Curious if anyone has Alaska experiences to share. If you did organized group travel or on your own. Thanks!
I did a solo trip to Alaska in the winter. I did drive - make sure you have a car with tire chains, because it’s just ice on the roads. I didn’t, and I ended up sliding through an intersection, and there was nothing I can do. One of the tings I did was take a day tour to the Arctic Circle down the ice trucker road. That was a great trip!
We have relatives in Seward, Alaska and have been there to visit and tour around. We were there in the summer so didn’t worry about tire chains, but it was colder than expected. We did a tourist boat trip on the Kenai Fjord and I didn’t take off my coat or gloves the entire time. Its the coldest I’ve ever been in July. We drove up to Denali and spent a few days. The main thing I remember about the drive was that it was much longer than expected and we kept getting stuck behind very slow moving RVs. But the views were great and we saw lots of wildlife. It was definitely a great experience.
This would be a summer trip. Probably August
thanks !
Did you find getting around with a rental car manageable?
One July we flew to Anchorage and rented a car. It was a great trip! We went to the Kenai Peninsula (Seward and Homer). In Seward we took the all day boat trip to the glaciers. Also saw the Exit Glacier and the Aquarium. Then we drove north to Denali National Park. Then north to Fairbanks. Then south to Wrangell - St. Elias National Park. Then to Valdez for a fabulous boat trip on Prince William Sound. Then back west to Anchorage. Basically a large circle route.
I would suggest making hotel reservations early. I reserved in February and had difficulty finding vacancies in Seward.
Thanks!
We went on a land/cruise tour of Alaska. The land part was in a huge bus with about 20 people on board and it was so much fun. Lots of room! Went from Anchorage to Fairbanks then down to Seward for the cruise portion.
What we learned–the roads are terrible. Alaska has daily earthquakes that crack up the roads. Not an easy drive but depends on how far you are traveling and the route. It’s remote (again depending on route). Don’t depend on AAA!
Thanks. I didn’t even think about what I would do if I had a break down!
Wow, never knew daily earthquakes! Makes a tour much more appeal no than driving ourselves! I want to see Denali and more of Alaska!
I did a few days at Alyeska Resort. Flew into Anchorage and drove up to Alyeska, a very easy drive from the airport. The scenery just outside the resort is gorgeous! Beautiful vibrant blue glaciers scattered throughout. The skiing at Alyeska was great. Had a room in the hotel there that overlooked the mountain-- ski in, ski out!
The roads are bumpy in places. But driving was easy. No traffic. Just watch out for moose!
We flew into Anchorage and rented an RV and drove up to Denali and camped a few days. Then we came back to Anchorage, dropped off the RV and drove to Homer. We stayed in a log cabin that I found on TripAdvisor. We took a seaplane tour over the Kenai peninsula. Later we drove to Seward and stayed in an apartment that again I found on TripAdvisor (this is in the days before Airbnb). We had a lovely time. Lots of construction work in the summer. We had no trouble driving around. It was a lot of fun!
Thanks all!
Back in the day, I spent two summers working in Juneau. Beautiful place! I took the ferry north from Seattle, though it now leaves from Bellingham. There are cabins, and food, and a ranger on board. You can get out in every port and stay, catching the next ferry. Each town has it’s own character. You can take a commercial or a float plane to Glacier Bay from Juneau, and visit the various arms on the park service boat. Regardless, Juneau has 45 or so miles of road, and north on that road is beautiful. There are trips to Tracy arm, you can fly over the ice field, and hike in many beautiful spots. Taking the ferry to Skagway, there is this historic train trip. http://www.alaska.org/detail/white-pass-yukon-route-railroad
Maybe my kid could host you: isolated village on the Bering coast; only way in is by 6-seater plane. One of the last stops along the Iditarod trail so a fun place to visit during the race. There was a big article about the village in the New York Times recently.
Curious - why not a cruise? We did a cruise from Vancouver that ended in Seward and then did our own land portion. There were things we saw on the cruise that were just spectacular that couldn’t have been viewed from anywhere else.
My biggest tip - Alaska is super expensive. Add 25% to whatever you think things will cost!
I went to Alaska in September 2015 for a week. Flew to Anchorage (DC -> Detroit -> Seattle -> Anchorage) and rented a car. Drove to Talketna, and then Denali for a few days, then to Fairbanks (and North Pole! Alaska!). We were hoping for a chance to see northern lights in Fairbanks… unfortunately, it was cloudy the entire time. Then we drove back and spent 1 night in Seward before flying back from Anchorage.
Roads were fine with a rental car (normal car, no 4x4). Things can be pricey, as they have to import a lot.
Alaska is awesome. I would only go to Fairbanks again if I was going to use it as a jumping off point to the Arctic Circle. It was ok, and we went to North Pole (AK) and a super cool place where you could walk with reindeer (it’s on TripAdvisor), but I would like to spend more time down in the Kenai area.
Thanks everyone.
@SuburbMom We haven’t ruled out a cruise. I would love to see the views from the ship -but not sure if I am wanting the fellow passengers and the same food every evening. I also understood that some of the cruise stops are kind of touristy? Did you feel that way?
@KKmama I have never been on a 6 seater plane. Do you visit? What does your kid do there (if you don’t mind me asking)