DIY Land Tour help needed!

[I am Lulu]

Boy do I need HELP!!! This is probably the 4th or 5th time I've tried the work out a DIY land tour, for 7 days before our Cruise....The end result each time has been me becoming overwhelmed, and giving up! The more I read, the more confused I get. Now I'm beginning to think, I may be too late to get lodging reservations. I can't tell you how grateful I'd be for any help you can offer.

ABOUT US...I am 72, and my husband just turned 71. My husband is simi-retired, and active, but not a avid hiker, more into off road vehicles i.e. Motorcycle, RZR, etc. We both love to take in the beauty of nature, but "I" would rather paint it, or take a pictures of it, than to hike it. A quarter mile and then it stops being fun for me. In 2012, we took our first and only Alaska Cruise, however, this will be our first land tour. Last year, we had a cruise and land tour through HAL booked, but my husband got the flu, and we had to cancel at the last minute.

Our cruise starts June 25, 2017, out of Seward.

THE PURPOSE of the DIY Land tour is to take our time...not feel rushed, and enjoy the most "scenic" parts of Alaska. Museums, aren't high on our list, but "Quirky" ones can be fun. We don't have to "walk" on a Glacier. We do love seeing animal, but deer and moose are common to us. l love whales!

The following is all that I have managed to figure out;

We will fly into Anchorage, which will be our starting point, and rent a car. We will arrive June 18 giving us 7 days before embarking in Seward. The Car will be returned in Achorage before taking transportation to Seward. (I believe I read that there is a train that affords gorgeous views.)

We would like to go to TALKEETNA,

Mahaye's Devil Canyon 8 hr. Raft trip sound good.

Possibly view Denali

We have decided to not go all the way to Denial, because if we did, we probably would not have the time to spend seeing South of Anchorage....we watch "Alaska, the Last Frontier", if that tells you anything.

Traveling south on the map, I see Gridwood, Seward, Soldotna, Kenai, and Homer. Are there any of these towns, that you would say, Don't bother? Any especially beautiful hwys / rdwys that we should see? I know it's all subjective, but opinions help. Is it possible to find one hotel/lodge to "hub" from, before returning the rental car in Anchorage? I'm really worried about finding hotels. How do I do that?

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and post this before it gets too long. Would love to hear your advise and opinions.

 

[mapleleaves]

I think you need to put a rough itinerary together first. Look at the travel times between each location and determine the order of your visit. Then look at your activities for each location to determine how many nights to stay at each.

 

There is no place to base yourself. Your time is extremely limited for the area you want to cover. Basing yourself someplace would waste too much valuable time backtracking.

 

To start with ......what time would you arrive in Anchorage? Anything you want to see and do there? or would you prefer to pick up your car and hit the road? Will you do a one way rental car with Hertz to maximize your time? or are you returning the car to Anc then taking the train or bus to Seward?

 

This is how tight it is with only 7 days but wanting to cover Talkeetna to Homer to Seward. Something has to give. The drive times are exactly that .... just drive times. So add more time for any stops along the way.

 

day 1 Arrive in Anc, pick up car from Hertz, drive to Talkeetna. 2 1/2 hrs . OverNight

day 2 8 hr raft trip. o/n again

day 3 leisurely drive to Girdwood 3 1/2 hrs. Afternoon at wildlife conservation center? Portage Glacier visitor center or hike at Byron Glacier. o/n Girdwood

day 4 leisurely drive to Homer 4-5 hrs. You might be too early for combat fishing at Cooper Landing but you're driving by so it's worth a look. Cooper Landing to Soldotna is kinda boring, but after that there can be nice views of the ocean, volcanos, beaches. Late arrival. O/N

day 5 explore homer. Ferry? o/n again

day 6 drive to Seward 4-5 hrs . Stop at exit glacier? Sealife Center ? return car o/n Seward

day 7 kenai day cruise. Board ship

 

See what I mean ? Too much territory to cover and not enough time.

 

This chart is pretty accurate for drive times. http://www.alaska.org/advice/mileage-chart

 

I would also encourage you to get a MILEPOST . Get an older edition on amazon for $10.

 

You are VERY late to be planning a land trip for june 2017 ..... first choice of lodging was probably reserved last yr. Same with any kind of deal on a rental car.

 

Hope this helps. At least it gives you a chance to see that your plans are too big for such a short period of time.

Give up Talkeetna and raft elsewhere? Give up Homer to see Seward?

[mapleleaves]

Given your lack of time, you might want to consider focusing on the 2 priorities you mentioned -- whales and the raft tour.

This would simplify the itinerary and eliminate all the driving around. You would pick up the car and drive to talkeetna , then drive to girdwood to explore the area and do a Prince William Sound day cruise from Whittier, return the car, then train to seward for 2 nites for a kenai fjords cruise and other local sights/activities. You dont need a car in seward.

[oaktreerb]

Alyeska is a very nice hotel in Girdwood. You can do several activities from the Girdwood area including Prince William Sound tour and the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Glacier, etc. with two to three nights and you do need a car to get around.

 

You may want to book your hotels in Talkeetna, Girdwood, and Seward and then plan your activities.

[portiemom]

First off mapleleaves is right. You are off to a very late start on your planning. I think the reason you are so confused is that you are so short on time and trying to do too much. You say you don't want to feel rushed, but that is exactly what you are setting yourself up for. Alaska is HUGE. My own approach was to go north of Anchorage on one trip, and south of Anchorage on the second. Mainly you need to determine your priorities. Hopefully you booked a whale watch in Juneau, which would satisfy that priority.

 

Since Denali National Park is not your priority, you will have to determine how important Homer is because it is quite a drive from Anchorage. We took all day to get down there and another day to get back. We stayed for 4 nights in a house rental that I got on VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). We didn't do much sightseeing on the trip down or back, except to go to Portage Glacier and the Wildlife Center.

 

It would be easier to get to Talkeetna and do that raft trip you mentioned, if that is your priority and then just plan the rest of your time in Anchorage, Girdwood and Seward, but Homer is doable if that is your priority. Personally I enjoyed Homer much more than Talkeetna, but I couldn't imagine driving all that way for one or two nights. That's just me.

[jdm]

We loved our DIY land portion. Staying at B&Bs were great. The owners provided so much valuable information. Planning for 2017 as a DIY might be difficult since most places will be fully booked by now. Be sure you have lodging reservations wherever you drive.

[OhJinkies]

I'm doing a post-cruise DIY tour from Seward. I am going to take a Kenai fjords cruise, then take the train up to Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage, then Rent-A-Car and drive to the Knik Glacier area for an off-road and boat tour to see the glacier. Overnight in Wasilla, then up to Talkeetna. I'm doing a flight seeing tour from Talkeetna into Denali National Park – with a glacier landing. I may add a jet boat tour while in Talkeetna. Then back down to the Girdwood area, sightseeing around there, and end up back in Anchorage for my flight home. This is a six-day itinerary.

 

 

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