanks
The Musk Ox Farm near Palmer
The Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center
Denali National Park....Hard to forget this place!

The weather is very changeable -- bring lots of combinations of clothes to enable layering.

#1 Best Advice: Alaska is not like a theme park -- it is very much an evolving place for visitors -- ferry schedules can and do change often, weather can be darn right amazing and can affect roads at any time. Alaska summers nearly always mean HUGE wildfires and so smoky conditions and some road closures are the norm. And there is always road construction underway....

Mark

Thanks Greg. Nice to get tips from a native.

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Talkeetna is a great little town but often very crowded in the summer. Don't go on a weekend of holiday if possible. There isn't all that much to do there all though it is a fun visit.

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So far, we've decided around a 10 day trip around July 2nd or 3rd until 14th or 15th. Think it is ok?

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Denali and the Kenai peninsula. are both great. Seward is the best place to visit the Kenai Fjords if you only have a few days. They have glacier cruises, hiking, a Sealife Center and nice town. Homer is good but it is a bit farther and not quite as scenic IMHO.

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I've read quite a bit about Seward & Homer. Since we will miss out on the Inside Passage, a cruise to Prince William Sound or Kenai Fjords is a sure thing. Which is better? I've come across some scenic drives from Anchorage too! The Coastal highway to Seward/Homer, Portage Valley, Whittier, etc. But don't know if it is all worth it.

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If you want to visit some slightly out of the way places, try a drive on the Denali highway. that is not the road that goes into Denali NP, but a dirt road that starts about an hour south. It is stunning and there are few people.

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Being out of the crowd...hmmm. Is that a good thing in Alaska? I've being trying hard to find an inexpensive accommodation near Denali in vain. Do you know of anything that is not listed online? Do companies allow rental cars on dirt roads? Again, how common are bears on the roads?

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You can spend a couple days on the road, as there is a lodge in the middle or just make it a day trip and only do part of it. Also a great place is Wrangell-St. Elias NP. It is a bit out of the way from the Denali-Anch.-Kenai axis but is another fantastic place.

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Paranoid that AK is full of bears & assuming we won't be doing a lot of hiking, what all can I see in Wrangell. Is there a road in there? Google maps did not show any. Did I miss something?

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Be careful of the small towns, they are often touristy. however people are friendly. Unless you want to stay in hostels, cheap can be hard to find. We are like any other place in the US during tourist season.

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Yeah! I am realizing that! How about the gas prices? Rental car itself comes up to a good $1000!!!

Early fall(September) is a great time. It is starting to get cool, prices drop and the crowds are gone. However some places will start to close up. Check the places you want to see carefully. I have seen the Aurora in Sept. but that is not common.

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Be cautious of bears but don't worry about them. The precautions are simple and bear attacks are rare.

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Thanks for the encouragement, but I think I am still scared!!!
Do you have any Polar bears around there? Just wondering!


cool

There is no way we can touch Canada. We do not have a visa & are not US citizens.

Mark,
those links are helpful. Thanks!
Photography is one of the main reasons for our visit. We have a basic DSLR with all the lenses. Hope to bring back lots of pics :)
I did not know about the wildfires in Summer.
Also, do you think it might be better to push it to August?

cool

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Originally Posted by cool

There is no way we can touch Canada. We do not have a visa & are not US citizens.

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Well, that will certainly leave out the Yukon then!

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Hope to bring back lots of pics :)

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It is hard to take a "bad" photo in Alaska...

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I did not know about the wildfires in Summer.

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Here is one of the sites I watch to check on smoky conditions in the USA. 95% of the fires in Alaska are the result of lightning strikes and hundreds of thousands of acres burn each year.

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Also, do you think it might be better to push it to August?

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For which reasons? There will be fires in Alaska until the snow starts falling in the Fall -- June, July, August and September are all gorgeous months in Alaska.

Mark

10 days is good length although , as i'm sure you know, Ak is so big it is hard to cover. I would avoid Seward over the july 4 weekend. It is more crowded then normal because there is a huge, crazy race up and down a mountain and many Alaskans go there. It is to crowded over july 4 to be enjoyable.

Fires are a concern but hard to predict. We may have many or not. You can't base a trip on fire. The weather is the same. We have, to say the least, highly unpredictable weather. It could be in the 90' or 70's in Denali; all sunny or mostly rainy. Up towards Denali fire is not much of concern since there are few trees. August tends to have a bit more rain then July.

