To get things clear from the start - Alaska wise, I'm totally clueless. So of course, I've been handed the assignment of planning an upcoming week long trip right there this summer.

Still, these forums seem to be packed full of amazingly helpful people, and so I'm hopeful I can get some good advice.

Basically, me and my four person family - my mom, dad, and eleven year old brother - are landing in Anchorage towards the end of June for a seven day vacation.

The thing is, I really, /really/ don't want any sort of generic touristy trip. Instead I'm hoping to explore the beautiful state of Alaska - and likewise - see the actual culture, unique attractions, and gorgeous scenery.

Here's where I'm hoping you guys have suggestions. Right now, I haven't got much planned. It's really pretty up in the air. I want to figure out what spots we simply can't miss, and then plan the rest of the trip around them. That's where I need the most help. What things do we just have to do? What are the very best activities we'll have a chance to experience?

We all enjoy hiking and the outdoors, and my mom has a weird obsession with trying local foods. We're more than willing to wander off the beaten path or try something new. Seriously, anything that comes to mind would be wonderful.

Also, as soon as I get the chance, I'll try to post up a more specific itinerary. Haha, and I'm really sorry for how vague I must be sounding.

All the same, thank you so much! Any comments would be fabulous.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Clamming

Seriously- its fun

I had 5 nights in Alaska and had a pretty packed itinerary but I loved it.

I spent 2 nights in Anchorage from which I did a day trip down to Seward and onto Portage Glacier for a cruise...beautiful ride through the Kenai Penisula.

http://www.graylinealaska.com/sights...roduct_id/2371

From there we went to Fairbanks via the Eastern Route which goes through Delta Junction...I can't say enough about this drive. In all my travels this was the most senic, beautiful drive I have ever expierenced. on this route we stopped briefly at North Pole to do the Tourist thing up to Fairbanks. We then did two nights in Fairbanks where we went to Pioneertown which was touristy but fun. The next day we did an excursion above the Artic Circle.

http://www.northernalaska.com/arcticcircle.cfm

That was a long day but worth it You get to see the pipeline, tundra and cross the Artic Circle on Dalton Highway (If you watch Icetruckers you would know this road). That is all we had time for in Fairbanks and I am kind of bummed I missed Chenna Hot Springs I hear that is neat.

From Fairbanks we continued down to Denali for 1 night. I was not impressed with Denali. Little did I know if you do not go on the full day bus tours from the Parks Service there is little to see as they only let you drive 18 miles into the park by car. The next day we went rafting which was neat then back to Anchorage for our departing flight. I was glad though that we did get too see over 1500 miles of different roads in Alaska as they are all beautiful and worth it! Enjoy!

As for lodging I can't recommend enough Lake Hood Inn in Anchorage
http://www.lakehoodinn.com

^

@beckoa
Haha, I have to agree - I believe you. Clamming sounds exactly like one of the out of the ordinary things I'm looking for. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about it? Are there companies or places to specifically go. Or do you just pick some shoreline and start looking? (:

@remphish1
Thank you so much for all the advice! It sounds like you had an amazing trip, and your experience will be very helpful for ours.

The Eastern Route, should be very easy to fit into whatever our schedule comes out as, and your post makes me excited to see it. As well, visiting the Arctic Circle seems like a great trip to take (and I'll for sure have to look into Chenna Hot Springs!).

The Lake Hood Inn also looks very cute, though I think I might be forced to use my dad's Marriot Points to reduce costs. We'll make sure to keep that in mind however.

ALSO. Does anyone in general, have any suggestions regarding white water rafting? And likewise, my mom says she's heard alot of things about taking a boat around Prince William Sound. Is it worth it?

Again, thank you everyone for the help!

No Problem. If you have any further questions don't hesitate to drop a line. As far as Chena Hot Springs here is a link. I put an extra N in the name earlier..whoops...

http://www.chenahotsprings.com/

Also the there are tons of raftng companies near the Princess Denali Hotel if you are staying near Denali that are fun. I do not however recommend staying at this hotel as it was a major rip off!

http://www.princesslodges.com/denali_lodge.cfm

We spent $260 a night for a glorified motel with no elevator, sink in the bathrooom (It was nowhere near the bathroom but near the beds)! Supposedly if you go into Denali there are some cabins that are supposedly nice but then again it depends on how much time you want to spend in Denali. I completley did Denali wrong...but then again I did not have a lot of time to work with.

