Two Days in Anchorage - Beginning of October
 

So I have booked the DL mileage run from FLL to ANC for October 1-3. I get in around 8pm on October 1 (a Saturday) and leave around 9pm on Monday the 3rd. So I've got about 48 hours to work with. This will be my first trip to Alaska.

I'll be staying at the Marriott downtown -- unless you have a better suggestion?

I'd like to do some sea kayaking, but most of the web sites I've looked at seem to stop the guided tours in September. I am a very experienced kayaker, so would renting a kayak make sense? Does anyone know of any tours that continue into the first week of October?

I'm probably going to try to play a round of golf -- the courses in the Anchorage area seem to stay open until the middle of October.

I thought I might do the drive North from Anchorage and try to catch a glimpse of Mt. McKinley from Trapper Creek -- I have heard the view is pretty good from there, if the mountain isn't under cloud cover.

The weather outlook for October suggests I'm going to experience temps in the 30s and 40s. Though I live in Florida, I'm a PA native, so shouldn't be too bad.

Any suggestions for things that I must see or do? I love the outdoors, love to see things, capable hiker. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Drive south (toward Seward) along Turnagain Arm as far as Girdwood and the Alyeska Resort and stop there. Take the tram to the top of Mt. Alyeska and have lunch there. They have special combo tickets for this. Just outside Girdwood, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center http://www.alaskawildlife.org and/or

Back in Anchorage, visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center http://www.alaskanative.net and the Alaska Museum http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/

Few if any tours that I know of operate that late. The 26 Glaciers tour in Whittier ends on Sep 30.

I would play it by ear, depending on weather. As Orlando Vic mentioned, the drive along Turnagain Arm is really nice. If the weather is nice, it could be worth it going up the tram. If the weather is not good, it's not a good plan IMHO.

You would need to verify that the Native Heritage Center is open on weekends in October. They might be closed.

If the weather is nice, the drive north like you mentioned is a great drive. I would probably drive to Talkeetna (at mile 99 of the Parks Highway there is a 15-mile long spur road that goes to Talkeetna). Great views of the Mountain from there. And a few places to eat.

You can drive north to Talkeetna on one day and south to Girdwood and along Turnagain Arm the other day.

If you like hiking and the weather is nice, you can drive from Anchorage west toward the mountains to the Glen Alps. Some great hiking trails near there, including Flattop among others.

Another hike you might like, either from the top of the tram in Girdwood if you want a longer hike or from the "other" side of the trail (follow signs toward Crow Creek Mine and there is a Winner Creek trailhead there). From the trailhead on the Crow Creek Mine side, figure 3/4 mile max to the "hand tram" where you get into a basket and pull yourself over to the other side. Very unique and fun experience.,

If you wanted to spend a night outside Anchorage, and if the weather is nice, and if you really like hiking, a great trip would be to Seward (2-3 hours south of Anchorage). There is a really nice trail called Harding Icefield Trail that starts near Exit Glacier just north of Seward. Very hard to do in one day with a drive from Anchorage and back again though. 8+ miles round trip with a 3K foot elevation gain. They say 6-8 hours round trip and that is pretty accurate. Incredible views and at the top you get to see the icefield. If this interests you, you might want to check to see that there is not a huge amount of snow on the trail before heading that way.

October can be hit and miss as winter is starting to set in. Here are some of the things I did during my trips to ANC.

Well you'll enjoy the 50 draft beers at Humpy's and make sure you have the plank halibut. Also check out the Glacier Brewhouse.
http://www.glacierbrewhouse.com/
http://www.humpys.com/

Family ideas: the hotel desk clerk recommended all of the following things and I enjoyed them all.

Kincaid Park - West end of Anchorage. Nice hiking trails and plenty of moose to see.
http://alaska.org/maps/kincaid-park-anchorage-map.htm

About an hour north of Anchorage you'll find the Matanuska Glacier. It's an awesome experience to walk on the mouth of a glacier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matanuska_Glacier


About an hour south of Anchorage you'll find the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
http://www.alaskawildlife.org/visit.html

Have Fun!

Thank you, truly, for these great suggestions.

I heard back from one of the adventure outfits (Miller's Landing) today, and they will still have guided tours available during the first week of October. Since I am traveling alone on this MR, I'm limited to a paddle from Seward to Caines Head. I imagine all of the areas are beautiful, but does anyone have experience with this area? Should it be an enjoyable experience? I am an avid kayaker. The tour also includes a trip to an abandoned WWII era military outpost which sounds neat. I figure I could see Turnagain Arm while I am in this area?

I really wanted to do a kayaking tour of Alaik Bay, but it appears to be too late in the season for that.

FTI, is the view from Talkeetna better than that at Trappers Creek? I believe I had read that Trappers Creek was around mile 115 on the road to Denali state park.

The hand tram hike sounds pretty neat, though if I do the kayak tour from Seward I will probably be unable to do it if I try to head North on the other day.

I know once I go I'll have to go back! Probably as addictive as Hawaii.

Thanks again for your responses!

On my "To Do" list in Seward is to get to Caines Head. But if you take that trip, you really should spend a night in Seward. Otherwise you are really pushing it to make it a day trip. Many people take that tour and it sounds like a good one.

>>FTI, is the view from Talkeetna better than that at Trappers Creek? I believe I had read that Trappers Creek was around mile 115 on the road to Denali state park.

