I'm looking for some advice for an upcoming trip to Alaska...

I'm going on a one-week vacation to Alaska and right now I have a few days that I am trying to figure out what to do with... we're both really into scenery and photography (as a hobby)...

in a nutshell here's our plans right now...

day 1) we fly into ANC and the next day we're going down to the Kenai Peninsula for a one day wildlife/glacier cruise out of Seward...

day 2) head north out of ANC toward Denali... probably flightseeing trip from Talkeetna... stay in near Denali that night...

day 3) probably the 8 - 10 hr tour of Denali out to Eileson and back... head up to FAI for the night and the midnight sun baseball game...

from that point forward we've got three whole days to get back to ANC for our flights home...

I've been reading a lot and there seem to be so many things to do... I'm convinced that there's very little to do in FAI and we're not going to drive North...

so I've been pondering:

1) the long way back to ANC... Alaska Highway to Richardson to Glenn

2) a trip across the Denali Hwy

3) more time in Denali

4) back to ANC as fast as possible (a whole day anyway) and a day trip from ANC... Brooks Camp? Kodiak? are the bears out in June? they all seem to list July - Aug as "peak season."

5) glacier tour out of Whittier, is that overkill w/ a cruise from Seward too?

6) I've contemplated changing the rental car to one-way from ANC to FAI and then taking flying FAI-ANC-Southeast and then back to ANC for the flights home...

so, I'm looking for some expert advise from people that have been there to shed some light on the subject...

also, any problems with AVIS rental cars on some of those gravel roads? do they permit travel on unpaved roads?

ps: things like biking, hiking, fishing, camping, picnicking, kayaking are not an option for us.

You might want to consider a night @ Chena Hot Springs. Its supposed to be the "nicest" of the hot springs (I'd hate to see the others - I've been to Chena) and it is a clean comfortable accomodation - about 60mi from FAI, and lots of interesting people to meet in the bar, hot tubs, etc. It is very neato hottubbing at 2am in the twilight with the moose coming down to eat just on the other side of the scalding ponds (so you are safe). The sulphuric smells can get you though... I'd suggest 1 night there, but go earlier the 1st day and leave later on the second.

Oh, and the road to Chena is paved.

{edited for more brillance}

[This message has been edited by Eastbay1K (edited 05-31-2002).]