I will be visiting Anchorage for first time on Fri 23 July to Tuesday 27 July.
I arrive at 7pm on the first day and wil be basing ourselves in downtown Anchorage, at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.
AI need to 'fill in the blanks' for the four full days I am there 24,25,26,27 (before a red eye flight to ORD). So any tips on what to do, see, visit is fantastic and if you could point me into the right direction. (sorry if this sounds the same as the question I posed on the Canada thread). So far, we are likely to make a trip to Prince William Sound (catch that train to Whittier) (that will be a full day so I'll have almost three left).
Just about myself, I'm 30 years old, travelling with my GF who is 29, we would like to do alot of 'toursit'y things seeing the sights, buildings, architecture, enjoy the great outdoors, willing to ride bicycles, take 1-2hour hikes etc. We are pretty budget conscious for this trip (as we'll be into day 33 of our 50 night RTW trip) but we'll fork out the $ if you recommend it We enjoy eating out so any good restaurant tips would be fantastic, seafood restaurants get brownie points as Alaskan King Crabs IS A MUST!! And bar suggestions, and places I can enjoy in the evening? live bands? or generally where locals hang out in the evenings? etc.
Any tips are welcome and thank Q in advance,
Alan
from Sydney, Australia
Ps. Can you help with Vancouver, Canada? (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/canada/1082199-help-upcoming-vancouver-visit-7-30-8-4-a.html#post13908962)
fti
May 6, 10, 8:47 am
Personally, I think it is a huge mistake to *base* yourself in Anchorage.
What are your interests? If Prince William Sound, it sounds like maybe glacier viewing? Anything else? Fishing? Hiking? wildlife? scenery?
I love Denali NP but unless you do a fly-in from Anchorage it is not a day trip. Two nights there is best and if you do it right, you could get by with just one night, but you shortchange yourself.
Seward is excellent too, with lots to offer, but again, with just a day trip you are greatly shortchanging yourself.
If you absolutely are confined to day trips, I would take the train to Seward for a day trip (7 hours there, enough for either a Kenai Fjords tour or Exit Glacier/Sealife Center/maybe sleddog kennel). Then rent a car and drive to Whittier - lots of places to stop along the way. Maybe a day trip to Talkeetna and the Matsu Valley, but again a car is essential.
You can rent bikes and ride on the Coastal Trail in Anchorage.
Lots of other things to do in Anchorage including museums, zoo, Native Heritage Center, Public Lands Information Center and more.
alanslegal
May 6, 10, 8:28 pm
Thanks for the comments fti. As I'm only there for four days I thought I couldn't do much more other than day trips.
I thought about Denali NP and as much as I'd like to do it, it would be limited to a day trip (due to timing) and given that its going to be a fly in - fly there and won't get to enjoy it that much. I'll definitely do it next time I'm in ANC.
Is there any other places where I can picturesque scenery?
An idea for my itinerary....
Day 1 - explore Downtown + ride the Coastal Trail
Day 2 - Head down to Seward? do a cruise
Day 3 - Drive to Whittier, see more glaciers
Day 4 - explore Downtown .. fly out later that night.
Gardyloo
May 7, 10, 8:38 am
Thanks for the comments fti. As I'm only there for four days I thought I couldn't do much more other than day trips.
I thought about Denali NP and as much as I'd like to do it, it would be limited to a day trip (due to timing) and given that its going to be a fly in - fly there and won't get to enjoy it that much. I'll definitely do it next time I'm in ANC.
Is there any other places where I can picturesque scenery?
An idea for my itinerary....
Day 1 - explore Downtown + ride the Coastal Trail
Day 2 - Head down to Seward? do a cruise
Day 3 - Drive to Whittier, see more glaciers
Day 4 - explore Downtown .. fly out later that night.To do a Kenai Fjords tour while staying in Anchorage you'll either need to do a half-day (5 hour) tour that departs at noon, or else get up very early indeed (say 5 AM) in order to make an 8 AM departure out of Seward. It's a 2 - 2.5 hour drive under good conditions, and of course you'll need time to park the car and get oriented.
The "26 Glacier" cruise out of Whittier ought to more than satisfy your glacial needs.
Given your schedule, and the cost of the Kenai Fjords cruises, I might suggest you think about a flightseeing tour out of Lake Hood (floatplane base near ANC airport) or Merrill Field (general aviation) in Anchorage instead; for about the same cost you can get up in the air and see things 90% of tourists to Southcentral Alaska never see, and get a feel for the immensity of the land. Or if the weather's good, take the Seward day and drive up to Talkeetna for an aerial tour of Denali - a very worthwhile outing provided the mountain is visible.
As for King Crab, note that (a) it's not harvested anywhere near Anchorage, and (b) it's harvested in the winter, so anything you get in ANC will be frozen product, just as it would be in Seattle or Sydney.
fti
May 7, 10, 8:47 am
Thanks for the comments fti. As I'm only there for four days I thought I couldn't do much more other than day trips.
I thought about Denali NP and as much as I'd like to do it, it would be limited to a day trip (due to timing) and given that its going to be a fly in - fly there and won't get to enjoy it that much. I'll definitely do it next time I'm in ANC.
Is there any other places where I can picturesque scenery?
An idea for my itinerary....
Day 1 - explore Downtown + ride the Coastal Trail
Day 2 - Head down to Seward? do a cruise
Day 3 - Drive to Whittier, see more glaciers
Day 4 - explore Downtown .. fly out later that night.
It is not what I would do (two days in Anchorage) but if it works for you, do it. I would take one of those days and drive north to the Matsu Valley.
You can take an 11.30am Kenai Fjords 6 hour cruise in Seward (do NOT take one any shorter than this, even 5 hours - the shorter ones do not get out of the bay). Finishes at 5.30pm. It works well with the train (perfect actually, since they will pick you up at the train station). You could drive but it would be a long day. Even taking road construction and slow RV's into account, if you left at 7am, that gives you five hours, about twice as long as a normal drive straight from Anchorage to Seward. That allows for some stops along the way and gives you some leeway for traffic issues.
On your drive to Whittier, be sure to make the stops mentioned earlier.
jackal
May 15, 10, 12:55 am
As for King Crab, note that (a) it's not harvested anywhere near Anchorage, and (b) it's harvested in the winter, so anything you get in ANC will be frozen product, just as it would be in Seattle or Sydney.
If you're here in the summer, go for the halibut or salmon at a good restaurant instead, since it will be fresh. (Check into Simon and Seafort's, Orso, Glacier Brewhouse, Southside Bistro, or some others along that line. Simon and Seafort's has the best view and a great saloon-style bar.)
As for your itinerary, I'd suggest looking into Gardyloo's proposal. Doing both Seward and Whittier might be oceanic overkill, and there's plenty to see in the inland areas north of Anchorage (even if just from the air).
When deciding which harbor cruise to do, keep in mind Whittier is better for glaciers and Seward is better for wildlife (though the longer tours do get out to see some glaciers), so they don't entirely overlap, but be sure to pick what you are interested in. Good info is available here: http://alaska.org/glaciers/advice-kenai-fjords-vs-prince-william.htm