independent tour of the interior

[WASUP]

We are thinking of doing the interior tour on our own, we have the Alaska Offfical Tour planner. It is a comprehensive guide to the different areas, but we are overwhlemed, so much so, that we are truly thinking of doing the cruise tour thing.

 

here are a few concerns:

 

Is it better to go to Faribanks or Anchorage as a starting point, we wish to of course visit Denali.

 

Is it too late to book accomodations in Denali or the area?

 

one way car rentals available?

 

Drive time to Seward or Whitter from Anchorage?

 

What is there NOT to miss if we were to do the interior on our own?

We are first timers!

 

If you have done the cruise tours, what are the advantages, I know that the disadvantage is the precise schedule, and we are just not sure if there is enough time allowed to explore.

 

Thanks so so much....

[Budget Queen]

There is plenty of help on this board. It is easy and cheaper- usually to do a round trip Anchorage- How much time do you have??? With a week you can go up to Fairbanks if desired. But you will be far better off with Denali Park going on your own. Just so much more you can see and do. The shuttle is the absolute best bargain around. NO it isn't too late for accomdations. I rarely book more than 90 day out myself. As a guide, consider flying into Anchorage overnight, rent round trip Anchorage car. Drive to Denali park- overnight at least 2 nights, Fairbanks 2 night, Talkeetna 1 night. Anchorage 1 night- then train to Whittier/Seward cruise day. To drive to Whittier- about an hour plus tunnel wait time, Seward 3 hours to drive. If you have 2 more days - head to Seward for an overnight. I give a BIG edge to Seward for sailing out of - then even more opportunity for the great touring there.

[WASUP]

We are thinking, lets say last week of May to go to Denali, is that too early? Fairbanks looks closer to me then Anchorage and then work our way south, is that feasible??

 

Thanks so much

[Mike2131]

We are thinking, lets say last week of May to go to Denali, is that too early? Fairbanks looks closer to me then Anchorage and then work our way south, is that feasible??

 

Thanks so much

 

Hi!

Weather is always a gamble in Alaska, especially in the interior. If you have flexibility, I would recommend a later visit (more wildlife, better accessability to the park, more excursions available, etc.). Of course, that starts to put you into the high season and there will be fewer choices of accomodations. BUdget Queen has suggested some good itinerary options and it seems she has had a good experience booking 90 days out. Depending on which cruise line you select, there might be lodge packages that are not part of a cruise tour. I know HAL offers this and I believe Princess might as well. I think HAL owns Gray Line in Alaska and Princess owns its own lodges.

I think three days in the park area is a good timeframe. If wildlife is a priority, I would suggest taking the longer Denali tour (Tundra Wilderness?) vs. the Natural History Tour. We just did not see much on the Natural History Tour since it does not venture as far into the park. You will be on the Park Service buses (think school buses) since private cars have extremely limited access.

In Talkeetna, we loved the Mt. McKinley flightseeing - absolutely magnificient! There is plenty of info on a separate thread.

Have a great trip!

[aussie jb]

Hi Wasup

You don't mention how much time you are going to spend in 'the interior', so what you want to see is determined by how much time you have up your sleeve. We went last September, flew into Anchorage, picked up a car and had 12 days driving - it was awesome to say the least and we are already planning our second trip because we still have so much to see - and here was me thinking Alaska was a once in a lifetime trip!

 

We had a car, no accommodation booked (but we had a general idea on which way we wanted to go) and a copy of The Milepost (which I would highly recommend) I know there are plenty of people that wouldn't recommend this but we had the best time and we'll do it the same way next time, except next time we'll have a minimum of 3 weeks.

 

Have fun planning,

Debbie

[Budget Queen]

Hi!

, there might be lodge packages that are not part of a cruise tour. I know HAL offers this and I believe Princess might as well. I think HAL owns Gray Line in Alaska and Princess owns its own lodges.

I think three days in the park area is a good timeframe. If wildlife is a priority, I would suggest taking the longer Denali tour (Tundra Wilderness?) vs. the Natural History Tour. We just did not see much on the Natural History Tour since it does not venture as far into the park. You will be on the Park Service buses (think school buses) since private cars have extremely limited access.

In Talkeetna, we loved the Mt. McKinley flightseeing - absolutely magnificient! There is plenty of info on a separate thread.

Have a great trip!

 

 

 

Frankly I do not recommend any of this. There are far more accomdations outside of the big lodges that just give a better Alaska experience. I also never recommend any TOUR BUSES into Denali Park for independent travelers. Far superior and 1/3 the cost is the Shuttle buses, getting you farther with way more flexability. You do need to bring in all your own food and drink however. But most B&B's will pack for you.

[Budget Queen]

We are thinking, lets say last week of May to go to Denali, is that too early? Fairbanks looks closer to me then Anchorage and then work our way south, is that feasible??

 

Thanks so much

 

 

 

Yes it is too early for the shuttle to Fish Creek- my absolute min. distance in, starts June 1. Yes Fairbanks is closer to Denali Park but it is no big deal to drive round trip Anchorage. The advantages are way more flights, car rental option way cheaper since big surcharges and only a couple agencies do one ways. You can do a round trip as mentioned in a week, going to areas of your interests.

[travelingman]

Please keep in mind, if I remember correctly, Denali Park does not open until Memorial Day weekend for visitors. Also, the park road will only be open part of the way depending on the snow melt.

If I am not correct on this I hope BudgetQueen or someone else will add a correction.

[Budget Queen]

Shuttles to Fish Creek do not start until June 1- this is my min. From mid May the tour buses start and usually you can get to Toklat the last week in May. http://www.nps.gov/dena has the exact information.

[holton]

We are on the first Princess ship going north out of Vancouver, the Island Princess, May 7-14. We are then renting a car from Avis in Whittier and touring on our own for a week before cruising back on the Coral Princess May 21-28.

 

This is our 6th trip to Alaska...4 were the Inside Passage, and one was a cruisetour with Princess going from Seward to Fairbanks via train and a Denali stop.

 

The Milepost, mentioned earlier, is our guide for this trip. We will be heading north of Anchorage, spending 3 nights at the Best Western at Lake Lucille and sightseeing in that area. Then heading to the Kenai Peninsula and 3 nights at the Aspen Hotel in Soldotna for exploring the entire area. Heading back to Whittier we will spend the night at the new Inn at Whittier before boarding the Coral Princess.

 

I booked our lodging last June...and just finalized the car rental. The Milepost

has been and will continue to be invaluable. We have also subscribed to Alaska Magazine for the past year. We obviously love the state!

[Budget Queen]

Frankly I would not be spending 3 nights in the areas above. 3 nights is too long in the areas and I would be on the move instead. No way 3 nights in Soldotna?

[holton]

We are just using Soldotna and Lake Lucille as bases from which to explore in all directions.

[kccrzr]

We spent 3 days on the Kenai Peninsula in Land's End Resort at the very tip of Homer spit. It had fabulous views and a great rocky beach to walk on. The spit had loads of tour operators for kayaking, deep sea fishing, etc. We spent a fascinating day touring an island/peninsula (depending on tides) with a guide who showed us tidal pools with more kinds of starfish than we knew existed followed by a kayaking trip where we saw eagles and got within 5 feet of a sea otter. It was great.

[Lsimon]

You might want to look at the tours offered at www.alaskarailroad.com or www.alaskatravel.com. We just booked a land tour through the railroad which was customized based on some things we've read here and advise of our travel agent. You can look through their canned tours to pick one and/or for ideas.