bryanwallace

thanks for all the tips from everyone-are the seward kayaking trips worth doing with kids?
thanks

CPRich

My girls were 13 and 8 when we did the 1/2 day Resurrection Bay kayak trip and they had a great time. But they had been kayaking many times before at home. A sea kayak on the open water, with wind and possibly rain, is probably not the best place to learn for the first time unless the kids are eager/athletic/etc. Unless mom/dad are up for taking control and having the kids just along as passengers, which really isn't that bad as long as they are experienced/strong paddlers.

jackal

CPRich briefly mentioned the Alaska Native Heritage Center in his itinerary. I highly recommend it. For a a kid, I think it would be interesting to run through all the native house exhibits. And as an adult, I very much enjoy sitting in the ampitheatre and listening to the Native people perform dances and (my favorite part) listening to them tell stories. I could sit there for hours on end (but with kids, you might have to cut that short for their benefit).

The Anchorage Museum (also mentioned by CPRich) has a fun area of science experiments that is sure to keep the kids occupied. The remainder of the museum is better for adults (Alaskan art, Native history/culture, and Alaska state history, although the latter has enough cool displays of life there that kids might find it enjoyable).

As mentioned elsewhere, late August is fair season. Definitely head out to Palmer if the fair is on.

Although it is true that Anchorage is great because it's 10 minutes from Alaska (and definitely spend most of your time out seeing the real state!), it's a myth that there is nothing to do in Anchorage. Check out the list in post #2 of this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...anchorage.html

CPRich

Yes, my kids had a great time at both the Heritage Center and the Museum. The museum has an area full of hands-on activities for kids. It's a good combination to fill a day.

SuperG1955

If the kids can get the adults to let them have a turn

bryanwallace

looks like have an extra day in alaska-thanks to the removal of us seattle anc flights.
is there much for kids to do in seward apart from glacier,whale tour and sealife centre??

maybe we should spend the extra time in anc??

any other tips welcomed..

fti

You might want to list your current day-by-day itinerary so we have a better overview. You have talked about a lot in this thread but it is impossible piece together what you ended up with.

Be sure to include dates/times of flight arrival and departure.

CPRich

From my itinerary upthread:

- Ididaride is fun for the kids (Conway Seavey, who took us on our tour, won this year's Jr race).

- Kayak in Resurection Bay with Kayak Adventures Worldwide. We had a great time on a 1/2 day trip.

An itinerary would help - we did a lot on the way down to Seward and back - 1 full day each way.

bryanwallace

hi all,

here is what we plan todo -flight dates etc cant be changed but other things can be so any suggestions etc would be appreciated.family of 5 inc 3kids 12,10,6yrs.
thank!

aug 7 arriv sfo 9.25am go to ano nuevo to see elephant seals and hopefully golden gate bridge .fly up to anc leaving 7pm arriving 10.58pm
stay at hol inn ex airport anc..

aug 8 drive up to denali- depending how tired kids are leave early stop talkeetna(?) ,kayaking en route..

aug 9 go into park

sun aug 10 do the buffalo tundra run (if on this day) go to sled dog display drive back to anc

mon aug 11..spend some time in anc (nat heritage centre)or drive to seward stopping on route
portage glacier ,nature park,gordwood conservation centre
tue aug 12 can go to seward this day early morn if didnt day before..if left
night before do something in seward(fishing?/sea life centre)

aug 13 whale trip booked

aug 14 climb up glacier (or could do on 12th) drive back to anc stop on route
maybe to do cable car alyeska evening... stay ay hol inn express anc want to see flight planes

aug 15th flight at 2pm out would like to see native heritage centre and kincaid park

let me know your thoughts!

fti

Thanks for posting the updated itinerary. It is much easier to follow that way.

When you arrive at Denali on Aug 8, stop by the visitor center and pick up jr. ranger backpacks for the kids. If you get there by 4pm, you can drive to the park headquarters for the sleddog demo.

For Aug 9, you want to reserve a shuttle bus in advance (at least to Eielson). Kids are free, but you need reservations.

I would definitely take your time on the drive on Aug 11 from Anchorage to Seward. So much that would interest the kids - gold panning, the hand tram on the Winner Creek Trail, the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Glacier area, Byron Glacier hike and sliding on the toe of the glacier (bring plastic bags to act as "sleds"), and more.

There really are no whale tours from Seward. I assume you mean a 6 hour or longer Kenai Fjords tour, where often you get to see whales though it is not a given. Marine wildlife for sure and a stop at a glacier.

I think the Native Heritage Center is great for Aug 15 - save Aug 11 for the drive to Seward.

