don't let Debbie Downer...errr fti ruin your trip - have fun, make the most of your short time in AK, and good luck!

Interesting first post. I hope the OP will have a great trip too, but with such a schedule I can almost assure you it won't be as good as it could have been.

Very late to the comments, but I did this to a greater extreme last year. My arrival into ANC was around 11pm, stayed at the ES in ANC for a very short time, then left early for a 8am meeting in Seward. It was hell, but the drive made up for it, that from a Colorado guy... A month later I had my second trip, which I decided to bring my wife and turn it into a work/weekend trip. My wife and I now talk about Alaska almost everyday, and cannot wait to get back. I really enjoyed Seward, including the day cruise we took to the Kenai Fjords National Park.

I booked a flight to ANC for Dec 2 weekend partly for MR, partly because I want to catch the Northern Light. What would recommend to do for 1 day in Anchorage in early December?

Any quick suggestions

I have in reality, from the time I wake up to about 6PM on the Saturday of Memorial Weekend (this coming sat) to do something

Will have a car but need some ideas. Unlike some who like to pack it ALL in during the day, me, I like to find one thing and enjoy it and not rush to/from ANC doing it

maybe I'm out of my mind but hey, it wouldn't be the first time

If you have a little bit of flexibility with that 6pm time, you could head to Whittier and do one of the glacier cruises. There are several options, some that are shorter or get out earlier than others. (Some may actually let you get back to ANC before 6pm.)

Plan your return time around the one-way tunnel schedule between Bear Valley (Portage Glacier area) and Whittier. The tunnel is about 45 minutes south of ANC, and Whittier is just on the other side of the tunnel.

You could also just drive. Head south down to Girdwood, Portage Glacier, and maybe turn around at Turnagain Pass--or keep going to Seward if you have the time (about 2.5 hours south of ANC without stops). If you make it to Seward, check out Exit Glacier. Or head north, perhaps out to Matanuska Glacier or Hatcher's Pass, or maybe to Talkeetna for some spectacular views of Denali if the weather is clear.

Although it's a bit of a waste if you have a car at your disposal, you could stay in ANC and check out the Alaska Native Heritage Center (definitely worth a few hours--I could sit and listen to the storytellers talk about life in their Native villages all day). Poke around downtown a bit (always stuff happening on the streets near 4th and E, and there's also the museum). Consider hiking up Flattop--an easy 20-minute drive from downtown and a relatively easy 1.5-hour round-trip hike with some stunning views.

Here's a fairly good list of other options to do. Anything there strike your fancy? Let us know and maybe we can help narrow it down.

Thanks for the tips.. I have an 8 p.m. flight so that 6 p.m. return is pretty much etched in stone

the Glacier cruise seems fun, interesting, relaxing and the question is, is it something I can do and get back for my flight

I haven't done this one, so I don't know how the views are, but it may be an option. It gets back to port at 4:45pm, which would be plenty of time to make the 5:00-5:15 tunnel opening. As long as you make it through that opening, you should be back to ANC by 6pm, maybe 6:10 at the very latest (still plenty of time for your flight).

Keep in mind also that your amount of sunlight starts to decline during October.Here's a nifty little website that shows you the approximate amount of daylight for the month of October. If you plan on starting your day out at 7am, it will be dark/twilight (depending on cloud cover too.)

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...&afl=-11&day=1

Just ignore me. I need to learn to look at dates before I post.

hey thanks

looks like I get four hours of daylight even when we land at 7 PM ^

Gotta love the 18+ hours of daylight

It's awesome...execpt when you wake up at 330 and it's daylight out.

I appreciate all the answers people have given to someone who only has 2 days to squeeze in a lot for 2 days. Sounds just like my husband. If I can ask, 3 of 4 of us are strong, avid kayakers; I am ok. Would appreciate advice re: kayak tours (if needed) to do Mendenhall glacier for a trip we have which will get us in Juneau June 24th from 11AM till cruise departs at 8PM. My husband is desperate to walk on a glacier...if anyone knows anything other than helicopters, appreciate it. My understandingi is there is a pretty mile hike from the Glacier Visitor Center. But he wants to try to combine kayaking as well....I need someone who can advise us if doing all this is crazy or possible, and not be left by our cruise boat! Wish we could spend more $ for many things, but this is our 1st trip and I always hear your regrets are you didn't do enough. That is what other trips are for. Out next stop is Skagway from 7AM till 8:30, the next day, so I know we can find a reasonable bicycle trip there. Does anyone recommend hiring a whale tour in either Juneau or Skagway (I recall Juneau has more than Skagay, but I profess to knowing nothing!). Appreciate any suggestions and words of advice for a very nice man who tries to often do a lot but does forget those simple things like traffic, etc. Thanks much!

The helicopter tours are certainly the easiest way to walk up on the glacier. The only other way I know of to walk on the Mendenhall is via a few hour difficult hike, which I wouldn't recommend. I don't specifically remember any kayak tours that go right up to the glacier, but it would be something to ask about, as it is possible.
You can also do helicopters in Skagway, though I don't know if they're just flightseeing or if they land up on the icefield.

Yes, there are tons of whale tours here. Whether you see a whale or not is purely luck, sometimes you'll only get a glimpse of a distant tail, sometimes you'll get them swimming alongside the boat. If you or your husband get seasick, I'd wait and see how the winds are before you decide to head out on a whale boat. Sometimes it can get fairly rough.