Thanks in advance for the help!
My husband and I are planning a trip with another couple in mid-late August. We are in our late 20s and love outdoors stuff - hiking, kayaking, etc. Below is our first rough sketch of an itinerary. How does it look? Is there anything major we%26#39;re missing or should consider adding? Is it enough/too much time in Denali? We would like to do a bunch of camping and hiking there. We%26#39;re haven%26#39;t decided exactly what we%26#39;d like to do in the Kenai peninsula, but it sounds interesting. We%26#39;d also like to do some kind of walk on a glacier, but I wasn%26#39;t sure the best place to add that in.
Day 1 - Fly to Anchorage
Day 2 - Drive to Denali area
Day 3 - Denali
Day 4 - Denali
Day 5 - Denali
Day 6 - Denali
Day 7 - Drive to Kenai
Day 8 - Kenai
Day 9 - Kenai
Day 10-17 - Cruise southbound
Day 18 - Fly home
Thanks so much!
how's our itinerary?Welcome to TA.
So when you say ';Kenai'; you mean the Kenai Peninsula, not the town of Kenai, correct?
Where is your cruise departing from - Seward or Whittier?
Are you planning on bringing camping gear with you or renting/buying it once you get to AK? I usually just do a land tour and bring my own camping gear. In 2006 I combined a Denali camping trip with a SB cruise and also took all my camping gear with me. Fortunately some friends only went on the Denali portion of the trip so they took my camping gear home with them. But other friends bought and rented some camping gear in Anchorage and brought their camping stuff with them on the cruise and just stored it in their suitcase under the bed on the ship. So either works fine. Personally I like having my own gear - I know the equipment, know it works and how it operates, etc. But it can be a hassle sometimes when flying.
How about transportation - will you keep the car for the Kenai Peninsula and make it a one-way car rental? Just so you know, one-way car rentals are expensive and if you return to Seward, Hertz is your only option. If you return to Whittier, Avis is your only option. Note that with your schedule, you might consider two car rentals - one for Days 1-7, pick up and drop off in Anchorage, then pick up a second car rental on Day 7/8 in Anchorage and drop off in Seward or Whittier. Or depending on where you are going, you might consider just returning the car in Anchorage and taking the train to Seward. The train is very pretty and you really don%26#39;t need a car in Seward - it is an easy walking town and taxis are pretty cheap.
Where do you plan to camp in Denali? Five nights is a lot of time in Denali but if you like the outdoors, by no means too much. I would strongly suggest you camp either at Tek or Wonder Lake. By doing that, you can take a camper bus and for +-$35/person you have unlimited use of the shuttle and camper buses when inside the park. If you stay at Savage or Riley Creek, you pay about that much each day for the bus.
Note that I strongly discourage you from driving from Denali to the Kenai Peninsula on Day 7. If you try to get to Seward for example, it is a very long drive, especially if you are coming from a campground inside the park. The first camper bus gets back to the park entrance just after noon. That means you don%26#39;t start out until 1pm or later if you want to get a quick shower before heading out.
Bring info with you before you get inside Denali - the bus schedules for example. You also might want to get a copy of the book by Ike Waits on hiking, camping and photography in Denali to give you some ideas on where to hike.
There is some great kayaking from Seward though I have never done it myself.
I would encourage you to take at least the 6 hour long Kenai Fjords NP boat tour from Seward.
You can get onto a glacier in at least three places:
-Matanuska Glacier with outfits like Mica Guides
-Byron Glacier near Portage Glacier visitor center on your own after a 1 mile or so walk
-Exit Glacier from Seward. Exit Glacier Guides comes highly rates even by the NPS in Seward. I have never done this trip with them but picked the brain of one of the guys who leads the hikes. It really sounds like a neat hike.
On your way to or from Denali you might consider a lunch stop in Talkeetna, perhaps also flightseeing from there if it interests you. Also stop in the Matsu Valley are worthwhile - Independence Mine, Palmer, Eagle River, Eklutna.
John
how's our itinerary?Welcome to the forum!
Well, it’s hard to comment since we don’t know what you plan to do, but it has possibilities. I think I’d take one of the days from Denali and add it to Seward. Are you renting a car or an RV? Are you camping in campgrounds, or backcountry hiking in Denali? If using campgrounds, if you’re in an RV stay at Teklanika where there is a 3 night minimum stay, though you can leave early if you want to, but your vehicle must remain parked until you’re ready to leave, so be sure to have everything with you that you’d need because you won’t have access to the store. Buy a Tek Pass and you have 1 reserved trip into the park, plus unlimited trips on a seats-available basis.
Does your cruise leave out of Seward or Whittier?
If tent camping, I’d suggest staying at Wonder Lake for a couple of nights. The mosquitoes should be just about gone, and you can take buses to different areas to hike. You’re as close to Mt. McKinley as you can get, and John (“fti”) has told us that many times when McKinley is shrouded in clouds all day, it will come out late at night after the buses have all gone (maybe it’s shy?) . You have to take a camper bus in. .Camping at Wonder Lake is John’s favorite thing to do, and he’s given lots of pointers on various threads if you want to look for them. BTW, if you end up camping at Savage R. or Riley Creek instead, be aware that you can get 3 days of shuttles for the price of 2 if you phone your reservation in.
What I’d suggest to get you started:
Day 1 - Fly to Anchorage.
Day 2 - Drive to Denali area (5 hrs.) Be sure to get snacks/supplies in either Anchorage, Eagle R., or Wasilla, because picks are slim and expensive north of Wasilla. In Denali, see visitor center displays %26amp; film, hike an entrance trail, drive the 14 miles into the park that cars are allowed and hike from there, see the free Ranger Sled dog demo at 10, 2 or 4, whitewater rafting. Overnight either Savage River CG or Riley Creek CG (so you can do entrance-area activities).