Where at Trapper Creek is a great place to view the mountain? I don't recall a specific great place for a "lookout" view of the Mountain. Yes, Trapper Creek is about mile 115. I stayed in Trapper Creek once and also drive by there a lot to/from Denali. At least in Talkeetna you have that nice overlook coming into town. Several places to eat in Talkeetna, perhaps the ranger station is open (double check). If so, they have a couple of great films you can ask them to play for you.

>>I know once I go I'll have to go back! Probably as addictive as Hawaii.

Way more addicting to me than Hawaii.

I'm making the trip a week later - Oct 8-9 (arriving 2PM, leaving 9AM the next morning due to work). Let me know how it goes! Looking forward to the microbrews

Even though you are not going to use Millers landing for fishing, I have some strong feelings about them...and they aren't positive: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...omment-5694613

While not a formal lookout, one spot to catch a (weather permitting) view is where the Parks Highway crosses Trapper Creek itself. That's right around milepost 115 and just before the pizza pub run by the entertaining German woman. And if the weather seems cooperative, a drive out the Petersville Road from Trapper Creek can provide lots and lots of photo ops.

Thanks again for all of the great suggestions. Here is my tentative schedule (I realize that it is very full and I may have to cut some things out once I arrive).

Oct. 1
-Arrive 8:30pm
-Dinner, Humpy's?

Oct. 2
- Drive to Seward, Caines Head paddle, 8am to 3pm
- Drive to Girdwood after, take the Hand Tram hike
- Return to Anchorage, Dinner at Glacier Brewhouse?

Oct. 3
- Drive to Talkeetna, arrive there in time to see sunrise? (Is this a good idea?)
- Check out Talkeetna, drive back to Anchorage
- Golf at Anchorage Golf Course or Moose Run (anyone have any experience w/ the golf?)
- Dinner in Anchorage (any suggestions?)
- Flight departs ANC at 9:40pm

I realize this is a lot of driving and a lot of activity. I'm extremely skilled at operating with little to no sleep, so I plan to go full steam ahead for the two days I am there, see/do as much as possible, and organize a much longer trip for next year on the flight back.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions!

Honestly, I think you are crazy, but you designed a very typical "first time Alaska visitor" itinerary. You don't realize there are no interstate highways in Alaska. You don't realize the roads are pretty much all two-lane. You don't realize there might be construction or accidents or even snow that preclude you from making good time.

>>Oct. 1
>>-Arrive 8:30pm
>>-Dinner, Humpy's?

So arrive 8.30pm, by the time you get your luggage it is after 9pm. By the time you get your rental car is is 9.30pm. By the time you get to your hotel it is after 10pm. By the time you eat and get back to your hotel it is midnight.

Then for an 8am Caines Head paddle, you need to be there probably by 7.30am. Figure 2-1/2 hours to get there so you need to leave by 5am (so get up about 4.30am?). Depart Seward 3.30pm, back in Anchorage without stops about 6pm or later. With your stops, figure another couple of hours. Then dinner. So really not back to your room until 11pm or so, and that is if all goes well.

If you want to see the alpenglow on Mt. McKinley (slim chance to even see Mt. McKinley) that means you need to be at a spot to see the Mountain before twilight, which is 7.30am. That means leaving Anchorage about 5.30am for Talkeetna - yes, on the same two-lane roads that have moose and other wildlife that you can easily hit due to the darkness and lack of sleep. And I can tell you right now that with a moose and your car, you and your car are always the losers.

"I realize this is a lot of driving and a lot of activity. I'm extremely skilled at operating with little to no sleep"

It is not a question of your skill at operating with little sleep. It is a question of your inexperience in driving in such conditions as in Alaska and in realizing that you really will mainly be seeing the Alaskan roads and not Alaska. With Alaska, less is always more.

Fortunately I won't be in Alaska at the time you are. If I were, I would be certain to avoid the roads you would be traveling on.

Sorry if I sound so hard, but it is my hope you will come to your senses :)

That's why I'm sticking to the brewpubs :D

Well, I'll be here and won't hesitate to drive my little compact car around while you're here. Frankly, I'd say dodging other (bad) drivers in BOS or ORD is far more challenging than anything in Alaska. I've lived here 16 years and have driven every road in Alaska (many multiple times) as well as up and down the Alaska Highway to the Lower 48 three times, and the only encounter with wildlife was a cracked windshield from a moose near Muncho Lake in Canada well past dusk (I wasn't even the one driving). Other than that, I've not so much as even had to hit the brakes for an animal.

fti is a very experienced Alaskan traveler, but IMHO he's overstating the dangers here.

I really do appreciate your warnings. I live in Florida now, but I'm from PA and am experienced with driving in sleet and snow.

I do realize that there are no freeways, mostly two-lane roads and wild animals.

Though it does sound as if I would be wise to focus my time in Seward and skip the drive North to Talkeetna. If I spend the night of the 2nd in Seward I could drive back and golf in Anchorage before my flight on the 3rd.

It is not just the dangers, but the schedule - get to bed Day 1 about midnight in Anchorage and be in Seward by 7.30am on Day 2? I don't recommend Seward as a day trip for most people, much less scheduling an 8am tour there. Fine for some people I guess, but I prefer to spend my time in Alaska much differently.

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 :D

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

Advice Already Given to "Two Days in Anchorage"+ Some Questions re: Juneau and Skagwa
 

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.