Also keep in mind when driving the eastern route to Fairbanks it is about 70 miles longer than the route through Denali. The positives about this route though is there are no cars or traffic..I will admit at times I was driving 90+ for a good clip. Once you pass Glen Allen it is a pretty quick road. Also depending on what time of year you go the Alaska State Fair is running in Palmer which is 60 miles or so from Anchorage.

Welcome to Flyertalk.

I am sure you will get a dozen different opinions if you ask a dozen different people.

You have to first figure out what you want to do/see before you begin to plan an itinerary. Do you want to see glaciers? Then Prince William Sound or Seward/Kenai Fjords should be included. Do you just want a lot of scenic driving? Then the route suggested above might be a good option, though it is a lot of driving for a week-long trip. I did that drive in June but my entire trip was two weeks long. And do you really want to be driving 90mph, rushing around on your vacation? It sounds like it fits perfectly for some people. I prefer to slow down and smell the roses. And yes, there are highway patrols even on those roads.

Do you want to be "tourists", seeing as much as you can in a week, or do you want to "experience" Alaska. I would never recommend Seward for a day trip, for example. The highlight of Seward is a 6-hour or 9-hour Kenai Fjords National Park boat tour. You can do that on a day trip on the train, but then you miss everything else Seward has to offer. The arctic circle is more to say you have "been there, done that" than to see a whole lot, especially on a quick day trip. Since you said you don't want touristy things, I think you are far better off skipping this.

With hiking, outdoors and scenery, I think that Denali fits your bill perfectly.

If it were me, I would do something like this:

As soon as your flights are confirmed, book a car rental. Rental car prices skyrocket in Anchorage the longer you wait to book. This is absolutely number one. The past three summers I have paid under $100/week plus taxes for an economy car in Anchorage. Compare both "on airport" and "city" locations - city locations often have far less taxes and can be substantially cheaper than on-airport locations. But sometimes their base rates are higher so compare both. The Enterprise location on E. International Airport Blvd. is very convenient to the airport ($15 including tip cab ride each way).

Day 1 Spend your first night in Anchorage.

Day 2 Drive to Seward your second day. Stop along the way - extremely scenic drive along Turnagain Arm, maybe see beluga whales or moose, stop at the Portage Glacier visitor center, Wildlife Conservation Center, other photo ops. Arrive in Seward in mid afternoon, 4pm ranger-led walk to Exit Glacier

Day 3 Six hour or 9-hour Kenai Fjords boat tour. Sealife Center before or after? Several very good restaurants in Seward.

Day 4 Drive to Talkeetna with stops in Matsu Valley along the way (Palmer, Musk Ox farm, Eagle River, Independence Mine, Wasilla - Iditarod HQ, etc). If you are interested in flightseeing, this is the place to do it. The 7pm flight with Talkeetena Air Taxi usually has a 2-for-1 coupon in the Toursaver book. The Talkeetna Roadhouse is an iconic restaurant in Talkeetna but usually only open for breakfast and lunch.

Day 5 to Denali, pick up your shuttle bus tickets for the next day at the Wilderness Access Center (WAC), afternoon white water rafting trip. Denali Outdoor Center has the best reputation on the river and has very good prices. Even without any coupons, they offered prepay and early booking discounts that got the price for three of us to within $10 of another company that offered a 2-for-1 coupon. After that, see the film and exhibits in the visitor center. Maybe stop at Byers Lake on the way from Talkeetna to Denali for a nice hike around all or part of the lake. There are some cabins on Byers Lake, but you need sleeping bags so probably not an option, depending on how you are traveling. No great restaurant near Denali, though 229 Parks is probably the nicest and McKinley Creekside Cafe has really good food at very reasonable prices.

Day 6 all-day shuttle bus trip into the park. Buy your tickets to Wonder Lake. Yes, it is an 11 hour bus ride. But it goes VERY quickly. Rest and potty stops every 90 minutes or so, and the bus also stops whenever someone spots wildlife. You can get off anywhere you want to hike then hop on another bus. My suggestion is to stay on your bus until Wonder Lake and do your hiking on the way back. If Mt. McKinley is "out" you will want to go as far as Wonder Lake. If the Mountain is not "out" you can get off at Eielson Visitor Center and take a different bus to the entrance. But it is easier to do this than to book only to Eielson and want to extend to Wonder Lake (fewer buses go that far). There are mosquito issues near Wonder Lake in June so you need to be prepared with DEET and/or mosquito headnets. The bus only stops here for 30-45 minutes but it is the best and closest vantage point to view Denali from the park road, so well worth dealing with mosquitoes if the Mountain is out.

