June 2007 Trip

Hi all - and an early Happy Thanksgiving. My husband and I are planning our 10 year anniversary trip to Alaska over the last half of June 2007. We%26#39;ll be there for 2 weeks. The last week we%26#39;re on a Princess cruise so we%26#39;ll be relaxing and enjoying their itinerary, but for the first week we%26#39;re planning on road tripping it.

We%26#39;re starting out in Anchorage and grabbing a rental car, and then heading to Denali for three nights. We%26#39;ve got reservations at Denali River Cabins (on river) and for the Kantishna Wilderness Tour. Then we%26#39;re planning on heading south down to Soldotna for some river fishing (hubby%26#39;s anniversary present!)

But - question is - I%26#39;m hoping to get some river rafting in, and hoping to visit a Sled Dog Kennel while we%26#39;re up there. Any suggestions where to go, and whom to see? Any other must-do%26#39;s while we%26#39;re in either vicinity? This is a once-in-a-decade (or more!) trip for us, so I%26#39;d love all the suggestions you%26#39;d be willing to offer up!

Thanks so much!

June 2007 Trip

Hi there and welcome to the forum! For river rafting here in the Denali area, I would recommend Denali Outdoor center - best reputation on the river. For dog sledding, you should go see the free doggie demo that the National Park service offers, There are also some local dog mushers that offer tours - Jeff King and Ramy Brooks. For other things, of course you could do a flight see of Mt. McKinley - there are flights available from Denali Park, Healy and Talkeetna. Lots of hiking you can do as well. For some fun evening entertainment, there are two evening dinner shows in the area as well - Cabin Night and Music of McKinley, I believe. Anything else you are wanting to do?? Best of luck! :)

June 2007 Trip

Hi coalminer - thanks so much for your response! I was hoping I wouldn%26#39;t anger anyone by asking redundant questions that I%26#39;m sure have been posted many times on this forum (of course I thought of this after I posted...)

One other question I do have - is it worth driving up to Fairbanks for a day? I have heard good things about the Riverboat tours, but I%26#39;ve also heard that it%26#39;s not worth the drive. I know the North Pole is up there, and we have two little girls, so they might appreciate the pictures of Mom %26amp; Dad at ';the'; North Pole, but then again I just got them pictures of us at Colorado%26#39;s version... :)

Also - how long is the drive from Denali to Soldotna, and is it worth stopping off at Talkeetna on the way?

We spending the last night at the Alaska Grand in Anchorage before heading to Whittier on the 23rd for the cruise. I%26#39;m planning on taking the train to Whittier. Is that a good action plan, or is there a better alternative?

Thanks again - terrific information and thank you for being so willing to help out a newbie.

Hello again! Well, I like Fairbanks . . . I think the reason some people are disappointed with Fairbanks as it doesn%26#39;t have the dramatic scenery as so much of the state has, so I think that is why some folks say it%26#39;s not worth seeing. However, Fairbanks is only a 2 hr drive from the Denali Park area (it%26#39;s where we go to buy our groceries) and there are many things worth seeing - the history of that area is amazing! There is the Riverboat Discovery, the Pioneer Park, the museum at the University as well as the NorthPole. It%26#39;s rolling hills and often you can see Denali in the distance if it%26#39;s clear out as well as some other incredible mtns in the Alaska range. So those are my thoughts of Fairbanks - it%26#39;s also one of the few places in the state that get hot in the summer, which I enjoy. :)

Not sure about your drive from Denali to Soldotna - maybe about 6 hrs?? When I do that drive, I%26#39;m not usually watching the clock. You might enjoy stopping in Talkeetna on your way south - just depends on how much time you have. There is also Hatcher Pass and the Musk ox farm in Palmer.

Okay, hope that adds some more for you - and no, we don%26#39;t mind the same questions - that%26#39;s a part of helping on the forum. You have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well - snowing tonight here, and has warmed up to about -8. :)

Wow coalminer - warming up to -8. And I thought Minnesota got cold early. It%26#39;s actually a warm Thanksgiving here - we%26#39;re hovering around 45 or so. (that%26#39;s above 0.) But come January, we%26#39;ll hit -20 or so as our winter low. Nothing compared to AK, but we%26#39;ll complain about it anyway. Gotta love the bright blue skies that come with the ultra-cold though, at least here in MN.

Thanks again for the info - you%26#39;ve given me lots of good things to think about. Can%26#39;t wait to visit the great state of Alaska! It%26#39;s been a long time dream for both of us, and we%26#39;re thrilled we just decided to do it, and not hold off any longer.

Hi Dreamer!

I want to add my voice for the visit to Fairbanks. It seems too many people do skip it, and in my opinion by doing that they miss out on part of real Alaska. South of the Alaska Range is nice, and it has spectacular mountains, but there is something missing in spirit and perspective. Don%26#39;t let that slow you down on your plans; I am simply voicing my perspective.