Day 3 – Denali – drive to Teklanika CG for 11 a.m. to choose a site, or early camper bus to Wonder Lake CG. Hiking.
Day 4 – Denali – Tek or Wonder Lake. Hiking.
Day 5 – Denali – Tek or Wonder Lake. Hiking.
Day 6 – Denali – drive to Matanuska area (5 hrs) to overnight. On the way, either stop at Byer’s Lake CG to hike around the lake, and/or else slight detour north of Palmer to hike scenic Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine. Overnight near Matanuska Glacier.
Day 7 – 10 a.m. to 1 pm: Ice Fall Trek with MICA guides to explore crevasses, etc. on Matanuska Glacier. Drive to Seward (4.5 hrs) to overnight, exploring along the way: http://alaska.org/driving/seward-drive.htm. You might want to stop in Anchorage to hike/bike Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (good chance of seeing moose), and/or stop in Girdwood to hike part of Winner Creek Trail (has a neat gorge %26amp; hand tram). Overnight Seward.
Day 8 – I don’t know if you can afford it, but I strongly recommend kayaking amongst the icebergs of Aialik Glacier (plus wildlife watching there %26amp; back): http://www.sunnycove.com/grandday.html . I don’t kayak, but any kayakers who kayaked amongst icebergs rave it is the experience of a lifetime. Overnight Seward.
Day 9 – hike Exit Glacier/Harding Icefield. If your cruise starts in Whittier, drive back to Anchorage to overnight and return the rental car, and on Day 10 take the morning train to Whittier, and either hike Portage Pass, kayak, or do an afternoon glacier cruise prior to boarding the cruiseship. If your cruise starts in Seward, drive back to Seward and on Day 10 do an early-morning drive to Cooper Landing (1 hr) to hike to Russian River Falls (2 hrs, might see bears), then back to Seward to visit SeaLife Center prior to boarding the cruiseship.
Thanks for the welcome and all the information.
We are still in the early stages of planning, so not a lot has been decided. I see now that what I wrote might have been a little misleading. We are really only thinking of camping 3 night in Denali (nights 3,4,5). I like the idea of driving partway back on the day we%26#39;re done with camping. We%26#39;re not sure if we want to backpack vs regular campsite. We%26#39;re up for either.
If we camp at wonder lake, does it take the entire day to get out there? then the next day can you ride a bus back somewhere else to hike, and then catch one back to wonder lake? i%26#39;m a little confused as to how long it takes to get places, and how often the buses come.
Yes when I said Kenai, I meant the peninsula. We haven%26#39;t booked our cruise yet either, so we have options leaving out of whittier or seward. there are so many options to decide on!
%26gt;%26gt;We are still in the early stages of planning, so not a lot has been decided. I see now that what I wrote might have been a little misleading. We are really only thinking of camping 3 night in Denali (nights 3,4,5). I like the idea of driving partway back on the day we%26#39;re done with camping. We%26#39;re not sure if we want to backpack vs regular campsite. We%26#39;re up for either.
I like your idea to arrive at Denali on Day 2 then head into the campground on Day 3. That way you are not rushed to get to the camper bus, and you can do some things near the park entrance when you arrive on Day 2.
Backcountry camping requires some flexibility and in my opinion some previous experience with some type of camping out on your own. A friend I went to Haines with last November who regularly backcountry camps inside Denali told me I should go out camping locally with everything I would use at Denali, hike a bit and camp - get a feel for the pack, its weight, all your food, etc. I am not discouraging you from doing it, just letting you realize it takes some advance planning. You would need to read some info on www.nps.gov/dena about the various units and have a feel for which unit(s) you might want to hike and camp in. Then you need to arrive at Denali and hope those are available, watch a video and give the rangers your plan and get your permit. Rangers frown on people just showing up with little prep and wanting a backcountry permit.
%26gt;%26gt;If we camp at wonder lake, does it take the entire day to get out there?
Takes about 6 hours. You can leave usually at 7am or 11am and get there about 1pm or 5pm. There are two later camper buses but I strongly discourage you from taking those - you might get stuck at one of the less desirable campsites.
The day you arrive, you can do some hiking near Wonder Lake (McKinley Bar Trail for example), head to Reflection Pond if the Mountain is out, or go on a bus to Kantishna to see the cabin there that is restored from the gold rush era. Not really much in Kantishna though.
%26gt;%26gt;then the next day can you ride a bus back somewhere else to hike, and then catch one back to wonder lake?
Yes exactly. That is one reason why I love staying at Wonder Lake - you are traveling east (back toward the entrance) when most everyone else is traveling west (into the park). Less crowded for you in the morning for hiking, on the bus, etc. There are buses from Wonder Lake usually about 6.30am and 8am. After that, the rest of the buses from Wonder Lake are the shuttle buses and don%26#39;t leave until close to 11am.
%26gt;%26gt;i%26#39;m a little confused as to how long it takes to get places, and how often the buses come.
Pick up a bus schedule at the WAC before you leave for Wonder Lake or you can print one online once the bus schedule is set in mid May. You can take both camper and shuttle buses with your camper bus ticket.
The last bus to Wonder Lake leaves the park entrance at 4pm so you could theoretically hike most of the day and get back about 11pm to Wonder Lake. But you will be exhausted :-)
%26gt;%26gt;Yes when I said Kenai, I meant the peninsula. We haven%26#39;t booked our cruise yet either, so we have options leaving out of whittier or seward. there are so many options to decide on!
I would make your cruise decision based on the itinerary and not so much on where you depart from. All else equal, I would look for more ports and/or more glaciers if you like glaciers, longer port times, and perhaps smaller less visited ports like Icy Strait Point, Haines, or Sitka.
Keep us posted.
John
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