Day trips from Anchorage in June
 

Since we decided to skip Denali NP this June we have 2 days to do other things. The initial 7-8 days we'll be spending in Homer/Seward/Whittier/Girdwood areas.

Can we get a few ideas for day trips (6-7 hrs) from Anchorage? Not interested in "flightseeing" or long hikes. We have a car and we're considering:
1. Talkeetna
2. Matanuska Glacier

TIA

Basically you're saying either the Parks Hwy. or the Glenn Hwy. If it were me I'd play it by ear and go on the Parks if the "mountain was out" (the first really good viewpoints are in the state park, IIRC, which isn't as far as the NP entrance) and you can also go through Talkeetna, or the Glenn with the glacier (which has thinned and retreated quite a bit) if it wasn't. The Glenn leading up to the glacier has better scenery than the Parks leading up to the viewpoints (though the Parks is nice along the ridge heading into Fairbanks later on, especially in fall).

You'll see the state bird a lot in June regardless, but you get the benefit of the very long days. There's also always a possibility the weather could be rainy, in which case I'd do backups like the museum in Anchorage.

IMO the drive to Talkeetna is pretty boring, although if the weather's good you can get some glimpses of Denali here and there.

My first pick for a day trip would be Independence Mine and Hatcher Pass, in the mountains behind Palmer. In June there might still be some snow on the ground here and there (depends) but the scenery is always spectacular and the history is very interesting. You might also drive up the Knik River Road on the way back; there are frequently moose, and sometimes some black bear, around the road. Stop at the Eklutna Tailrace on the way back to see if there are any king salmon being caught, and definitely stop at the Native village of Eklutna, with the colorful "spirit houses" covering the graves in the cemetery next to the Russian churches. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/sKUAw6bX2Lx

Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine -

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fed79fd12e.jpg

Knik River Valley

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dae945e5f2.jpg

Eklutna Tailrace

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1dc407136.jpg

Eklutna cemetery

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6153d205b9.jpg

Thank you both. Good ideas and great pictures. ^

Twice I've been to the Eagle River Nature Center a few miles (about 9-10) east of Eagle River on Eagle River Road - it dead-ends into their parking lot. There are some easy trails that will take you out to a few viewing platforms out over the river. The scenery is pretty spectacular - there is hiking in the area but this is just a nice walking stop. It's a good side trip for a longer day trip - Eagle River is only about 15 miles north of Anchorage plus the distance out to the nature center. We've seen moose in the area too.

I stopped on Eagle River Road for this pic:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...582ed07f61.jpg

From one of the viewing platforms:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2d01fdbda4.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...46863a90d7.jpg

Thanks for the idea. Looks spectacular. Might hit this on the way home from Eklutna area.

I may take a quick detour here on our return to Anchorage from Palmer. We will be in this area on June 17. Looks quite beautiful. What time of year were these photos taken?

If you're talking about my pics, around the first of June '17.

We had mixed results on our trip today. Independence Mine doesn't open until 6/15 but the drive was nice and the scenery great.

The Eklutna cemetery is in total disrepair. Weeds everywhere and graves in horrible condition. I took pics on my phone but not savvy enough to upload them here. Nothing like the pic that Gardyloo provided above. It was very sad.

Enjoyed the Alaska Native Heritage Center. ^

Overall, a nice day.

Tomorrow we're heading for Talkeetna and hopefully Denali will be "out". :)