It is hard to have bad cruise in the Prince William Sound or Kenai F. The first hour of the drive south of Anch. is simply as beautiful as any in the world. Portage Valley a minute off the highwayis definitely worth the stop on the way south. Whittier is interesting. The town site was chosen by the military during WW2. They wanted a place that was as safe as possible from air attack. So they choose Whittier since the weather is almost uniformly bad. There are nice cruises out of Whittier but not much else. Homer is farther then Seward from Anch. and doesn't offer anything that Seward doesn't. Seward is the best choice with a stop at Portage.

It will be hard to find anything cheap near Denali nor do i know anything that is not on the web. Off the beaten track in Ak. Is generally good. I'm assuming you won't really be anyplace to wild by Ak. standards, so the chance of really being alone and in danger is low. It is good to experience Ak without to many others around.

There is a road in Wrangell, look at the national park service website. However if you are only here for 10 days or so, you probably wont' have time to get over there although the drive is great but long. It also takes a bit of effort to see the park.

Well gas in in the 2.70's now and may go higher. Cheaper then some other places but not great, even though we bring it up out the ground and refine it here. There wont' be a polar bear within hundreds of miles. Not a concern. Denali is a great place to see brown bears. Last time i took the park bus we saw four mother with cubs. Last time i backpacked in Denali, i didn't even see a lock of bear hair. Bear attacks are very rare. Sitings of bears are random.

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

With all due respect to AZbuck, a guided tour of AK in not the best use of $$$$ and will not be the best experience (IMHO).

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Greg, I couldn't agree more with you, so perhaps I did not make myself clear. What RMA offers is NOT a guided tour. What they do is make all the arrangements for you: set up the rental car, book the B&Bs make reservations for rafting trips, airplane rides (did I mention that I got to sit right seat on a flight that landed on a glacier on Mount McKinley?), set up the whale watching, etc., etc., etc. But you are not on a tour. We travelled completely on our own. In fact one of the nicest parts of it was that we would be somewhere, having an attraction all to ourselves when a tour bus would pull up, disgorge its contents, and we could just move on. But to have someone who knows Alaska make the arrangements was a tremendous help.

I really don't give testimonials too often, but RMA made our experience in Alaska what it was. Two examples:

1) We flew in to Fairbanks and were met at the gate by a driver who took us to our first "B&B" which turned out to be a private cabin in the woods, on a hill, with a view of the Alaska Range to the south. Our rental car was waiting in the driveway.

2) After a few days in Fairbanks we drove to Denali. When we were done there, we took the train to Talkeetna. What did we do with the car? We left it at the train station. In Talkeetna, our B&B again turned out to be a separate home, again with a view of Denali, and the owner lent us her own car.

Could I have found such accommodations on my own? I seriously doubt it.

AZBuck

Azbuck- No i think you were clear enough after going back and re-reading your post. I was skimming to fast. Interesting service, I can see a use for them. One of the best parts about being on your own and with your own car is the freedom to explore late into the day. the days are so long that it is a shame how many tour bound people waste part of the 19 hour days at there hotel.

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airplane rides (did I mention that I got to sit right seat on a flight that landed on a glacier on Mount McKinley?),

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That sounds interesting. Can you share your itinerary please, AZBuck?

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But to have someone who knows Alaska make the arrangements was a tremendous help.

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I certainly agree.

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1) We flew in to Fairbanks and were met at the gate by a driver who took us to our first "B&B" which turned out to be a private cabin in the woods, on a hill, with a view of the Alaska Range to the south. Our rental car was waiting in the driveway.

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Did you have a higher budget? or Do they do it for any price range?

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2) After a few days in Fairbanks we drove to Denali. When we were done there, we took the train to Talkeetna. What did we do with the car? We left it at the train station. In Talkeetna, our B&B again turned out to be a separate home, again with a view of Denali, and the owner lent us her own car.
Could I have found such accommodations on my own? I seriously doubt it.

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Fact: I am not finding anything like that on my own. Will sure consider the options. Thanks, AZBuck!

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Originally Posted by AZBuck

1) We flew in to Fairbanks and were met at the gate by a driver who took us to our first "B&B" which turned out to be a private cabin in the woods, on a hill, with a view of the Alaska Range to the south. Our rental car was waiting in the driveway.

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That does sound like an amazing service! The only example I can think of that tops that was one time on a wildfire in central Arizona in the 1970's -- Our pilot landed on a remote, dirt landing strip at dawn, in the middle of the forest and we found a jeep (with keys in the ignition) waiting for us. Nobody else around (and, of course, no map or instructions about where were supposed to go) but still, it made us feel important and/or special for about five minutes or so....

Mark

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Originally Posted by cool

Can you share your itinerary please, AZBuck?

