Well, a couple of other thoughts just for the drill.
First, consider flying into ANC and spending a day or two in the Matanuska Valley before heading up to Denali, or v.v. Not everybody's cuppa, but I personally think the Alaska State Fair in Palmer (the week before Labor Day but including the weekend) is a major hoot, with things like the usual state fair junk food and merchants of Ginzu knives, but also displays of the mutant vegetables grown in the unending daylight of summer (pumpkins or cabbages the size of Toyotas, etc.) Watch a rodeo with an impressive backdrop, e.g.
Or second, visit a part of the state you missed previously. Fly into beautiful Sitka and visit the Fortress of the Bear and the raptor center, then fly or ferry over to Juneau and explore Alaska's historic capital. Or take a second ferry out to some tiny SE Alaska village like Tenakee Springs or Pelican, or do an excursion to Glacier Bay. There are lots of options in SE Alaska.
