We are planning a week in Alaska. I was hoping for early to mid May but from reading other replies to post I am afraid many things I want to do would not be available that early. I am not worried about seeing flowers or green grass as I am coming from South Florida and have my fill of flowers and green trees.
The hopefull plan would be:
Sunday - fly in late night Check in - The Marriott web site says it has no availability for the 2nd week of May to the second week of June (all I have checked). Is that possible? I wanted somewhere where we could still get food after 11:00p.m when we arrive. (Captain Cook Hotel has no AC and that scares me)
Monday - Sleep in - Drive to Talkeetna - Stay at Lodge
Tuesday - Float plane to Mountain with landing/possible jetboat or dog sled visit in the afternoon.
Wednesday - Drive to Seward (is this to far for one day??) Sight see along the way. Check in to Holiday Inn?? I haven%26#39;t read many good things about any other hotel in the area.
Thursday - Glacier cruise in the morning, possibly horse back riding at Copper Landing in the pm.
Friday - Drive to Girwood, visit Alyeska resort, possibly do the helicopter snow mobile trip and have dinner at the top of the Tram ride. Drive back to Anchorage in the evening. Again I have no idea about a hotel in the city. The more research I do the more discouraged I get.
Saturday - Visit Anchorage - fly home late evening.
My main concerns are either we are planning to much or are leaving to much time and may get bored. Also, that in mid-May we may not get to do the Glacier Cruise, Snow Mobile, Float Plane or horse back riding activities that I was really looking forward to.
Please any comments would be very appreciated.
Travel Itinerary adviceWell, I think you are planning too much for the time you have, but good luck with the scheduling.
Do get a copy of the Milepost so that you have an understanding of the territory you are covering. Just google it and go online. It is a MUST for visiting Alaska.
No Denali shuttle to see the wildlife?
Are you kidding about AC? In Alaska, in May? Just ask if they have reliable heat !!
In a week you will get bored? No way, Your itinerary hasn%26#39;t begun to taste Alaska. Do some reasearch.
Travel Itinerary adviceI have the Milepost 2006 the Frommer%26#39;s Alaska 2006, travel guides and brochures. I have been researching for months. I would be interested in opinions from people with experience as to what I should not miss.
The 12 hour bus ride did not sound appealing. We are in our 30%26#39;s. Plus I heard bad stuff about the mossquitos. Plus I heard this does not start until June.
Hello there! Just to let you know, almost all tourist related activities are running by mid-May . . . even the shuttle bus in Denali. Mosquitos aren%26#39;t such a problem them, as it%26#39;s still snowy in much of the Park. Denali does offer an incredible opportunity for wildlife viewing and though the bus ride sounds long, most people think it%26#39;s worth it.
If you aren%26#39;t coming to Denali, I would consider more time on the Kenai, perhaps including Homer on your list of places to see.
I wouldn%26#39;t worry a bit about lack of AC, unless you were in Fairbanks in June. Best of luck in the rest of your planning! :)
I second Coalminer. We didn%26#39;t have a 12-hour bus ride in Denali. as I remember. We probably didn%26#39;t go that far. (Can%26#39;t find my journal at this moment to check). But, wherever we went we had a GREAT view of the mountain. And the driver was a school teacher who had been doing this for years and knew everything. If he, or we, saw some antelope, or whatever he would stop the bus for sightings and pictures. The only downside was that there was a large contingent of German tourists on that particuar bus, who thought it was their duty and right to talk very loudly during the driver%26#39;s narrative. I finally stood up and asked them to SHUT UP. Yes, I did. But I can pass for a ';little old lady'; and can get away with that, usually.
We also did a flight from Talkeetna and were lucky again, in that the mountain was ';out';. We didn%26#39;t do a glacier landing, but it was very dramatic looking down. I think the flight company we chose was ';Two Babes and a Bird';, run by two gals. (recommended, if they are still there.)
