Talkeetna - for any reason other than excursions?

Is Talkeetna a destination for any reasons other than picking up some active excursions? (We can%26#39;t afford the flightseeing; have gone dog sledding and river rafting in other locations, and don%26#39;t care about fishing.) Mostly I%26#39;m wondering what draws so many to Talkeetna? Is it just super quaint or is it the activities available there?

We might cruise the inside passage and then do about 4 nights on land. I am wondering if we should just concentrate on about two nights around Seward/Kenai and then 2 more in Denali? (MAYBE adding in one night in Anchorage either before Denali or before flying home.)

Thanks for any replies.

Talkeetna - for any reason other than excursions?

';Is Talkeetna a destination for any reasons other than picking up some active excursions?';

Nope. If you happen to be going by about mealtime, there are some nice places to eat, but the spur road adds half an hour to your drive (14 miles each way).

With your limited time especially, skip it. More than enough to keep you busy elsewhere.

Talkeetna - for any reason other than excursions?

This is what my friend Inge said about Talkeetna after her visit last summer - ';Talkeetna - the town of 25 shops'; . . . and other than a river boat ride, that was it. I think it would be fine to stay there if you were here for a few weeks, but with your limited time, I would spend that time in Denali or Seward. :)

Rats,I was looking forward to stirring up a hornet%26#39;s nest by saying you could skip Talkeetna, it is just a cutsy tourist town. Last time I stated that I inspired about 10 posts with items to do there, but nobody ever disputed the %26#39;cutsy%26#39; part.

For quaint, I really like Seward. It is genuine, it supports the summer tourist trade, but it is not smothered by it as Talkeetna is. There are also both the old town and the harbor parts of the town to be recommended.

Talkeetna is a laid back, old hippie get-away from it town, and it supports a great airport and flight services for tours and climbs of Denali, but most of the town you will see in casual visit will be touristy. My sister was quite content to %26#39;hit every shop in town%26#39;.

If you are passing by and hungry, I recommend the H %26amp; H Lodge on the main highway just half a mile north of the Talkeetna Cutoff. It has an ambience and view that is just really nice - nice enough to have tourist friends ask that we stop again on the way home.

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I think the draw is different for different people. We also were not doing flight seeing, but we did enjoy stopping here for the night before we continued on to Denali the next day. We walked around the little town and went to the River Park where you can see Mt. McKinley if she is out. We stopped at the Ranger station and walked through the cemetery. For us, it was a worthwhile quick visit. However, with your short time to do a land tour, I would say to skip it, unless you wanted to stop there for lunch as has already been suggested. It is a cute town.

I was disappointed in Talkeetna. We got there when a couple of cruise ship buses were there and it was a zoo. The only reason to go there if you aren%26#39;t doing an excursion is the used bookstore. It was a pretty good one.

Thanks! I had really thought this was a must do stop but as I began to look into it, I had to ask this question. Glad I did. There is enough other stuff to do!

I agree with the others, it%26#39;s a cute town but not a ';must see.'; We stopped there for a night of camping on our way from Denali back to Anchorage just to split up the drive. The campground is nicely wooded and the town is nearby walk. There were several stores selling high end arts and crafts, so people looking for something different to bring home can probably find it here. Otherwise, if you%26#39;re not flightseeing, drive on by.