itinerary suggestions for land tour... including Whittier, Seward, Denali

[rjm11]

I'm starting to plan my land tour.... flying in and out of Anchorage end of July, beginning August. Around two weeks total.... no cruise this time. I want to plan for the area of Whittier (trying to get a 2-3 night charter on PWS organized), another 2-3 nights in the Seward/Kenai area (including the full day Kenai Fjords trip), and then at least 4-5 days in Denali area. I'm planning to rent a car for most (if not all) of this....

 

My question is basic order.....

OPTION 1. fly to Anchorage, take train to Whittier, do boat trip, take train back to Anchorage, rent car, then Seward, then Denali.... (or reverse those two?)

 

OPTION 2. Do Whittier at the end.... start heading north to Denali, then down to Seward, then over to Whittier...

 

OPTION 3,4,5????? Whittier, then Seward, then Denali?

 

I'm thinking of adding a stop between Seward and Denali (whichever direction).... probably Talkeetna or Girdwood. But I'm totally open to suggestions... nothing has been booked yet.

thanks!!

[JJPacer]

We're kind of doing what your doing, slightly different. Since your renting a car, I would pick it up in Anchorage, drive to Whittier and do what you want to do there. Then, drive to Seward, without returning to Anchorage. You can stop in Girdwood on your way to Seward. It'll save you some time. Enjoy Seward, then start driving to Denali. Talkkeetna is a good helf way point to stop before arriving in Denali.

 

Get the AlaskaTour Saver Book. We booked 2 nights in Denali at the Princess Wildnerss lodge for $319.93. We booked 2 nights in Denali Bluff Hotel for $255.73. There is a coupon for hotels in Whittier and Seward to buy one night and get the second nigtht free. I'll save you quite a bit of money. There are other coupons, as well.

 

Have fun. :p

[frugaltravel]

Get the AlaskaTour Saver Book...There is a coupon for hotels in Whittier and Seward to buy one night and get the second nigtht free. I'll save you quite a bit of money. There are other coupons, as well.

 

One of the most common mistakes in using the coupon books is staying too long in one place (Whittier for two nights would be a classic example).

 

Another common mistake is thinking that the 2-for-1 lodging coupons are always a great deal. Not to say you didn't do OK, but one can easily find nice lodging in the Denali area (at least as nice as Denali Bluffs, where I have stayed twice) for the same price or less. The 2-for-1 lodging coupons are always based on the "rack" rate, i.e. the most expensive rate the lodging establishment offers.

[sr12345]

At 4-5 days in Denali, I'd argue that you are staying too long there. You have to ride buses for hours before you can really see anything (weather and wildlife permitting), always retracing the same steps. Consider cutting it down to no more than 3 days.

 

The scenery in Whittier and Seward is similar. If you can arrange that Prince William Sound charter--go for it! If not, consider dropping one, or the fast ferry from Whittier to Valdez and Cordova. You get to see the PWS area, and see some very unique towns.

 

I'd suggest adding Homer/Katchemak Bay to your itinerary, the scenery is incredible, and totally different from Seward.

[rjm11]

thanks so much for the feedback! Can you tell me more about Homer and Kachemak bay area? Is there stuff to do other than fishing? We'll have youngish kids with us.... any suggestions?

 

Also, we're hoping for flight seeing (assume I'll do this while in Talkeetna) and also a float trip... there are float trips in the Denali area, Kenai river, and Susitna out of Talkeetna... any recommendations on one vs. the other? Or is more than one worthwhile? Although hubbie and I like whitewater, I figure we'll be looking for tame float options with the kids.

 

I welcome all suggestions!!

[frugaltravel]

At 4-5 days in Denali, I'd argue that you are staying too long there. You have to ride buses for hours before you can really see anything (weather and wildlife permitting), always retracing the same steps. Consider cutting it down to no more than 3 days.

 

The scenery in Whittier and Seward is similar. If you can arrange that Prince William Sound charter--go for it! If not, consider dropping one, or the fast ferry from Whittier to Valdez and Cordova. You get to see the PWS area, and see some very unique towns.

 

I'd suggest adding Homer/Katchemak Bay to your itinerary, the scenery is incredible, and totally different from Seward.

