6 days Alaska itineary
tre...@gmail.com
I will have about 6 days before taking the cruise from Seward to
Vancouver. I will be flying to Anchorage. Any suggestion to how to
spend the precious 6 days wisely.
I have the following questions, and appreciate the answers from you.
1) since arrive late at Anchorage, is one day in Anchroage enough? what
should not be missed there?;
2) is drive or train ride to Denali Park? is two day good there? what
are the good photography opportunity?
3) i heard train ride from Anchorage to Seward is georgeous, would you
suggest it?
4) Anything else to see around Seward, i plan to arrive Seward a day
before the cruise.
Do i need to rent a car or the whole trip can be done thru public
transportation? How is the weather in late May in Alaska? Is winter
jacket warm enough?
thank you all,
trek it
Dennis P. Harris
tre...@gmail.com wrote:
> hello fellow travellers,
>
> I will have about 6 days before taking the cruise from Seward to
> Vancouver. I will be flying to Anchorage. Any suggestion to how to
> spend the precious 6 days wisely.
>
6 days is not long enough.
> I have the following questions, and appreciate the answers from you.
> 1) since arrive late at Anchorage, is one day in Anchroage enough? what
> should not be missed there?;
There really is nothing to miss in Los Anchorage.
> 2) is drive or train ride to Denali Park? is two day good there? what
> are the good photography opportunity?
ride the train. you can't take a car beyond the first campground
in the park anyway, and everyone has to use the park busses.
take the all day trip, and book your bus reservation as soon as
possible.
> 3) i heard train ride from Anchorage to Seward is georgeous, would you
> suggest it?
the scenery is gorgous, you get a better view from the train
(ride on the right side going to seward), and the highway is
crowded with folks driving giant rental motor homes that
shouldn't be driving a regular car, all going about 40 km/hr.
> 4) Anything else to see around Seward, i plan to arrive Seward a day
> before the cruise.
>
the seward sea life center is worth a visit, and a whale/wildlife
watching trip in kenai fjords is also worth the money.
> Do i need to rent a car or the whole trip can be done thru public
> transportation? How is the weather in late May in Alaska? Is winter
> jacket warm enough?
the weather can vary. at higher altitudes (some of the passes in
denali, for instance) it can frost at night, and even at sea
level it can get chilly. if you will be going to any glaciers on
your cruise, you will want a winter coat, long underwear, a warm
hat, and gloves. those of us who live here like to dress in
layers. polyester fleece garments are great for layering, and
they dry quickly and will keep you warm when wet.
mid-april to mid-june is the driest, sunniest time of the year.
SMS
> hello fellow travellers,
>
> I will have about 6 days before taking the cruise from Seward to
> Vancouver. I will be flying to Anchorage. Any suggestion to how to
> spend the precious 6 days wisely.
>
> I have the following questions, and appreciate the answers from you.
> 1) since arrive late at Anchorage, is one day in Anchroage enough? what
> should not be missed there?;
Do a bike ride on the Tony Knowles path. There is a good museum there as
well.
> 2) is drive or train ride to Denali Park? is two day good there? what
> are the good photography opportunity?
The thing about the train is that it is very slow and very expensive. If
you're pressed for time, you may want to drive or take one of the
private mini-buses.
> 3) i heard train ride from Anchorage to Seward is georgeous, would you
> suggest it?
It's fine, but the drive is fine too.
> 4) Anything else to see around Seward, i plan to arrive Seward a day
> before the cruise.
Exit Glacier.
Sea-Life center.
> Do i need to rent a car or the whole trip can be done thru public
> transportation?
You can do it all with public transit, though I think a car would be better.
> How is the weather in late May in Alaska? Is winter
> jacket warm enough?
See "http://www.alaskatravel.com/resources/alaska-weather.html"
FST
thread. I live in Alaska (yep, in Anchorage) and know the
travel field, so I'm fairly opinionated about my state.
Ttrek.it, please make sure to scroll all the way down because
I answered each of your questions. I also included a
suggested complete itinerary for your 6 day stay in Alaska!
;-) ( And I have no personal connection with any of the
travel or tour recommendations I've made. )
<tre...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1145645492.2...@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> hello fellow travellers,
>
> I will have about 6 days before taking the cruise from
Seward to
> Vancouver. I will be flying to Anchorage. Any suggestion to
how to
> spend the precious 6 days wisely.
>
> I have the following questions, and appreciate the answers
from you.