Day 7 any entrance area activities you might have missed earlier, maybe the Savage River loop hike, drive to Anchorage. Most flights are red eyes so you can arrive about 2 hours before departure for your flight.

Unfortunately that was your fault for not realizing how things operate. As someone on a cruise travel bulletin board posts, going to Denali and seeing only the first 15 miles of the park road by car is like going to Disney World and only getting as far as the parking lot. It is very unfortunate since Denali is such a gem.

I often spend 3-6 nights at Denali when I go to Alaska. I have been to Denali three times this year alone. Just incredible hiking, scenery and wildlife viewing ops. You can peruse some of my Alaska photos through this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnn.photos

You should definitely look at the two coupon books - Toursaver (www.toursaver.com) and Northern Lights (http://www.alaska-discounts.com/). Toursaver costs twice as much as Northern Lights but you need to look at what each book would save you then buy the book that saves you the most. Last year I bought the Northern Lights book, this year I bought the Toursaver book. You can sell them on EBay after your trip. Many 2-for-1 coupons. It might be wise to buy two books with the size of your group - just depends on what you plan to do, if the vendors take two coupons for the same tour, etc.

You also might want to go to the Alaska forum on Trip Advisor - extremely knowledgeable and helpful people there who will help with any questions, itineraries, etc. (you will find me there too under the same screen name).

John

John, seriously, I cannot even thank you enough. Your post has been so amazingly helpful. Thank you so much for the time, suggestions, and willingness to share your expertise.

I've actually finally been able to put together a very rough draft of our itinerary. There's obviously still a lot of room for change - and some days I don't know much. Again though, I'm so grateful for all the patience you guys have given me.

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, if anyone would be able to quickly look through these ideas and continue the advice giving that would be wonderful.

Once more thank you, thank you.

Oh, additionally as a further note, we're using frequent flyer points to purchase our tickets, which unfortunately really limits the times we can go. Our choices are either the 15th or 22nd of June - both flights arriving around midnight. Any suggestions on which one would be better?

Day One, Arrive in Anchorage - crash at Courtyard Marriot (once again using points for a free room)

Day Two, Spend the day in Anchorage, visiting such places as the Native Heritage Center and maybe Tony Knowles Biking Trail. (I've heard good things about both - any opinions or other must do activities?)

Day Three, I'm debating here. We can either stay in Anchorage and take a four/six hour Prince William Sound tour or head to Kenai Fjords and do our boating there instead.

If we choose to stay in Anchorage, we'd most likely do the tour first thing and then drive to Seward. With both choices however, we'd follow John's advice and stop along the way at places he mentioned like the Portage Glacier visitor center, Wildlife Conservation Center, etc.

Suggestions? (:

Day Four, First part at least in Seward - check out Exit Glacier and Sealife Center. Then perhaps head all the way down into Homer?

Day Five, Head back to Anchorage/Talkeetna. Do something that afternoon.

Day Six, Travel to Denali and enjoy some sort of river rafting trip (with Denali Outdoor Center maybe?). Later take a nearby hike. You guys know anything less visited, moderate level, and nice?

Day Seven, All day shuttle bus trip into the park. Follow John's advice.

Day Eight, Any additional activities between Denali and Anchorage as we head back. Our flight leaves at 1:10am - so we have most of the day.

Glad I can help. I love Alaska and spend a lot of time there (my family thinks I should just move there!).

Almost exclusively I use frequent flyer miles to fly to Alaska. Only once did I pay for my trip - when there was an incredible deal from NYC to ANC which allowed a stop in MSP both ways, for something like $400. I don't think either 15 or 22 June would make much difference, except 22 June is my birthday so that is a great date

You do want to avoid Seward around July 4rd but it looks like you would be doing that in either case.

Both the Native Heritage Center and the coastal trail are great options. I have done both. A good chance of seeing moose on the trail. You can easily do both the same day. Coupon for the Native Heritage Center in one or both of the coupon books I mentioned above (saves about $10-$15 entrance fee for one person).

For Day 3, why don't you drive from Anchorage to Seward and on the way take the PWS tour (I think they are only 4-6 hours, not 9)? I have done that and it works well. Depart Anchorage in the morning, stop at the Wildlife Conservation Center and/or Portage Glacier visitor center, take the 11.30am tunnel, 1pm tour, that is done by 5pm, 5pm tunnel, in Seward by about 7pm or shortly thereafter, depending on photo stops.

