We’ve booked a trip to Alaska for the end of summer and would greatly appreciate comments or recommendations on our itinerary as well as help with a few specifics.

We’re renting an RV for a week followed by a one week cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. We’ve never rented an RV before nor have we ever stayed in campgrounds so this should be a good soft adventure introduction to camping.

My thoughts on the RV week were to drive up to Denali, head across the Denali Highway to Kennicot and Wrangell then back to Anchorage stopping in Palmer during the Alaska State Fair. I had considered inserting Fairbanks into the trip but I’d like to avoid touristy attractions – plenty of time for souvenir shopping in the ports during the cruise week and I try to avoid busloads of tourists and guides where possible. Also, since the cruise would cover the shore aspects of the region, I'd use the RV to concentrate on inland scenery.

So my questions are:

How would you divide the time between places in this loop. With the details of learning about the RV and provisioning it the first day, I don’t expect to make it all the way to Denali. Is there a good halfway point or sights along the way for a stop.

How would you spend a multiday visit to Denali. I’ve read where people take the bus to Mirror Lake and back in a day. What about a second whole day?

I’m aware that the Denali Highway and Kennicot roads are insurance invalidators. Could anyone with recent experience on these roads comment? I tend to think the insurance clauses are overprotective and I’m willing to take some risk in driving these stretches if the roads are not washed out.

Regarding campgrounds - any suggestions?

In my brief read of ‘RVs for Dummies’, they suggested that camping on the roadside in the lower 48 states is dangerous due to potential robberies. I thought that wouldn’t apply in Alaska. The Denali Highway seems like a nice remote stretch of road. Is it dangerous or uncommon to spend the night on it or other roads in Alaska?

One thing we wanted to try was riding a plane and landing on a glacier. Any ideas on a place to try this? I thought joining a larger group might bring the price down as opposed to charting a plane for 3 passengers (?)