> 1) since arrive late at Anchorage, is one day in Anchroage
enough? what
> should not be missed there?;
Certainly you can visit some great places with only 6 days in
Alaska. One day for touring in Anchorage is plenty, with so
many other things to do in AK. Be sure to visit the Alaska
Native Heritage Center for some great insights into the
diversity of the Native people who have been in Alaska for
10,000 years. The Anchorage Museum also a good stop in
downtown Anchorage.
Be sure to keep in mind how long it's going to take you to get
to AK. You're going to be flying in here, you'll be tired no
matter where you're coming from -- its a 3 1/2 hour flight
just from Seattle, and 5 hrs from Salt Lake. So you'll
probably need to overnight here in ANC at the beginning of
your journey. Then use the second day for touring, then take
off for Denali on day # 3 (see next topic).
> 2) is drive or train ride to Denali Park? is two day good
there? what
> are the good photography opportunity?
I'd definitely recommend taking the train (Alaska Railroad
www.akrr.com ). Driving during summer season can be a drag
due to Winnebagos, and you'd be watching the traffic and
missing the wildlife and scenery! You can't drive any
vehicles into Denali anyway -- you'd have to leave the car and
still use the Park transportation. So take the train up.
You'll leave ANC about 8AM and get to Denali about 3 PM.
To get deep into Denali Park you should allow at least two
nights and one full day at the park if you're doing a
pre-cruise trip. The best day-trips go all the way into
Kantishna ( half day trips can get to Wonder Lake). Key
Point -- You can't connect from the train to even the
half-day trips -- by the time the train gets up to Denali,
it's too late in the afternoon for that kind of trip. And you
can't take a day trip or a half-day trip and then try to catch
the train -- the trips get back to late in the day no matter
how early of a departure time you score. So . . . . . you
really must allow one full day to be able to get into the
Park.
Photography can be outstanding! Wildlife viewing is great,
you'll almost certainly see moose, caribou, probably bear.
What you can't count on seeing is the mountain -- Denali.
Denali ("The Great One" in the Athabaskan language) makes her
own weather, and may only be clearly visible 20% of the time.
There are lots of shorter excursions the like that can fit
into the morning or afternoon, on days before or after the BIG
trip deep into Denali Park.
Another important point -- to get between Anchorage and Seward
on the train would require another overnight in Anchorage. A
better idea would be to catch the Park Connection bus -- it's
the only way you can go from Denali to Seward in one day
without driving it yourself. Which you don't want to do
because you're going to be busy watching the scenery and the
wildlife!
> 3) i heard train ride from Anchorage to Seward is georgeous,
would you
> suggest it?
The train is great, but it's an absolutely spectacular drive!
And don't miss my comments above -- you can't get from Denali
to Seward on the train without spending (some would say
wasting) another night in Anchorage. So the road is the way
to go, and in your case probably on the Park Connection.
The Seward Highway (Alaska Route 1 South) has been called one
of the most scenic drives in the world. It shows up on Conde
Nast Gold lists. I can literally leave my house, drive south,
and within 5 miles I'm surrounded by the Turnagain Arm of the
Cook Inlet, mountain goats, and incredible mountain views.
I've heard the coach will sometimes make photo op stops.
> 4) Anything else to see around Seward, i plan to arrive
Seward a day
> before the cruise.
There are some marine wildlife viewing trips that would be a
great compliment to your cruise, because they'll get you up
close and personal with the critters. I adore cruises, but
you just can't get close in to the Alaska marine life. On the
shorter day trips out of Seward you can travel in the Kenai
Fjords Wilderness area or even just cruise in Resurrection
Bay. Wild life viewing could sea lions, sea otters, puffins,
eagles, and more. Unfortunately late May is too late for gray
whales.
> Do i need to rent a car or the whole trip can be done thru
public
> transportation?
Don't bother renting a car. Here's my recommendation for the
six days and the transportation.
SUGGESTED ITINERARY FOR 6 DAYS -- ARRIVING ANCHORAGE,
DEPARTING SEWARD
Day 1 -- Arrive ANC, transfer to your lodging. Recommend
staying downtown becauase you can walk the shops, historic
district, and get to wonderful little restaurants.
Overnight in ANC
Day 2 -- Sightsee in Anchorage. Allow a half day for the
Alaska Native Heritage Center. Consider a trip to the
Anchorage Museum (art and history). If you want an
interesting dinner show, definitely book a seat at "Mr
Whitekeys Fly By Night Club" in Spenard (
http://www.flybynightclub.com/ ) No, it isn't a strip club!
It's the quintessential Anchorage show that we take visitors
to see -- it's a combination musical-comedy club. The summer
show is "Whale Fat Follies", a humorous poke at Alaska and
visitors, all set to music. It's all good fun.