 

I respectfully disagree about Denali, but then I love scenery, wildlife, photography and hiking. I also disagre that you "have to ride the bus for hours before you can really see anything." Heck, my last trip I took the shuttle from the WAC and before we even got onto the road into the park we saw a lynx and probably a mile down the road we saw two bull moose rutting. That was the first mile of the trip!!!

 

I have spent up to 7 nights at one time in Denali. Granted, that is more than most. But every trip into the park is different. It is not a zoo. One trip you might see a bear 10 feet from the bus, another trip you might not see so much. I always recommend at least two trips into the park if time allows. That means at least three nights. If one books two trips into the park, the third trip is free so there is no hurt in booking three trips in this case. You can always forget that trip or only go a shorter distance if desired.

 

Everyone's interests are different, but I wanted to give another perspective on Denali. Having said that, Denali is generally not a place for young kids. Since it is not a zoo, they often get bored quickly. But that is true not just of Denali. More true of most kids' nature than anything.

[epixx]

Can you tell me more about Homer and Kachemak bay area? Is there stuff to do other than fishing? We'll have youngish kids with us.... any suggestions?

 

 

In Homer, I highly recommend the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies' Guided Natural History Tour: http://www.akcoastalstudies.org/guided-tours/57-guided-natural-history-tour.html

The CACS also offers a hiking and kayaking tour which you can view on their website. We went with our kids (16 and 12) on the guided natural history tour, and we all found it to be our favorite activity in Alaska. I don't know what "youngish" kids are, but I would recommend the Guided Natural History tour for kids of about 8 years old and up. Our guide was really good for kids, as he told us that he often led school groups on a similar tour.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Have visited Homer twice on HAL's 14 day itinerary. The first time, DH and I rented electric bikes on the Spit and had a wonderful time stopping at the shops that interested us, watching folks at the Fishing Hole (I believe you can rent fishing gear for the little ones nearby), had the most fantastic lunch of fresh halibut at a little restaurant on the Spit, and just enjoying the magnificent scenery.

 

The second time (this past Aug.) my niece, her boyfriend and I rented a car for the day. We first spent a couple of hours walking the Spit, then they picked us up and took us back to the rental office at the airport where we filled out our paperwork, and were on our own. First we went to see the eagles nest right in town and were able to see, at quite a close vantage point, the young eagles about to leave the nest for the first time (Unfortunately, I have since read that the tree holding the nest came down in a bad storm this past November:o. Hopefully the eagle pair will be back again next year and build one close by). Then we drove to the Homer Brewing Company and then out to Dr. Linda Chamberlain's Howling Huskies Iditarod Kennel. Wow - what an afternoon we spent w/Linda, her husband, and her wonderful dogs! We spent a lot of time learning about the Iditarod and mushing in general, were taught to harness a dog (hands on experience!), toured her model checkpoint cabin with all the antique equipment, watched her husband process honey from his bee hives, spent a ton of time with the dogs, then had some homemade cookies and Alaskan tea with Linda in her small but comprehensive mushing museum on the second floor of the barn. It was a wonderful afternoon, and so interesting! Afterwards, we stopped at the Fritz Creek General Store on the way back to town and had some delicious, piping hot homemade pizza (tasted wonderful after being on the ship for two weeks and eating all that rich food!), then headed back to the Pratt Museum for a quick looksee before returning our rental car to the airport. It was a great day!

 

Looking forward to going back to Homer in 2013, as we're presently planning a land only trip to Alaska - w/4 days in Denali, and about a week in the Homer area. Beautiful, quirky Homer! I think you're going to like it:D!

[mapleleaves]

thanks so much for the feedback! Can you tell me more about Homer and Kachemak bay area? Is there stuff to do other than fishing? We'll have youngish kids with us.... any suggestions?

 

Also, we're hoping for flight seeing (assume I'll do this while in Talkeetna) and also a float trip... there are float trips in the Denali area, Kenai river, and Susitna out of Talkeetna... any recommendations on one vs. the other? Or is more than one worthwhile? Although hubbie and I like whitewater, I figure we'll be looking for tame float options with the kids.

 

I welcome all suggestions!!

 

My first suggestion would be to borrow a few Alaska travel books from your library. Learn about the sights and activities in the various areas so that you can plan a trip that addresses your family's interests.

And buy an older edition of The Alaska Milepost from amazon.

