Alaska - Cordova or Wrangell St. Elias NP?

We are visiting Alaska for almost 3 weeks but have a one week commitment in Valdez. So far our journey is: Anchorage - Denali- Fairbank - (Cordova or Wrangell St. Elias) - Valdez - Anchorage - Kenai Pen. - Anchorage (Fly home)
Questions
1. Cordova or Wrangell
2. What towns do you recommend staying in the Kenai Pen.?
3. Is the road between Glennallen and Anchorage more senic than the Ferry ride between Valdez and Whittier?

Thanks for any info you can give.

We are visiting Alaska for almost 3 weeks but have a one week commitment in Valdez. So far our journey is: Anchorage - Denali- Fairbank - (Cordova or Wrangell St. Elias) - Valdez - Anchorage - Kenai Pen. - Anchorage (Fly home)
Questions
1. Cordova or Wrangell
2. What towns do you recommend staying in the Kenai Pen.?
3. Is the road between Glennallen and Anchorage more senic than the Ferry ride between Valdez and Whittier?

Thanks for any info you can give.

I'd recommend Wrangell St. Elias, either Homer or Seward on the Kenai Peninsula provided you can get reservations, and it's complete toss-up between the Glenn Highway and the ferry. They're both great.

Questions
1. Cordova or Wrangell


Where in Wrangell-St. Elias? It's a wonderful place, but it's massive, the country's largest national park and bigger than many states. And how do you plan on getting there?

If you are planning on renting a car and driving either of the two gravel roads that head into the park, be forewarned that most of the major rental car company contracts have addenda that include both on their list of "restricted", "prohibited" or "off limits" roads. My last rental contract listed 12 restricted highways and roads


Despite what some might claim, that doesn't mean you can't drive on those roads, but rather that if you do you would be responsible for any damages and expenses if you have a flat tire, cracked windshield, need towing etc. My last rental contract out of ANC listed 12 restricted highways and roads and I've driven on seven of them over the last three weeks. :rolleyes:


2. What towns do you recommend staying in the Kenai Pen.?


Depends on what you're into, but Homer and Seward are the mainstays. Soldotna and Kenai aren't terribly thrilling except to those looking to fish for salmon on the Kenai River.

Questions
1. Cordova or Wrangell
2. What towns do you recommend staying in the Kenai Pen.?
3. Is the road between Glennallen and Anchorage more senic than the Ferry ride between Valdez and Whittier?

Thanks for any info you can give.


1. Wrangell St Elias, definitely, but the rental car issue mentioned is real.
2. Seward has the Sea Life Center, which is phenomenal and everyone in my family loves. Both towns have fun beaches. Seward's harbor is, IMHO more interesting, and there are more boat tours from there.
3. Equally scenic in very different ways, and since you are doing lots of scenic driving I think it might be worthwhile to take the ferry just for a different point of view.

Robin in Anchorage

I'll agree with Chugach and Quokka's posts. I could probably go on for pages about all the things to see and do, but I've actually already done so in several other posts, so check the Alaska forum for other posts (you may need to go to the bottom of the page and choose to view posts older than what is currently displayed, or try this link (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=449&page=1&pp=25&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=-1) (if it works). I do have to congratulate you on giving Alaska the time it deserves--too many people try to cram too much into a week or even five days! Two weeks is the bare minimum, so thanks!

A couple threads that I've contributed to would be these:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=575852 and
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=559223

Check them out--they may help you decide what to do on your trip.

Have fun!

I started that post this morning before HRHMom did hers (sorry for not including her in my list of "I'll agree with these people!") but got waylaid all day.

Wanted to mention a couple more things:

-Don't take rental cars to McCarthy (in Wrangell-St. Elias NP). I took my personal car several years ago, and on the drive back from Chitina to Anchorage, it felt like I was driving a boat--the shock absorbers were completely shot. (The road between Chitina and McCarthy is literally like a three-hour drive on a washboard.) Please don't do that to our cars! But it is a beautiful (if slightly nerve racking--there are some fairly steep drop-offs with no guard rails) drive. One truly unique and awesome experience would be to work with an outfitter and fly into the park (plug for my friends Paul and Donna Claus of Ultima Thule Outfitters--they have an awesome lodge deep in the park, and Paul is one of the better-known bush pilots in the state and flies guests in to the lodge and out into the park for deep backcountry hikes and things).

-The Richardson Highway between Glennallen and Valdez is perhaps the most beautiful stretch of road in the world. The road between Glenallen and Palmer/Anchorage is beautiful, but the best part of the Valdez-Anchorage trip is between Valdez and Glennallen. Since you'll already be covering that part when driving from Fairbanks to Valdez, I'd definitely pick the ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier--it's an absolutely incredible experience.
As far as the Kenai Peninsula (just so you know, it's KEEN-eye): I've never done it, but everyone who takes a halibut fishing charter out of Homer says it's one of the most fun things they've ever done. Some people say fishing for halibut is like fishing for refrigerators (they're large, flat fish that feed on the bottom, so there's a lot of drag when you reel them up, and the line can be 300-400 feet down), but the experience is [supposed to be] a blast, and the sweet meat of a halibut is an incredible reward. Plus, Homer is a fun, artsy, scenic destination (it's been referred to by multiple people and bumper stickers as a quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem and was the home of such distinguished celebrities as Motel 6's Tom Bodett and folk/pop singer Jewel), and the Spit is a cool place to eat fish 'n' chips.

On the other hand, the Sea Life Center in Seward is great but probably not worth a trip alone. However, combined with a half- (or full-) day cruise on Resurrection Bay and a hike up to Exit Glacier just outside of town, Seward is a great place to spend a full day or even a day and a half.

Have fun!

2. What towns do you recommend staying in the Kenai Pen.?

See the NY Times article referred in this thread:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8094228

btw the writer mentions a "long trek south through a series of cheerless lowland outposts hawking antler carvings, knives, “show girls” and soft ice cream". That's a pretty apt description of the area around Sterling and Soldotna. ;)