Girdwood activities

Hi there,

We will be traveling to Girdwood Alaska on 6/21/07 for our nephews wedding. Being from Miami, we are very excited to be visiting such a beautiful and different area of our country. Can anyone offer ideas and insights on activities in the area? My husband and I are in our 50%26#39;s and we are traveling with 2 teens. Are there national parks near by? What about boat %26amp; train tours?

Any info will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Girdwood activities

Hi lov2trav,

You didn%26#39;t indicate if they were young teens (13-14) or older teens(17-19). There is quite a difference.

Girdwood is south of Anchorage...about 45 minutes by car. And just south of Girdwood is Portage (10 minutes). There is a wildlife conservation exhibit there is rather fun. There are the typical Alaskan animals on display...moose, black bears, fox, elk, etc.

The portage glacier is also in the vacinty..beautiful views. There are also boat tours available.

If you head further south into Seward, the Kenai Fjords national park is there. You can do a wonderful tour of the Kenai Fjords and view all types of marine life, whales, otter, puffin, etc...and more glaciers. The SeaLife Center is also in Seward. That is a wonderful attraction. If you and the teens like to hike, Exit Glacier is 12 miles outside of Seward. You can hike right up to the glacier. I%26#39;m not much of a hiker, but I did the hike. It was relatively easy. There are other posters on this forum who can provide additional info on hiking as well as other activities.

I just returned from Alaska a month ago, so this is all still fresh in my mind.

It would be a shame to visit Alaska and not visit Denali park. This is in the interior, and is approx. 4 hours north of Anchorage. You can hop on one of the shuttle buses and do a real safari, often viewing grizzlies, moose, caribou, etc. A train ride on the Alaskan Railroad would be a wonderful means of travel.

There is whitewater rafting available, helicopter and small plane tours...numerous activities.

You have plenty of time. Try to read some of the trip reports from this forum. Good luck.

By the way, is your nephew getting married at the Alyeska resort in Girdwood? Beautiful area. There is a tram at the resort that goes up a mountain to a fancy restaurant and gorgeous views.

Girdwood activities

lov2trav, aquablue made a good point. You need to let us know what are ages of your children. Also what activities are YOU interested in? Hiking, glacier viewing, fishing, bear watching, kayaking, ice climbing, glacier viewing, cruising to see wildlife? How many days/weeks do you have? Are you planning on traveling to different areas in Alaska or Girdwood is going to be only one destination in Alaska? Are you looking for inexpensive or free things? What are your children interested regarding outdoor activities? Are you going to have a rental car?

You can visit Kenai Fjords National Park on a day cruise from Seward.

You can take a floatplane from Homer to visit Katmai National Park. You can fly to Katmai NP also from Anchorage and to Lake Clark NP too.

I agree Denali is not to be missed especially for the first timers. Take a tram ride in Girdwood on a clear sunny day.