Homer has an excellent web site and they'll send a free visitor guide. http://www.homeralaska.org/

Same with the Kenai Peninsula. http://kenaipeninsula.org/ Use their interactive map and click on any town's name to get details on visitor info.

In general you can google any town's name followed by 'visitor information' or 'chamber of commerce' or 'tourism'. Towns that need tourist dollars generally have informative web sites.

Denali has a Chamber of Commerce with loads of info. There is rafting near the park entrance.

[sr12345]

thanks so much for the feedback! Can you tell me more about Homer and Kachemak bay area? Is there stuff to do other than fishing? We'll have youngish kids with us.... any suggestions?

 

Also, we're hoping for flight seeing (assume I'll do this while in Talkeetna) and also a float trip... there are float trips in the Denali area, Kenai river, and Susitna out of Talkeetna... any recommendations on one vs. the other? Or is more than one worthwhile? Although hubbie and I like whitewater, I figure we'll be looking for tame float options with the kids.

 

I welcome all suggestions!!

 

How old are the kids?

[rjm11]

The kids will be 8 and 7 when we go. They are good travelers (especially in the car) and very into animals. They do not get seasick (we boat a lot on the Great Lakes). I'm hoping to incorporate as much wildlife viewing as possible.... I'm considering the Redoubt Bay fly in bear viewing... if anyone can comment on that? I got the flyer from Rusty's service....

[mapleleaves]

The kids will be 8 and 7 when we go. They are good travelers (especially in the car) and very into animals. They do not get seasick (we boat a lot on the Great Lakes). I'm hoping to incorporate as much wildlife viewing as possible.... I'm considering the Redoubt Bay fly in bear viewing... if anyone can comment on that? I got the flyer from Rusty's service....

 

There are several bear viewing trips from Homer and Soldotna since you will be near both. Look in the links I posted.

The drive from Soldotna to Homer has some nice spots with access to beaches, Clam Gulch comes to mind.

[Budget Queen]

I too suggest you find out about Alaska and what each area has to offer. It is vast and very different.

 

2 weeks can offer you plenty. You didn't know about Homer- which is superb, but also what about Fairbanks- Arctic, Valdez/ Kennicott????

 

With your reference to your kids liking "wildlife", Denali Park can be a good choice, but rarely are the sightings close by. All the buses are hours and hours long, with an overall percentage of those "close up" times being in minutes. Hiking is excellent, scenery is the forte (which sometimes is of little interest to some).

 

I do suggest, you figure out the entire itinerary before getting into any reservations. An RV rental may also be a good choice to consider, which is real easy for more flexibitiy.

[sr12345]

Some insights from an Alaskan parent (with kids ranging from 8 to 15)...

 

You know your kids best, but keep in mind that younger kids are often less impressed by scenery than adults. Instead of observing scenery, think about trying to increase the hands-on experiences...or anything involving either the opportunity to throw rocks into the water, or splash through mud puddles!

 

Fishing. Most Alaska fish (particularly halibut and salmon) are probably too big for kids this young to catch. If you want them to experience fishing up here, focus on finding someplace with rainbow trout for them to go after. However, there are plenty of opportunities for them to observe other people fishing, or see the fish being filleted (such as at the docks in Homer, Seward, or Whittier).

 

Wildlife viewing: As Budget Queen said, things are really hit-or-miss at Denali NP. Most bears will be immovable spots a few miles away up on the mountainside, which you need binoculars to see. You'll probably have better luck seeing marine mammals up close, such as on a glacier viewing tour out of Whittier or Seward. Wild moose are common everywhere, so you're pretty much guaranteed to see some of them. Otherwise, consider adding the Seward Sea Life Center, Anchorage zoo, Palmer/Butte Reindeer farm, and Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (at the end of Turnagain Arm) to your itinerary. Flying across Cook Inlet to see grizzly bears feeding will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but also quite expensive.

 

Off-the-beaten-tourist-path things kids might enjoy:

- Williwaw campground, near Portage Glacier (at the end of Turnagain Arm, on the road to Whittier/Portage Glacier). Nice campground, and they have a boardwalk which follows a salmon spawning stream, giving you a chance to see the salmon, if they are running.

- Homer fishing hole: Kind of like a boat-less harbor in the Homer spit, right next to the camping areas. You can rent fishing poles for the kids, and they can try their luck at catching whatever fish are coming in, or watch others catch the fish.