In Seward choose Kenai Fjords for the glacier trip. If you take the longer one you stop at an island for a salmon bake. Also in Seward is the Sea Life Center, which is very interesting. If you take the advice to go down to Homer, there is a very interesting small museum, which, when we were there, showed the results of the Valdez oil spill and a recording of the skipper trying to explain himself.
Whatever you decide for this trip you will want another. This summer we did the Inside Passage.
Hi Ak Dreaming -
I would suggest you take the shuttle into McKinley Park. You don%26#39;t have to go for 11 hours, in fact I have never been past Eielson visitor center (or Fish Creek now while the visitor center is being rebuilt). The greatest beauty is before you get to that point. You can also choose shorter trips as well, but you must do it if you are here for wildlife. There is NO place I can name that has such a concentration and variety of wildlife as the park. If you suspect it will be too long to sit (there are breaks every 1 to 1.5 hours) then plan a day hike at a certain pint, get off the bus, hike up to look at animals or a for a beautiful viewpoint, and then hike back to catch another shuttle back to the visitor%26#39;s center.
The ski plane trip around Denali from Talkeetna is great! I have flown around most of this state, and still happily taken this flight with visitors, and enjoyed it immensely! The flight takes you over northern taiga and tundra to the glacier and rock faces of the mountains, plus you express an interest in landing on a glacier. This is a great opportunity.
It is about 2 hours from Anchorage to Talkeetna and another three hours to McKinley Park. Seward lies 120 miles or say a 2 to 3 hour drive south of Anchorage. You do NOT want to hurry on this drive; the Turnagain Arm portion is justifiably one of America鈥檚 official Scenic Highways. Seward is really worth while, and do take the 6 or 8 hour boat tour, you will see much more than you do on just the 4 hour tours.
If you want to go to Homer, then it is another 3 or so hours past Seward. Don%26#39;t worry about mosquitoes too much! Our trees and landscape is quite different from what you are accustomed to, and we don%26#39;t stuff buildings between the road and the scenic areas, so you can enjoy quite a bit. You might look for horseback riding on the Kenai or in the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley as another way of getting out to see some great things.
Just a few ideas to add to your choices. Oh, if the bus doesn鈥檛 go all the way into the park because you are here early in the season, take it as far as you can and picnic and perhaps hike at the end. It is well worth it!
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I would recommend driving to and staying at Gridwood after Talketna to break up the drive. Have dinner at the Double Musky that evening (get there around 5 pm or be prepared to wait for a table). The next morning you could drive Girdwood to Seward in about 1 1/2 hrs. In Seward you should make time to see Exit Glacier (you an walk to it - about 1 mile and even hike further up on to the glacier). Kenai Fjords cruises are wonderful. Full day cruises take you further out and you are more likely to see whales. They also visit a couple of major glaciers.
Your return from Seward to Anchorage would be about 2 hrs give or take if you make stops. Cooper Landing is an extra 1/2 hour (1 hr RT) out of the way. beautiful hotel in Cooper Landing is the Kenai Princess Lodge. Rates should%26#39;t be too bad in Mid-May.
Good luck and have a wonderful time.
Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions. I feel my time for making reservations is getting short. I%26#39;ve changed my mind so many times my husband is growing impatient.
I think now I may stay in Anchorage for the first three nights.
On the first day drive to the Alyeska resort and take the helicoptor/snowmobile trip, have a nice dinner and return to the city.
On day two, if this is possible (I posted this question on the Anchorage forum) I would like to take the train to Talkeenta and do a flight to Denali with a landing, then retun that afternoon by train to Anchorage. My question is about time and transportation to the air field.
Wake up day three check out and spend the day sightseeing and driving to Seward.
Day four - all day Glacier/wildlife cruise
Day five - maybe horseback riding or dog sled visit.
Drive back to Anchorage.
I am going to post questions on the Anchorage and Seward sights for Hotel suggestions.
Any suggestions or ideas are very welcome.
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