Just got back from a week in ANC/Seward. Absolutely beautiful weather sunny in the low to mid 70s (which was as I understand the exception since it is usually in the high 60s with a mix of clouds, sun, and light rain in mid-August). I took the Alaska railroad to Seward, which was pretty, but I suggest avoiding because it is very slow (about 4 hours each way whereas a bus or rental car would take maybe 2). It seemed like the highway was very good (1 or 2 lanes each way but not a regular freeway/interstate). Traffic seemed to move along quickly from the vantage of the train. A pretty drive too.

If you are going to Seward the most popular thing to do would be to take a Kenai Fjord boat tour (about $125 for a full day). There are several companies that run the tour, but the largest is the Kenai Fjords Company. The good-sized boats take you to one of many spots (I would recommend Aialik Fjord). There you will see a calving glacier, whales ( I saw 11 the week I was kayaking out there), sea lions, puffins, eagles, and many other sea and wildlife. Other popular things in Seward include ½ or full day fishing charters (mmm Salmon - suggest checking the internet or calling the Fish House in Seward which is one company that arranges charters) or taking a 5 mile hike to Exit Glacier. Other than boat tour, fishing, a visit to the Sea Life center or a few hikes I did not get the impression that there was a lot to do in Seward. There were a few companies that offered scenic plane tours or dogsled rides, but I did not look into those options. Also, there were a few motels but I did not check into rates as I was camping. If you want a cheaper boat tour option, there are a few other companies or you can check with Miller’s Landing campground. The campground has a small boat that taxis kayakers out to Aialik Fjord and will take a small group of tourists along. This option would be much cheaper (probably less than half) than the big charter companies, but would also be shorter and less frills. All the suggestions here can be found on a Web search. Seward is a cruise ship destination, but also a very small town. I found food to be more expensive than expected, both in restaurants and the local supermarket. But still it was not New York expensive.

The national park service runs remote cabins in Aialik bay plus a few other places. One option would be to take a water taxi to one of the remote cabins and stay there, but unless you are sea kayaking, I don’t think there would be much to do in Aialik bay since it is not highly accessible for hikers.

As for Anchorage, I did not spend very much time in the city. Just hoteled there upon arrival and departure. Hotels are very expensive. Holiday Inn Express like hotels can run upwards of $200 a night. I Pricelined the Sheraton downtown for my arrival night at $50 and my departure night at a Red Lion for $100 (plus fees). Taxis to and from the airport are not very expensive- less than $15 to downtown ANC.

I talked to one Alaska resident that had an Entertainment-like book that I believed was called Northern Lights. She said the book was about $100 and supposedly for Alaska residents only. The book had a coupon for the Alaska Railroad which more or less paid for the book. She suggested checking e-bay or the Carr’s supermarket chain but thought the books may be out for the year.

edited to correct Priceline bid price



[This message has been edited by goblue (edited 08-05-2002).]