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I went and dug up my itinerary provided by Rainbow Mountain Adventures (RMA). It was a loose-leaf binder with close to 200 pages of background, history, descriptions and detail. There is simply no way that I can duplicate it for you here. One small error which may help. I misremembered the tour name - we were on the "Legends of the North" itinerary, which is somewhat less expensive than the one I named previously.

The service provided by RMA is unique and constantly evolving. Even while we were travelling through Alaska, they changed the provider of our trip up the Susitna River, because the previous boat had not kept up the standards demanded by RMA. I also seem to remember that some of our accommodations were not 'commercial' in the normal sense. By that I mean that they were not B&Bs or rentals that you would find on the web, but rather were the homes or cabins of owners who had a working arrangement with RMA and would only rent out at certain times. A case in point was our 'home' in Talkeetna. This was actually the home of a young woman who worked through the summer as a guide for expeditions up Mt. McKinley. When she was on the mountain, her home was available, but only through RMA.

Don't get me wrong, some of the attractions included in the RMA packages are standard tourist fare, such as the paddle-wheel boat out of Fairbanks, but some are quite intimate scale endeavors such as the whale and glacier boat ride into Resurrection Bay out of Seward, which was on a boat that held a dozen passengers tops and where the captain served those of us on this trip hot chocolate in the wheelhouse. The point is that I cannot duplicate for you what RMA did for us. My information is out of date at best, and useless at worst. As you have discovered, travel in Alaska is a bit pricey. If you find that you cannot arrange your own adventure for significantly less than one of RMA's "tours" (Remember: 1-these are NOT tours! and 2-prices are all-inclusive (accommodations, transport, meals, admissions), then I highly recommend that you put yourselves in RMA's capable hands.

AZBuck

I am working on the itinerary. I hope to finish booking flight tickets in a couple of days & will start the next stage planning then.
I am looking into activities from RMA, but trying to see if I can do things on uor own. Let's see.
I did find some interesting(& decently priced) places to stay. I just hope it is not too good to be true.

Interesting find so far: There is a road, hwy 10 that goes to the Artic Ocean.

Will be back soon.

cool

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Originally Posted by cool

... but any help is appreciated.

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I just finished this year's review of the Milepost 2007 guidebook. It is as great as ever.

Mark

Sounds like an excellent service. I've got it bookmarked. Hope I can use it someday soon.

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Originally Posted by cool

Interesting find so far: There is a road, hwy 10 that goes to the Artic Ocean.

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The Dalton Highway goes to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. It's 864 miles one way from Anchorage so I'm not sure this fits into your time-frame. It sounds like not all rental car agencies will let you drive their cars on this road. There's lots of information out there on it like this.

However, if someone is really adventurous and in great shape, I ran across this guided bicycle trip to Prudhoe Bay called the Ride of Pain. How apt! Oops, it's been discontinued. Why am I not surprised?

Also a problem with the road to the Artic Ocean is that is doesn't go all the way to the sea. it stops a few miles short. you need to take a guided tour to go to the water since the land is oil company property. I don't think that changed.

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

Also a problem with the road to the Artic Ocean is that is doesn't go all the way to the sea. it stops a few miles short. you need to take a guided tour to go to the water since the land is oil company property. I don't think that changed.

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In fact, post-911, I doubt anyone will be able sweet talk their way in like in the past... bummer.

Mark

I did find out yesterday about the unpaved Dalton highway, but the fact that a road does exist makes me awe.
I also think that we might be taking the guided road trip to the Artic circle. I doubt if we have time(& money) to take the 3 day trip to Artic Ocean, though.

I did pick up an old copy of Milepost from the local library. If I do not find the new copy, I might end up buying it(after reading Mark's reviews). I will not need anything else.

I am reading & are in the beginning stages of being 'okay' in bear country :-)

Btw, we've extended the trip to 2 weeks. Husband will let me know if he got his days off, today. So, crossing my fingers.

Will get back!

cool

Okay. I am done with flight reservations. Reaching ANC Sun, June 10th midnight, picking up rental car & hopefully drive down into town. If it is not possible, we might stay back at the airport, refresh & get going in the morning.

Leaving Anchorage Mon June 25th early morning 12.30 am.

Will update the itinerary soon!

cool

You sure do move fast. It sounds like quite an adventure and I can't wait to hear all about it as it progresses.

Laura

I need some help in filling the days with activities.