- Eklutna Glacier State Park (about 45 minutes northeast of Anchorage). Nice campground next to a long alpine lake (Anchorage's water supply). There is a well maintained gravel road/trail along the edge, and you can rent bicycles to ride along it. Great scenery, but not much wildlife.

- The Imaginarium section of the Anchorage Museum. Lots of hands-on stuff for the kids to do.

- If the kids need to burn off steam while in Anchorage, we have an indoor water park (H2Oasis), and several inflatable-bouncy playgrounds (such as Bouncing Bears).

- Independence Mine State Park, in Hatchers Pass (north of Wasilla/Palmer). WW2 era gold mine, great scenery, probably high enough to still have snow in spots in July (great for those summer snowball fights!). Warning--if you have an RV, the road crossing Hatchers Pass from the State Park heading west to Willow is not recommended for RVs, as it is only one lane.

- Willow Creek Resort (where the Parks Highway crosses Willow Creek, just north of the town of Willow): Campground popular with Alaskans. They have campsites, as well as cabins for rent. Right on the creek, which is often crawling with salmon. They offer float trips down the creek, and the kids can play in the creek, or throw rocks.

- Talkeetna. If you decide to take a flight seeing trip around Mt. McKinley, be sure to get one which lands on the glacier. Back to my earlier comment about kids and scenery--they likely will not be as impressed by the flight around the mountain as the adults are. I doubt you'll be able to find float trips (such as around Denali NP) willing to take children as young as yours, so instead consider one of the Mahay jet boat tours our of Talkeetna.

- Denali STATE Park (not to be confused with the national park). At Byers Lake, there is a campground, and also a concession where they rent kayaks to ride on the lake. The kids might enjoy this. Also, there are two lookout areas in the state park to see Mt. McKinley, and the views here rival those from inside the national park.

- Look into some kind of Jeep or UTV (side-by-side ATV) tour, as it will give the kids the chance to ride in a vehicle splashing through water. I think there are several out of Healy (just north of Denali NP), as well as some which might go to Knik Glacier (near Palmer).

 

Also, in Denali NP, be advised that there are no hiking trails to speak of, you just blaze your own. If you want more established trails, consider something in Chugach National Forest (Kenai Peninsula), or Chugach State Park (running along Turnagain Arm, and east of Anchorage)

[rjm11]

Thanks everyone... these suggestions are GREAT. We are a camping family, and I love the idea of an RV... I guess I hadn't considered that yet. This trip is not for this year, but the following, so I have plenty of planning time. I ordered a few books, but off the top of your head, is it necessary to make reservations for some place to park the RV other than maybe one of the campgrounds in Denali (I'm thinking Savage River). Other places that are so worthwhile and in demand that I should get a reservation?

[Budget Queen]

Thanks everyone... these suggestions are GREAT. We are a camping family, and I love the idea of an RV... I guess I hadn't considered that yet. This trip is not for this year, but the following, so I have plenty of planning time. I ordered a few books, but off the top of your head, is it necessary to make reservations for some place to park the RV other than maybe one of the campgrounds in Denali (I'm thinking Savage River). Other places that are so worthwhile and in demand that I should get a reservation?

 

I didn't use a lot of RV parks, and frequently parked on the side of the highway, in pull offs. :) Reservations are going to be needed in parks with limited space.

[mapleleaves]

is it necessary to make reservations for some place to park the RV other than maybe one of the campgrounds in Denali (I'm thinking Savage River). Other places that are so worthwhile and in demand that I should get a reservation?

 

Depends on when you go and where. My RV trip was near the end of August and there were plenty of empty sites everywhere we went, except Denali. The City Campground in Seward is a massive parking lot (300+) sites on the waterfront with incredible views and doesn't take reservations. Williwaw and Russian River are very popular; reservable online and hard to get into especially during a salmon run.

There's a good thread to read about RV'g on the Alaska forum of tripadvisor under the Top Questions. I reserved in Nov for the following year and got a great price.

Private campgrounds run about $35 a night. Public campgrounds often don't have hookups and cost $10. The side of the road and Fred Meyer lots are free! Since an RV is self contained you don't really hookups every night. Guess it's what you're comfortable with and how experienced you are. The freedom and RV provides certainly is a great plus for travelling around Alaska.