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Old Jul 31, 2011, 10:56 am
  #10  
jiangxi
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 18
Originally Posted by fti
Why pick up the car on Sunday Aug 14 if you are mostly going be in Anchorage that day? You might save enough money on the rental if you pick up on Monday to pay for the cost of a shuttle to Flattop and back. It is worth comparing anyway.
I got a good deal on car rental, about $350 for 8 days, picking up from local Avis (not airport). So I can afford the cost with the convenience of being able to drive around Anchorage.

Aug 16 is too much. You won't get to Harding Icefield Trail until well after 6pm. It takes 6-8 hours to hike the entire trail. I would do Sealife Center this evening (open till 8pm?). Stop at Exit Glacier the morning of Aug 17th on the way to Whittier. But you really don't have time for hiking Harding Icefield Trail.
Good catch. I will move Harding Icefield Trail to August 15th. Instead, do the kayaking on Aug 16. Sealife center closes at 6pm, so will not move it.

August 18: Drive to Denali State Park. Kayaking Byers lake. Drive to Denali National Park entrance. Hike Denali Horseshoe lake trail.

Kind of a long day but it would work. Be sure to buy grocery food for Denali in Anchorage or Wasilla.
Yes, I will buy food in Anchorage. Besides snacks (like crackers, chips, drinks, bread), what else do you buy? Is it necessary to buy a cooler to keep food cool and fresh longer?

August 19: Take shuttle bus to Wonder lake. Hike Eielson Alpine trail.

I personally would strongly advise doing a different hike. Why, with all the vastness of Denali NP, do people like hiking with dozens of others on this trail? Hike down to the river bar from Eielson. Or hike the mountain to the east of this alpine trail. Or ask a bus driver for other ideas. I guess if you like crowds and like being a "tourist" do as planned. But certainly not my suggestion.
I agree with you. I would have picked the hiking trails from the tripadvisor thread, but wife is adamant not doing those lone trails and prefer ranger-led hikes as she is afraid of bears to death. So I will stick with those marked trails with better chances of other hikers in sight.

August 20: Take shuttle bus to Wonder lake. Hike wonder lake trail and Eielson Stroll.

There is no "Wonder Lake trail." Do you mean the McKinley Bar Trail? If so, be sure to let your driver know you are doing that and he can let you off at the trailhead. That saves 1/2 mile of walking.
Yes, I meant the McKinley Bar Trail. Hope by then, Mosquitos are no longer an issue. Will bring mosquito repellents. Is it a trail worth doing?

August 21: half day in Denali NP. See whether I can book discovery hike. drive back to Anchorage.

Disco Hike won't work unless you have more time. Try to get to Denali by 8pm on Aug 18th and go IMMEDIATELY to the visitor center to check on Disco hike availability. They should be taking reservations for Aug 19 and 20 by then. Book whatever day you can get and whichever hike most interests you (hikes are posted by Friday online at nps.gov/dena). If 19/20 are full when you arrive on 18th, then when you return on 19th check again for the 21st. You can still do a Disco hike this day, just arriving in Anchorage later than planned.
We can go longer if half a day is not enough, just arriving in Anchorage a little later. Will follow your advice to check on Disco hike availability on Aug 18th.

If you really want to do the Harding Icefield Trail hike, why not depart on Aug 14 for Seward? Do the Harding Icefield Hike on Aug 15 before kayaking. Then Aug 22 you can do the Flattop hike, Tony Knowles and/or shopping
.

It will not work since Seward hotels seem all sold out for those days (not sure whether this is typical as I checked the availability almost 1 month ago). I was lucky enough to get two nights in Hotel Seward at $119 / night (the rooms with shared bathrooms. The standard rooms cost $279 per night. WOW!).

Buy your shuttle tickets now to Wonder Lake for all three days in Denali. Call and get 3 bus tickets for the price of 2 (this offer is not available online). If you get the Disco hike one day, you can exchange your ticket for $4 at the WAC.
Yes, I bought the tickets using 3 for 2 promotion. Changing tickets for disco hike is an excellent idea. It saves me a lot of money. Thanks, fti.

My revised itinerary is:

August 13: arrival at Anchorage. Almost 10pm.

August 14: pick up rental car. Biking along Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (groupon offer) for a couple of hours. Hiking Flattop mountain in the afternoon.

August 15: drive to Seward. Stop at scenic points on the highway. Afternoon hike Harding Icefield Trail. Assuming it takes 7 hours to do the whole trail and we start at 2pm (try to start sooner), will it be still bright at 9pm and not too late to get out of the trail?

August 16: 11:30am Kenai Fjord National Park tour (6-hour). Do evening kayaking (7-11pm) with Miller's landing. Stay at Hotel Seward.

August 17: Sea life center in the morning. Drive to Whittier to take 1pm Major Marine Prince Williams Sound tour. Stop at the scenic spots on Seward Highway. Stay at Anchorage.

August 18: Drive to Denali State Park. Kayaking Byers lake. Drive to Denali National Park entrance. Book discovery hike. Hike Denali Horseshoe lake trail.

August 19: Whole day Denali. Take shuttle bus to Wonder lake. Hike Eielson Alpine trail (ranger led).

August 20: Whole day Denali. Take shuttle bus to Wonder lake. Hike McKinley Bar Trail and Eielson Stroll.

August 21: Do discovery hike in Denali NP. After that drive back to Anchorage.

August 22: local shopping. Departure in the evening.

Last edited by jiangxi; Jul 31, 2011 at 12:04 pm
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