If you don't have status, get to the airport 2 hours early. If you have status, you can get there 90 minutes before departure or a bit less if you want to cut it closer. The airport can be very busy in the summer.

bryanwallace

thanks for the info..
in denali is eielson or toklat best to book to?
is it worth staying at the alyeska resort in girdwood??

thanks

jackal

fti (or Seat 2A, if he's around) will be the one to speak to this, but I can't see any reason why you wouldn't want to go all the way to Eielson. Going only to Toklat is shortchanging both some amazing scenery and more wildlife viewing opportunities.

Well, what do you mean by "worth" it?

It's a very nice hotel. Probably the nicest in Alaska (although with no real 5* or even 4.5* chains, that's not a very high bar). Is it worth making a point to stay there, even if it doesn't otherwise fit in your plans? Not really. But if you need a place to stay in Girdwood, sure, it's nice. Personally, though, unless I got it at a steal (and that isn't going to happen in the summer), I'd probably look at one of the smaller, cheaper, independent places in Girdwood.

That said, if you visit Girdwood, a walk through the hotel is a nice way to spend a few minutes. Go into the main lobby and look straight up at the three-story-high ceiling. Then continue straight up the grand staircase and look out the big window up at the mountain and at the gardens and pathways behind the hotel. Continue up the stairs and take the elevator up one more level (3, IIRC) to the overlook back down to the hotel lobby you just looked up from a few minutes before. Then continue up the elevator to the top floor to look out the back of the hotel from a higher vantage point. Then return back down to (IIRC) level 2, turn left, and exit out the left side of the hotel (pop your head into the nice but very spendy native crafts gallery and take note of the ski shop--this is obviously a very active area in the winter months) and walk back to the tram going up to the top of the mountain (go up it if you like), and then circle back by the pond (it doubles as an ice-skating rink in the winter).

bryanwallace

thanks-is the alyeska cable car worth doing with kids or not??
seems quite pricey..it seems its free if you book the restaurant,but Im not sure the 7 glaciers restaurant would suit kids..any idea if cable car is free if you are staying at the hotel?

bryanwallace

looks like cheaper hotels booked up on the 8th so we may end up going on the 9th..its still up in the air so do you know when i should book the bus to make sure we get seats??also,is earlier or later best for shuttle bus


more changes-we are keen on going to the blueberry festival at alyeska on the 9th(til 6pm) - so we may spend 8th and 9th anc and girdwood..
if this pygmy buffallo run is on on the 10th (around 9am)we want to do that..
is girdwood to healy etc too far in one evening?
looks like stopping in talkeetna for a night would add a lot of time to total travel time or not?(would have to get up early to make the run )

real pain not knowing if its on or not yet-this also affects our denali bus tkts -is it best to book these early and pay a change fee or just wait?any idea when they will fill up?

fti

I think with the kids, going in the Winner Creek Trail to the hand tram would be more interesting than the Alyeska tram. If you don't want to walk as far from the Alyeska side of the Winner Creek Trail, you can drive to the other side of the trail (Crow Creek Road side) and it is only a 1/2 mile or so walk to the hand tram.

Definitely book the shuttle to Eielson. The area between Toklat and Eielson is prime bear habitat.

The shuttle buses usually don't fill up until maybe a couple of months before departure. But even if you happen to get locked out, you can call 3 days before arrival and book since they hold back some seats until 3 days before arrival. I have never tried that myself, but it is possible. Probably not worth booking and paying the change fee, even though the change fee is so small. If you book and change, you need to still find availability.

There is some discussion regarding early buses. Some people say to be on the earliest bus since the wildlife are more likely to be visible before the heat of the day. I have been in the park dozens of days - probably over 100 days - over the past 15 years. I see wildlife all times of the day. The main reason to go on an early bus is to increase your chances of seeing Mt. McKinley. Having camped inside the park at Wonder Lake a lot, I am convinced that the Mountain is visible much more later in the evening and early in the morning before it gets clouded over. Is it worth taking a 5.15am bus for a possible better chance to see Mt. McKinley? Only you can answer that. I would say to take a bus that works best with your family.

Remember too that you need to take all your own food and drink with you on the shuttle bus. You can refill water bottles at Eielson, but other than that no food in the park.

Girdwood to Healy is fine in one day - figure 6 hours to drive plus stop for construction, food, gas and photo stops. Talkeetna makes for a good lunch stop for a couple of hours, but I wouldn't stay there with your limited time.

I am not sure where you are looking for lodging near Denali, but you can't find much lodging on the major hotel websites. You need to use the Denali chamber site. Denali Park Hotel is probably one of the least expensive options in Healy. McKinley Creekside Cabins in Carlo Creek and Carlo Creek Lodge are about as far south of the park entrance as Healy is north. I would definitely keep looking for lodging - I would be really surprised if everything is full.