Thoughts on a two week itinerary in Alaska?

First of all, thank you to everyone who has posted here. Based on your advice, I think that I have come up with a first take at an itinerary for our trip to Alaska in June 2007 (which I can%26#39;t stop thinking about, as I%26#39;m so excited). We have 14 days and I was thinking of renting a camper or motorhome. I saw that ABC rentals offers 50% off if paid in full by October, which would make it about $90/day.

Day 1-2: Arrive and sightsee in Anchorage

Day 3,4,5: Camp, hike and enjoy Denali

Day 6,7: Seward

Day 8: Fly from Anchorage to Juneau, see Juneau

Day 9,10: whale watching, hike and other activities by Juneau

Day 11: Drive to Haines

Day 12, 13: Haines and surrounding around

Day 14: Drive back to Juneau and fly back to Anchorage

Am I trying to pack too much in? Is a camper/motorhome a good way to go for the first half of the trip? Am I missing anything that I must see?

As always, thank you!

Thoughts on a two week itinerary in Alaska?

I hope you realize that Anchorage to Denali is a 4-5 hours drive and Denali to Seward is 6-7 hours drive (both plus stops for photos and possibly slower traffic), so expect much of 2 days out of the first 6 to be travel time. I haven%26#39;t been to Juneau or Haines yet, so I am curious - what made you choose those over the many amazing destinations closer to Anchorage? There is plenty to see and do for at least 3 weeks without flying to Juneau.

Thoughts on a two week itinerary in Alaska?

First thoughts, in no particular order:

- you can%26#39;t drive from Juneau to Haines, only ferry or small plane

- since you%26#39;re planning on staying at major centers all the time, I%26#39;d rent a car and get hotels/B%26amp;Bs - for a single week, a motorhome is more trouble than its worth unless you want to be out in the backcountry.

- plan on an afternoon flight from Anchorage to Juneau to maximize your time in Seward. Rent a car at the Juneau airport

- rent a car in Haines so you can drive up Chilkat Pass into Canada - stunningly beautiful.

- take the fast-ferry to Skagway for at least a brief look - perhaps do that last and then take the ferry or plane from Skagway back to Juneau

Murray

Thank you both so much for the feedback. I will definitely heed the advise and the long drives!

As for going to the Juneau area, my wife and I saw an article on Haines and fell in love with the town! That%26#39;s what solidified our interest in Alaska, so we definitely want to go there. Since then, we have read up a bit about the Golden Circle route and may take that route to see Haines, Skagway, etc.

As for the motorhome, it seems like a cost effective way to go when we are in Anchorage, Denali, Seward compared to the price of lodging and renting a car. However, never having been in one before, I must admit that I%26#39;m a bit nervous. We%26#39;ll see...

Andy

Krimsman

Glad to see you plan to visit Haines......we fell in love with it too.....let me know if you have any specific questions as your travel plans progress.......

A plus of a motorhome is that you would be able to camp inside Denali National Park at mile 29, enjoying the inside of the park day and night and saving over an hour on the shuttle bus each way each day.

Hi there! Fun to hear the excitement in someone%26#39;s voice about an uncoming trip. What else do you plan on doing while you are up here - any specifics we can help you with or are you waiting to get the itinerary worked out first?? Depending on your flight, I would only spend one day max in Anchorage, and head out to see as much as you can. I think that is a steal on an RV - not many accommodations under $90 a day during the summer . . . but it depends if you feel comfortable about driving one. You might go and see if you can test one locally, and then decide.

You might price/consider flying direct from Juneau to home - guess it depends on the original ticket, but it%26#39;s a thought rather than having to fly back thru Anchorage . . .

Let%26#39;s us know what else we can do to help you plan. :)

Andy, you got many great suggestions. Where do live? Is there a place where you can rent RV? I always suggest to those who don%26#39;t have any experience with RVs to rent one for a weekend wherever you live and try it out before you commit yourself to this mode of transportation for your longer trip. Many visitors to Alaska love traveling in RVs, many others prefer to rent cars and stay in B%26amp;Bs, cabins, lodges, inns. You may also take a train to/from Denali and to/from Seward but you would need more time to fit your travels by train. Whatever works for you is fine but YOU need to decide. We are only making suggestions.

I agree that $90 is a nice price and it won%26#39;t last too long.

That%26#39;s a great suggestion about renting the RV. We do have a big pickup truck that I enjoy riding and I%26#39;ve heard that it%26#39;s a similar driving experience. However, I think that I might try to rent an RV for a weekend in New England (I live in Boston). I%26#39;m not too keen on the idea of relying heavily on a train because we really like to be able to wander off somewhere and go on our own schedules whenever possible.

Overall, with everyone%26#39;s help, the itinerary is really taking shape. Thank you! Neither of us are experienced fishermen (or women), but Alaska would be a great place to experience it, I think! Would you recommend any particular fishing company that will do a little handholding for beginners? Would it be better to do this in the Seward area or around the Skagway/Haines area? I think that it would be a lot of fun to catch some salmon and cook it in our RV! Any other companies or day tours that anyone has had a great experience with? While we probably will do most everything on our own, if there are a couple of day long tours that are worth the time and money, we%26#39;d definitely be interested.

Fishing around Haines is pretty much limited to ocean fishing in June mostly King Salmon and Halibut.......you can charter a fishing boat for about $100 to $150 per person for a 4-hr guided trip......the charter boats provide all your fishing gear as well........June is also prime time for Dungeness crab.......there is a gentleman here in town who drives his truck around to all the camping areas each day with fresh crab iced down in the back for sale....$5 each......he seems to do a thriving business.........If you like smoked salmon, stop by Dijon Delights......they have a shop in Haines and another in Skagway.......you can sample all their smoked fish and they can ship it for you.......wherever you happen to be when the fishing bug strikes, just ask the locals, they will be sure to help.......stroll the boat docks and check out the boats that are used for charters, try to be there when the boats come in, check out the customers, watch as their fish are being cleaned......you can get a real good idea of which boat you want to go out on by looking for satisfied customers the day before.......

As far as fishing goes, remember almost everyone is a tourist with little experience . . . so most companies are great at dealing with the inexperienced . . . kids and everyone! I have done charters out of Seward, but have had better luck with ones in Ninilchik . . .small outfits, and we always get our fish. We prefer the halibut, and we actually dipnet for salmon, but most charters off both (salmon and/or halibut) choices. :)