I would definitely skip Homer. Not because it is not worthy of your time. But you really, really don't have the time unless you shift gears from experiencing Alaska to visiting it. You really need two nights in Homer to make it worth it - water tours there are the highlight too.

Byers Lake is a great hike (though I have only seen it and know people who have done it). Another really nice hike at Denali is the Savage River loop. Not really "less visited" but never a ton of people there. Takes 1-2 hours depending on stops (2 miles round trip). Often see sheep on the mountainside, often see ptarmigan (the state bird) up close, often see snowshoe hares, this year a coyote has been hanging around that area too.

I have also heard that the Rock Creek Trail from near the visitor center to near the park headquarters is a very nice hike on a formal trail. That is on my "To Do" list next year when I am there.

I think you are definitely on the right track. Just keep Homer off your list - that adds about 4 hours of driving each way, more if there is traffic or an accident.

John

Hey my trip was not for everyone. I understand that. The fact that I only had 5 nights (I had limited vacation time as I was starting a new job) and did all that I could I have no regrets. Denali may very well be amazing but I saw pleanty of other amazing things all over the state that it quelled my desire to go further into Denali. I was not in the mood to sit on a school bus all day in Denali but maybe some people would enjoy that. Even though my trip was 5 nights long I didn't feel rushed. I am not the type of person even if I had unlimited time to stay in one destination for long. On top of the fact that I was in Denali in high season,it was crowded and expensive I feel I made the right decision.

As far as saying the Artic Circle was something to just say it was done is not accurate. I thought the scenery north of Fairbanks was some of the most interesting scenery on the trip. But as stated before it all depends on what type of trip you are looking for. It does sound like you are more the stop and smell the roses type so more power to ya!

What ever you decide I am sure you will have a great time!

It's hard to go wrong in Alaska, no matter what you do. Unless you spend 3 days at the Ulu Factory

@John
Honestly, you have been so helpful. Most likely not for the last time: THANK YOU. (:

Though wow, I wish I could find a deal like that. Then I could use all those miles to fly myself to Hawaii too! Haha, and 22nd it is then~

Oh, okay. It seems I've heard only good things about both the trail and center - so those are for sure. As for the coupon books, I fully agree. I will plan on getting one if not both.

Your Day 3 suggestion sounds like a good idea too, and as you commented on the other forum - Homer really doesn't seem like it's going to work for this trip.

Your hike ideas, also present a lot of options to check out. Several people have suggested the Savage Loop and it seems just around the right length for the whole family.

@remphish1
Just out of curiosity when did you visit Denali? I know the summer months are busiest, but it seems like a spot I can't help but visit.

As for the Lake Hood Inn you suggested a while back - I'm wanting to give it a try. You really liked then?

Again though, thank you for all the help!

@alphaeagle
Darn it!
I was actually planning on wiping my previous schedule and Ulu Factorying all week.

Not a good idea then? (;

My advice from 2 trips over the past 5 years (more experience than some; a lot less than many!)
--I LOVED Homer--artsy community; water-based (go halibut fishing with Captain Bob--he was a hoot); really good food of a surprising variety (you mentioned someone in your party is a foodie); and NO CRUISE SHIPS.
--Seward is good (Kenai Fjords boat trip is very cool) but the town can be overrun by the big cruise ships if you don't plan your day right. If you do include Seward, add a trip to the Seavey family dog sled training--very informative!
--if you go to Denali, DEFINITELY do a flightseeing tour--and don't be dissuaded if the weather on the ground isn't great--the weather up on the mountain could be spectacular. And if you want something a little different, try Denali Sightseeing Safaris--they take you into the park on these big 4x4 trucks into places you won't otherwise see. We had a great time (http://www.denalisights.com/)
--spend as little time in Anchorage as possible--it's not a horrible place, but it's not why you're going to Alaska. You're going to see scenery and wildlife and sights that don't exist elsewhere. Anchorage is like Omaha, only a little farther north (Fun thing to do is to rent a bike and ride along the trail through town.)
--plan on doing stuff late into the night, too--the land of the midnight sun is true! I've got photos timestamped 11:54pm of a bear cub at a pond in the first 15 miles of Denali.

Enjoy!