Not only does Fairbanks have the Riverboat Discovery, but it has the University Museum and experimental farm (the latter not a tourist attraction), and the Musk Ox Farm behind the University, but it goes on with a drive out to Fox along Goldstream Creek and the many square miles of valley floor that were turned upside down by the gold dredges to scoop up the treasure laying near the bedrock under the valley. You can tour Gold Dredge #8 and pan for gold there as well, or drive a bit farther out to Chatinika, have a coffee or lunch at the Chatanika Roadhouse and walk across the road and gold field to the abandoned gold dredge there, if you prefer an unrestored dredge to explore. Take along a flashlight and go inside if you are feeling adventurous. Going from Fox to Fairbanks along the Steese Highway, allow time to stop at the oil pipeline display on the east side of the road... but just before you get to that, keep your eye opened on the other side of the road for a black looking ice lens in the cliff to the right, behind some construction equipment (summer of 06). I just posted a photo on this forum, so am hoping I will hear how to reference it so you can see what I am talking about.

On the way up to Fairbanks you also pass by - and can stop in - at Ester, the gold mining center that may have inspired the Shooting of Dan McGrew by Robert Service. on the highway going up you will also drive over road built on permafrost, which explains some of the almost roller-coaster features. look off to the side and you will see some power poles set with side braces to keep them from settling on the sunny side (south) in the permafrost as the sun heats the pole and the ground underneath.

Now North Pole is not much of a place to see, but there is a Santa Clause House along the main road. Some call it a tourist trap, others call it a treasure. If you do stop, perhaps a picture postcards sent from the North pole to your children would surprise them.

I hope this gives you a few good ideas. (I like Fairbanks much more than Soldotna, but it is your tour. Visiting Alaska for a short visit is like visiting a candy store for a short visit. You can%26#39;t check it all out!

71

71, that%26#39;s such beautiful description. I never understood how anyone can say it is not worthy to visit Fairbanks just like how is it possible for anyone to conclude after a very brief stop there is nothing to do in Anchorage or for those who never visited Nome to state it is an ugly town. After reading your description of Fairbanks now I want to go back too. Wait, we%26#39;ll be there next August! Unfortunately we are going for only two days. See you there!

Love2Dream, regarding your Kantishna tour, since you are going to be in Denali NP in June I would skip going all the way to the end of the road where zillions of mosquitoes reside in June and waiting for a fresh blood arriving on each tour bus. It may be more enjoyable to book the shuttle and go to Fish Creek instead, visually this is the most spectacular part of the road anyway. BTW, Soldotna has an amazing salmon fishing.

One more thing, it is 400 miles from Denali NP to Soldotna and it takes about 9 hours without any stops and if everything goes well, there is no road construction, no traffic going through Anchorage, no slow RVs, no wildlife, no scenery, no stop for gas or lunch.

You all are fantastic. Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all of this information. I was initially planning an overnight in Fairbanks, and not doing the Kenai Penisula at all, but we changed our minds after talking to a friend of mine who had just returned from Alaska. She had stayed in Soldotna and loved the cabins they stayed at. My husband has always dreamed of fishing Alaska, so in order to get in the most variety, we decided to do Denali %26amp; the Kenai, and we did book a full-day fishing charter to get the salmon fishing in. Hubby is really excited about that!

Places - I%26#39;m bummed because I already booked the all day trip into Denali, and I don%26#39;t think I can cancel without penalty. I guess we%26#39;re just going to get drained by the mosquitoes (although we should be used to it since they are the ';State Bird'; of Minnesota as well. )

Since we%26#39;re staying three nights in Denali, based on your recommendations, I think I will schedule in a day to Fairbanks. It sounds great, and I hate to miss it completely.

And I%26#39;ll just plan on a full day trip to Soldotna from Denali. No hurries, and hopefully no worries, so we%26#39;ll just enjoy the scenary on the way down.

Thanks again everyone - I greatly appreciate the insights! If you ever visit Minnesota, give me a nudge. The BWCA is gorgeous, and we love the outdoors here.

Hello again! Well, I just wanted to add a bit . . . mosquitos have their good and bad years . . . some summers are worse than others, just depends on what kind of a year we are having with the weather. Last summer wasn%26#39;t too bad, but the year before, they were horrible, and in areas where they aren%26#39;t normally so bad. Same with the Park - some years are really bad out west, and some can be mild. I think it%26#39;s worth it to be in the Wonder Lake/Kantishna area - it%26#39;s so beautiful out there, I think you will be glad you did it. So don%26#39;t be bummed - just go prepared! Buy some good quality bug dope when you arrive, and if necessary, some head gear can be valuable.

As far as other areas you plan to visit, Alaska is unique - so look for that and you%26#39;ll be happy with your trip. I love Fairbanks and I also love the Kenai peninsula . . . both are very different. Same as the Southeast - vastly different from where I live, but very beautiful. People are continually surprised at Alaska - so different than what they expect. If you don%26#39;t see and experience it all on this trip, you are sure to come back! :) See you in June!