How long will you be there? I am going to Alaska this weekend myself - I thought about the trip last week when I heard the Denali park road might be open to mile 30 so early. I am a huge Denali fan. My plan is to drive the 30 miles into the park a total of 4 times between Sat afternoon/evening and Mon morning. There should be a decent chance of seeing some wildlife - moose, caribou, fox, wolf, ptarmigan, hare, sheep, porcupine, owls? I have seen them all and more at Denali in the past. You just never know. A contact who lives in Healy said they saw two owls in Healy yesterday.

Probably still too early for bears, but I saw two bears on that stretch of the road in mid May last year.

And just to clarify - the road from Anchorage to Denali National Park (the Parks Highway) is open all year and well-maintained. What just opened last weekend were the first 30 miles of the road that goes inside the park. It starts (mile 0) at the intersection with the Parks Highway and goes 91 miles west.

The drive to Seward is beautiful. Just be prepared for some snowfall over the pass south of Turnagain Arm. And dress warmly. It WILL be cold. The Sealife Center in Seward is worth a visit. And the 15 mile each way "detour" to Hope (between Anchorage and Seward) is well worth the drive.

Anchorage itself is not bad either but I prefer being outside the city. North of Anchorage is nice but also could have some snow. Eagle River (check to see if the nature center is open yet), Palmer, the Muskox Farm (probably no tours but the animals are usually visible, at least in the distance), Matanuska Glacier past Palmer is visible from the road. The Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla might be open.

Lodging is relatively cheap in Alaska this time of year, though I was amazed at how difficult it was to find lodging near Denali this coming weekend. Two or three places were full (not closed, just full!). Found a really nice B&B in Healy for about $70/night.

I think it will be a fun time to go. Extremely few tourists and a perspective of the state that few get to see. Bring binoculars.

If it is nice weather, flightseeing from Talkeetna is a possibility though it is not cheap. I didn't do it last May when it was beautiful weather and I regret it (I was back in Talkeetna 6 weeks later with a relative and we had planned to do it. It was great but only so-so weather).

Lots of pulloffs along the Parks Highway for nice views of Mt. McKinley if it is "out."

John