I was in Denali the last week of August in 2007. As far as the Lake Hood Inn it was really nice. Close to the airport but maybe 3 miles from the downtown. only had 4 rooms so it was tiny. Had a wonderful balcony overlooking Lake Hood where you can watch the float planes take off and land. Lake Hood Inn was not only great but was cheaper than most of the Downtown hotels. You said you were traveling with a family so I am not sure if they accomodate larger groups? I would definatley look into it though.

Here are reviews of the Lake Hood Inn from trip advisor...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ge_Alaska.html

^

There are some excellent suggestions on this thread. However I wanted to make a comment for those who, like the OP, "really, /really/ don't want any sort of generic touristy trip," and especially those who are contemplating using FF awards to Alaska.

I'm pretty sure that in most cases, any mileage redemption plan that allows the use of Alaska Airlines (AS) will permit one or more stopovers in any round-trip or open-jaw itinerary. AS redemptions will automatically allow a SEA stopover if the routing is via SEA; and I'm pretty sure they'll also allow a stopover in ANC if your destination (i.e. turnaround point) is past ANC. AA allows a stopover at a "natural connection point" which would most likely be ANC in many cases.

I mention this because, good as they are, the standard tourist loops of Anchorage-Denali-Kenai Peninsula (maybe -Prince William Sound and/or -Fairbanks) are very limiting in that they have to stick with the road system.

But in Alaska the road system barely moves the needle in terms of the area made accessible, or climate/ecological zones penetrated, or proximity to native communities. And although the skies are spacious and the vistas impressive along, e.g., the Denali park road, they can't hold a candle to the experience gained flying over the tundra or the Alaska Range, or seeing the Arctic Slope or the Bering Sea or the coast around Kodiak Island, and so on and so on.

On the road system you can't experience the solitude of a lake in the Kenai Moose Range after the charter floatplane operator has dropped you off for a fly-in fishing trip (one or two nights) at a cabin (with boat) alongside the lake, with nothing but loons, moose, eagles and other beasties for company, until they come back to pick you up - even though you're all of 30 min. from Lake Hood in Anchorage.

Of course not everyone has the time or usually the money for this sort of experience, but some do, and in the case of FT readers, maybe it's not as hard as one would think.

For example, take the OP's week. Day 1, Anchorage; day 2 to Denali; day 3 in Denali; day 4, back through Anchorage to Seward; day 5, AM Seward, back to ANC PM; day 6, fly to Nome/Kotzebue/Barrow; day 7, back to ANC and red-eye home. ANC would just be a stopover on a home-OTZ/OME/BRW-home round trip, usually for the same miles as home-ANC-home.

This is just a suggestion - Alaska has enormous diversity that matches its size, but you need to get off the road to see some of it.

YES! It absolutely is!

I just got back from a five day trip up there with a friend of mine. We did a four hour cruise around Prince William Sound out of Whittier--I'm not sure what the longer tour would get you, but on our tour, we saw otters, a whale, birds and a glacier. Bring a heavy jacket (maybe a rain jacket), even in June.

Your Seward trip sounds exactly like ours: we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center just outside Whittier on the way down, then we went to the Alaska Sea Life Center. Exit glacier was very neat to see even if it was raining when we were there. If you go to Talkeetna, and the weather is nice, do an aerial tour of Mt. McKinley. If you can get over the fact that you're in a 8 seat plane, it's spectacular. The views you get on the flight to/from FAI are nice, but this is much better and takes about 90 minutes. Just one word of caution: the drive from Homer to Talkeetna will take about at least eight hours, probably more. That might be a tough one to do all in one day. The drive from ANC to Talkeetna is very pretty if the sun is out. I'd suggest trying to show up last minute for an airplane tour. My friend and I saved about $150 each on our tour by doing that.

Next time I'm up there, I'm going to throw in a side trip to Nome/Kotzebue. I don't think you could do more than a day in either place, but I think it'd be worth checking out.

Our itinerary was more "touristy" since neither myself nor my friend had been up there before. Here's more or less what we did:

Day 1: ANC
Day 2: ANC/Talkeetna (Mt McKinley aerial tour)
Day 3: Seward (AWCC, Sea life center)
Day 4: Exit Glacier/Whittier Glacier Tour/ANC
Day 5: FAI (flew to FAI)
Day 6: Fly home

Depending on where you're flying, the "red eye" flight from ANC isn't that palatable. It's only about 3 hours down to SEA so you can't really get much good sleep on the plane.

If you're interested, I have a ton of photos I took from the glacier tour and aerial tour.