Which NP first Denali or Glacier??

I was thrilled to discover this forum as up to now we were having great difficulty in finding information for our trip to Alaska. Hoping someone can help with the following:

We fly into Anchorage on 16th June and out 11th July. We want to visit 2 different areas for approx 10-12 days in each.

1)From Anchorage, hire car and go down to Seward and Homer ,then up to Denali NP (possibly with 1 overnight in Talkeetna) and return to Anc. Don鈥檛 know if its better to book Kodiak Bear trip now or after other section?

2)From Anchorage go to see Juneau,Sitkak,Glacier NP and Skagway and return to Anc. First problem we hit trying to figure this out is, what is the best way to get down here from Anchorage and which is the best sequence to do these in ?

Ideally it may be 2 nights in each place, with more in Juneau if we are in and out of it to get to places鈥?/p>

The absolute Must Do鈥檚 are Denali NP, Glacier NP and viewing Bears salmon fishing!

Would appreciate knowing if people think the above plan is workable ?

Any opinions on which is the better sequence to do the trip ?

Fly to the 鈥業ce Area鈥?first or do the hire car bit first ?

Perhaps there are other places on the routes we could consider going to but we have missed ??

We are 4 somewhat fit forty year olds so definitely intend to do some walks/hikes in the different areas but not overnight camping ones鈥?

All help is much appreciated

KUB from Cork

Which NP first Denali or Glacier??

Welcome to the Alaska forum! Well, I%26#39;ll start off my admitting I am not the best with itineraries/nor too good at the Southeast section of our state, because it is a long way from where I live and I haven%26#39;t been there in many years.

Okay - your section up in the main part of the state sounds fine for basic plans, but realize the driving distances - you might need to plan a few extra days to have things work smoothly. The drive from Anchorage to Denali is about 5 hours, without stopping for the usual tourist things.

As far as the SE goes, I think the best thing would be to fly to Juneau, and you can see the SE places via the state ferry system (also known as the Alaska Marine hwy), but they don%26#39;t visit every town every day, so you will really have organize that well. I would search here on the forum for advise about Glacier Bay. Now you could fly to each place - Sitka, Glacier Bay, etc. - all depends on your budget, but I know those costs would add up.

SO, I am hoping someone with much more experience than me can help you coordinate the SE portion of your stay.

Up here - plan about 2-3 full days for Denali. Best advice is www.nps.gov/dena. I would recommend that you take the shuttle bus into the park, booking to Wonder Lake. I would also do the doggie demo, and maybe consider at raft trip as well. There are several easy hikes to do in the entrance area, as well you can get off the shuttle bus and hike around. I would also recommend staying in Healy - we have lots of great B%26amp;B%26#39;s and cabins to rent and I would be happy to recommend some websites or places to stay. You also might have fun at one of two evening entertainments - Cabin night or Music of Denali.

I think a trip to Kodiak would require about 3 days - best to fly out of Anchorage I think. I have some friends from Austria that did that last summer, though I think they stayed for about a week there.

Okay - I am rambling . . . sorry about that. Once you work out a good itinerary, I would then start booking things like your car, hotels/B%26amp;B%26#39;s, shuttles, etc. Best of luck! :)

Which NP first Denali or Glacier??

Welcome to Trip Advisor!

I would base the order of your trip on your bear viewing. Check with vendors to ask when is the best or peak time for that and plan the rest of your itinerary around that. I know for example that at Brooks Camp the peak time is in July.

You can get to Glacier Bay from Juneau either by boat or airplane.

Definitely spend at least 2 nights in Denali and 2 nights in Glacier Bay.

John

thank you both very much. we will have to check out the bear trips as a matter of urgency i guess..... any further info gladly received ! KUB

makeup hair