Day 1 & 2- Drive to Seward; Kenai Fjords Cruise, Exit Glacier, some local hikes & Alaska Sealife center
Day 3- Homer, rent a bicycle into the spit.
Day 4-Drive N to Girdwood. Infinite stops for photography.
Day 5- Portage Lake, Prince William Sound cruise(half a day); Night halt:Talkeetna
Day 6-Probably a train ride to hurricane ridge & back to Talkeetna via raft(still looking into it)[or Denali National Park-depending on weather]
Day 7-Denali National Park
Day 8-Fairbanks, University, Botanical garden
Day 9-Arctic circle drive tour(from Fairbanks)
Day 10-Drive to Tok (Can I get close to Canadian border?)
Day 11-Wrangell-St.Elias National Park(I am not very very if we will take the unpaved road to McCarthy. Options for a night halt?)
Day12-Valdez(anything interesting to see?) Night halt?
Day 13- Anchorage
Day 14-Anchorage;
Day 15-Early morn flight

I am really confused about 'day 12'. Where can fit an extra day?
I am looking out for rafting/kayaking/canoeing options near glaciers too. Any suggestions?
I doubt if we could do some off roading. We will have a mid size rental car.
Have I missed out on any must-sees?

cool

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Originally Posted by cool

Day12-Valdez(anything interesting to see?) Night halt?

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As you are driving along the Richardson Highway (between Fairbanks and Delta Junction, you will have some good views of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline. Actually the road weaves around it all the way to Valdez at the marine terminal and so you should have ample opportunity to get some shots. From the Richardson Highway you can easily reach the Worthington Glacier. Are you going to take a ferry from Valdez to Anchorage or drive back or? And bears are seen more or less frequently around Robe Lake near Old town Valdez... Prince William Sound is a pretty amazing place to see from the water...

Just north of town are the Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls with hiking trails. Right across from the parking lot for the Horsetail Falls is the trailhead for the Valdez Goat Trail with a scenic overlook about 1/4 mile in. There are several lodges in the area -- the closest is probably the Tiekel River Lodge.

In Valdez, there are several motels (actually the tourism site calls Valdez "Little Switzerland" but you have to squint with both eyes to see that...). While you are there -- be sure to wander the waterfront -- lots of boats of all descriptions and there are also kayak outfitters there. Dock Point Park has a nice walking trail and there is a historical museum downtown with local artifacts including an original Cape Hinchinbrook lighthouse lens.

Mark

One of the most amazing sights in Alaska is the tidal bore in Turnagain Arm which you will circumnavigate on the way from Seward to Girdwood. This page gives the best info on where to view the bore from and how to time your viewing in relation to the tide tables for Turnagain Arm.

I think that you can book the Mt. McKinley glacier flight directly through one of the local outfits in Talkeetna. I think we used Talkeetna Air Taxi but there are others. Check it out at the local airport.


AZBuck

Can anyone suggest 'the best' or 'one among the best' cruises for Prince William Sound & Kenai Fjords?
Also, is there any 'the place' for kayaking?

cool

Some thoughts.

Two days in Seward sounds good. There is a cool kayaking trip that goes to Caines Head, which is an abandoned ww2 fort. You kayak for a couple of hours then hike to a great overlook. All the cruise companies are good in my experience since they all go to the same places. Pick a cruise based on what you want to see. Also the random luck factor can any cruise great or less great.

Day 3 in Homer. It is about 4 hours to Homer from Seward and about 5-6 hours back to Anchorage from Homer. While it is a cool town and the spit is a good place, is it worth the driving?

Day 4- Yes a million fold. You could take hundreds of piks on the drive back to Girdwood. Beautiful places.

Day 5 Prince William sound is beautiful but I'm` not sure (IMHO) that it is worth it if you are already doing a kenai cruise. see below

Denali- there are good options for horseback riding or rafting in the area.

Valdez is bueatiful. Well the area around the town is fantastic. Valdez ..ahem...is just a town.

Tok(pronounced Toke)- you can get near the Canada border but i don't remember much there that you won't see in other areas.

Almost all the roads you are looking at are paved. However keep in mind that there may be frost heaves in some areas and if you get caught behind a rv it can be slow going. 11 years ago the ride south of Tok was interminable because of a million or so frost heaves.

One option, already noted by Mark, is to take the Alaska State Ferry from Valdez back to Anchorage. It will deposit you in whittier and they do cruise by's of the glaciers on the way. I did that a few years ago. Very cool and you can take your car. That might save a drive back to Anchorage and let you see the Sound. Very worthwhile.

There is a great hiking book, 55 ways to the wilderness- Southcentral Alaska. It has all or at least most of the classic hikes in the kenai, anchorage, valdez areas. It won't have Fairbanks, but most other places you are looking at.
greg

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

Two days in Seward sounds good. There is a cool kayaking trip that goes to Caines Head, which is an abandoned ww2 fort. You kayak for a couple of hours then hike to a great overlook. All the cruise companies are good in my experience since they all go to the same places.

