June Itinerary

I%26#39;m planning a week long trip to Alaska in June (just 2 of us). Unfortunately, since I am using award points for the flight, flexibility is limited. We fly into Anchorage on June 15th and fly out on the 22nd (red-eye flight out).

We both like to hike, though we won%26#39;t be doing any camping, an 8-mile day hike on or off trail doesn%26#39;t scare us. I am also trying to keep cost to a minimum.

Tentatively, I am thinking:

Day 1 - Arrive in Anchorage, get car, spend the night

Day 2 - Drive to Denali

Day 3 - Shuttle into Denali and hike

Day 4 - Drive to Seward

Day 5-7 - Day cruise around fjords, hike harding icefield, exit glacier

Day 8 - Drive to anchorage, stop at cooper landing (Russian River Falls trail), then fly out (at 11:00PM).

I think we might also enjoy some kind of kayaking if someone can recommend a good inexpensive option. Are all the kayak trips guided, or are there any that you can rent on your own?

The Alaska railroad train from Anchorage to Seward sounds interesting, but the car rental cost in Seward seems much higher than Anchorage.

Finally, I hate how much time of our itinerary is spent driving. Is Denali or Seward a must see? Would we be better off visiting some other locations?

Thanks!

June Itinerary

Welcome to the forum!

How are you arriving on June 15th? My nephew is on Delta and I am on Northwest the same day! But we are first heading to Seward, then Denali.

I think you are pushing yourself too much to drive from Denali to Seward on Day 4. That is 8-9 hours without stops or traffic delays. I would drive to Wasilla or thereabouts and take some time to explore the Matsu Valley that afternoon or the next morning (Independence Mine, Palmer, Eagle River). You could also do some of this on Day 2 on your way to Denali. If you did this on Day 2 then I would suggest driving on Day 4 to Girdwood, spend the night and on Day 5 drive to Seward. The latter gives you more options to spend on Day 5 around Portage Glacier visitor center, wildlife conservation center, etc.

I would keep the car the entire time. You really don%26#39;t ';need'; a car in Seward but to rent a car for 3-4 days for Denali (a must in my opinion) is almost the same price as for a week. And you get to stop along the road from Anchorage to Seward which is very picturesque.

I think Denali and Seward is a good combination - I just think you need to break up the long drive day on Day 4.

Note too that if you pick up the car on the morning of Day 2 in town you might get a better rate than at the airport on Day 1 when you arrive since you avoid all the hefty airport surcharges. Check both options. I booked my car last July for the June trip and the price at Enterprise on E. International Airport Blvd for pick up on June 16 in the morning was much cheaper ($122/week including all taxes for an economy car - much more expensive now).

John

June Itinerary

Well,with your interest in hiking, I think you鈥檝e chosen the best areas. Yes, that will be a long drive between Denali and Seward, but we can easily break that up by re-arranging your schedule. Plus, I鈥檇 recommend 2 full days in Denali so you鈥檒l have time to hike a couple of different areas. Denali is a hiker鈥檚 dream.

So what I鈥檇 suggest is this:

Day 1, June 15 鈥?Arrive Anch, Overnight

Day 2 鈥?Drive to Denali (4.5 to 5 hrs). Hike an entrance trail, drive the 14 miles into the park that cars are allowed and hike near Savage R. See visitor center displays %26amp; film and free Ranger sled dog demo at 10, 2 %26amp; 4. Maybe whitewater rafting? Overnight Healy or Carlo Creek (both 15 min. from the park, much cheaper accommodations than park entrance area).

Day 3 鈥?early shuttle to Eielson (8 hrs) or Wonder Lake (11 hrs) If the latter, be prepared with headnets and lots of DEET. Get off to hike, catch a later shuttle to resume your trip. On the way back, pick out a likely spot (or 2) for tomorrow鈥檚 hikes. Overnight Denali

Day 4 鈥?early shuttle to Eielson. Don鈥檛 have to go that far if you鈥檇 rather spend more time hiking. Overnight Denali.

Day 5 鈥揇rive to Anchorage (5 hrs). Hike/bike Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (might see moose) or hike Flattop Mt. Overnight near Anch. (cheaper accommodations available in Eagle R. just a few miles north).

Day 6 鈥?scenic drive to Seward (2.5 hrs plus stops). Slight detour to Cooper Landing to do 2 hr. roundtrip hike to Russian R. Falls. Late afternoon/evening kayaking (either 4 hr. rental or 3 hr. guided tour with Sunny Cove at 6 pm). Don鈥檛 worry about it getting dark, it never does at that time of year. Sunset is 11:26 pm. Overnight Seward.

Day 7 鈥?Full day Kenai Fjords cruise. Evening: hike Exit Glacier. Overnight Seward.

Day 8, June 22鈥?Hike Harding Icefield (allow 6 to 7 hrs). Late afternoon, drive to Anchorage (2.5+ hrs). Be at airport by 9 pm for flight home.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

John - I%26#39;m actually booking the flight through Delta, but the flight is an Alaska Airlines flight out of ATL.

Manitoba and John - Thanks for the suggestions, those helped a lot and gave me some new ideas!

I actually found some eligible flights for the first week in July that may work out better for us. It will give us one extra day on the trip and put is in Alaska over the 4th of July. Will we run in to significant more crowds at any of these locations because of the holiday weekend? Or, have trouble finding a place to stay for that matter?

It looks like everyone tries to get to Seward on the 4th, but I don%26#39;t think we would be in Seward until the 5th or 6th anyway.

Several places get a bit more crowded around July 4th especially this year with it falling on a weekend. Locals in Anchorage and Fairbanks will probably take off for the weekend to Denali or other places outside of the cities. So be sure to secure your lodging well in advance.

John

%26gt;%26gt;I%26#39;m actually booking the flight through Delta, but the flight is an Alaska Airlines flight out of ATL.

Alaska Air doesn%26#39;t fly to Atlanta so it is probably a Delta-operated flight using an Alaska Air flight number to either Seattle or Anchorage.

John

It is indeed a Delta flight out of Atlanta. I looked at too many flights trying to find one that could use points that they are all running together! :)

It can be tough using points/miles for flights to Alaska in the summer but be persistent. And do NOT rely just on the online earch engines. You really need to call Delta to find all the options. And don%26#39;t forget that you can now transfer your miles from Delta to Northwest and book through Northwest. Sometimes NW has different availability and NW doesn%26#39;t charge the ';partner airline fee'; cr@p that Delta does (at least not yet).

John