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Will look into it. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

Valdez is bueatiful. Well the area around the town is fantastic. Valdez ..ahem...is just a town.

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What do I do with the rest of the days? In Anchorage?

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Originally Posted by greg in ak

Tok(pronounced Toke)- you can get near the Canada border but i don't remember much there that you won't see in other areas.

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Since we cannot go into Canada, I was wondering if we could at least see the entrance. Maybe not such a good idea. Also, McCarthy seems unreachable by rental car. So, we might go until the paved road ends. Driving all the way to Anchorage seemed crazy to me. Maybe if it is not too late, I will check the state ferry.
Update: I checked the state ferry website here. There is no ferry from Valdez to Anchorage(only to Whittier). Did I miss something out?
thanks for all the tips.
cool

Whittier is about an hour south of Anchorage. Whittier is the place to go by ferry to get to Anchorage.

If you are interested in the culture of Alaska Natives there is a great museum in Anchorage. The alaska native heritage center. There is a ton of great hiking in the Anchorage area. However anchorage is not a great city by any means.

As you pass Wrangel-St.ELias do drive in a little to get a good view of the volcano's. As i remember, it has been four years since i was there, you don't have to go to far or get off the paved road to get a good view. One of the mountains was smoking when we were there.

Oh the kayak tour company i have used in Seward, Sunny Cove, is great but their website is down. I don't know if they are out of business or just having website problems.

I found a decent loding in Copper center overlooking Wrangell NP. I think we'll head back to Anchorage for the extra day.

thanks
cool

It looks like you have a pretty good itinerary coming together. You had asked about what to do near Tok. I echo others statements that Tok itself is nothing special. While seeing the Border is a cool idea, the Border is set-up with the Candian and U.S. customs nearly 20 miles apart with the actual border in the center. It is thus impossible to see the border without having to turn around and pass though U.S. Customs.

The border is actually pretty cool though as they have a 20 foot swath that extends north and south where they cut down all the tress to actually mark the border.

I suggest a couple options:

1) You can drive south from Tok to Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. for information on things to do there.

2) You could skip Tok completely and drive south from Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway instead giving you some time to head in to see McCarty and Kenicott Mine. It is absolutely worth the time and effort getting there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chugach Rider

It is thus impossible to see the border without having to turn around and pass though U.S. Customs.

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Heard the echo. Thanks :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chugach Rider

The border is actually pretty cool though as they have a 20 foot swath that extends north and south where they cut down all the tress to actually mark the border.

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:-( Some other time for sure!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chugach Rider

2) You could skip Tok completely and drive south from Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway instead giving you some time to head in to see McCarty and Kenicott Mine. It is absolutely worth the time and effort getting there.

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I am totally game. In fact, I've started to feel that 2 weeks is less for all that we want to do :-(

thanks,
cool

Jun 11 & 12th- Drive to Seward; Kenai Fjords Cruise, Exit Glacier, some local hikes in Kenai Fjords wildlife refuge & Alaska Sealife center
Jun 13th - Homer, rent a bicycle into the spit.
Jun 14th -Drive N to Girdwood. Infinite stops for photography.
Jun 15th - Portage Lake, Prince William Sound cruise(half a day); Night halt:Talkeetna
Jun 16th - Flightsee Mt.Mckinley from Talkeetna, weather permitting, Drive to Denali National Park: Night stay: 12 m south.
Jun 17th -Denali National Park
Jun 18th - Fairbanks, University, Botanical garden
Jun 19th - Arctic circle drive tour(from Fairbanks)
Jun 20th - Early start: Richardson highway to Copper Center. Night halt overlooking the Wrangell mountains. [Hope to see Santa Claus in North Pole!!!] If time permits: Wrangell NP
Jun 21st - Valdez-thinking of Prince william sound cruise from here(if any better than from Whittier); Long drive to Anchorage-Glen highway. Night halt.
Jun 22nd - Anchorage(Flattop mountain hike: Chugach State Park)
Jun 23rd - Anchorage-rent a bike & drive along coastal trail.
Jun 24th - Anchorage;Go around the city. A couple of easy hikes.
Jun 25th - Early morn flight.

Changes:
I dropped the Tundra Wilderness Tour(advised by Park Ranger) & opted to take the park shuttle instead.
Added Mt.Mckinley flight tour with Glacier landing.
Dropped Tok altogether. Taking Richardson Glacier all the way down.
I understand some days involve more driving. Just hoping on Alaska's midnight Sun to get to our destination.

Booked accomodations. Still flexible on the activities.

'Eagerly looking forward for this trip' would be an understatement :)

thanks,
cool