Overnight in ANC
Day 3 -- Catch the Alaska Railroad train north to Denali
Park. If you're cruise is on Princess or Holland America, see
if your agent can get you a special deal on one of the cruise
company's railcars. You'll get to the Park mid to late
afternoon. Do a short tour of the ares. Overnight Denali
Park area.
Day 4 -- Allow the entire day to do a back country tour all
the way in to Kantishna and back. Overnight Denali Park
area.
Day 5 -- Take the Park Connection coach from Denali Park all
the way to Seward, and that way you don't have to overnight
in Anchorage again. Visit the Alaska Marine Wildlife Center
in Seward. Be sure to see the octopus that opens twist-top
jars just to get a snack! Overnight in Seward
Day 6 -- Take a Kenai Fjords or Resurrection Bay marine
cruise for wildlife viewing and up-close scenery you'll miss
from your cruise ship. If you have enough time, do a full day
tour ( then depart on your regular cruise on Day 7). But
if you don't have that much time, try to do a half-day trip
from Seward before it's time to board your cruise ship. Most
ships board in the afternoon for sailing early evening. If
you have to decide between spending an day/night at Denali or
in Seward, I'd recommed spending the time in Denali. You'll
get some opportunity to see marine life on your big cruise,
but you won't get a chance to see anything like Denali Park
>How is the weather in late May in Alaska? Is winter jacket
warm enough?
It depends on where you normally live, Trek.it , and how thick
your skin is! In the mountains or out on the water ( or down
in Southeast Alaska on your cruise) you'll definitely want
rain gear and layers for protection. Bring layers -- t-shirt
and/or thermals, sweater, fleece liner, water-proof jacket.
Layers allow you to tailor what you'll need. You probably
won't need much in Anchorage, but it can be 45 degrees and
raining sideways down in Southeast Alaska even during summer
(I lived in Juneau for 6 years -- trust me on this). Bring
rain gear so you don't end up wearing a trash bag as a
raincoat like so many cruise ship visitors in Juneau and
Ketchikan. It's rain forest down there, and the weather
doesn't often let you forget it. If you are blessed with sun
during that part of the trip, the Travel Gods have smiled on
you.
Enjoy planning for your trip. I'd be happy to answer other
questions for you, or make other recommendations.
Any questions about your Southeast Alaska ports of call? When
I lived in Juneau I also spent part of each month working in
Sitka and on Prince of Wales Island (Ketchikan is the
gateway). Alaska is a great state, a wonderful place to
visit, and cruising is definitely a great way to see a diverse
number of communities in Southeast that aren't connected by a
road system.
Cheers -- FST
Schreier
tough time. Summer is the best. You can check out my images from the
trip I took last year.
http://www.dlsimages.com/movies.cfm
Alaska is beautiful. You will love the coast.
Dave
Patty Winter
FST <fst...@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote:
>
>To get deep into Denali Park you should allow at least two
>nights and one full day at the park if you're doing a
>pre-cruise trip. The best day-trips go all the way into
>Kantishna ( half day trips can get to Wonder Lake). Key
>Point -- You can't connect from the train to even the
>half-day trips -- by the time the train gets up to Denali,
>it's too late in the afternoon for that kind of trip. And you
>can't take a day trip or a half-day trip and then try to catch
>the train -- the trips get back to late in the day no matter
>how early of a departure time you score.
Doesn't that depend on which train you're trying to catch?
As you mentioned, the train from Anchorage arrives at Denali
about 3:00 p.m. So if you're catching that one on to Fairbanks,
you've got plenty of time to take a half-day trip into the park.
That's what I did when I visited the area.
Maybe that doesn't work if you're catching the southbound train,
though. Perhaps they go through Denali too early to connect with
the returning wildlife tours?
Patty
Juliana L Holm
than Wonder Lake, and the NPS website tends to downplay the few miles between
Wonder Lake and Kantishna.
We'll be in Denali for Labor Day weekend this year, yes, after a cruise, and
want to pre-book the shuttle.
So what is better, and why?
Julie
> Patty
--
Julie
**********
Podcast Walking Tour of Washington DC
http://www.washingtontravelcast.com
Bill
>
>Kantishna seems to be only a little bit further than Wonder Lake, and
>the NPS website tends to downplay the few miles between
>Wonder Lake and Kantishna.
The shuttle to WL stops at the campground at the south end of the lake
for about half an hour or a bit more, where on a clear day you have a
great view of the Mountain ... there is nothing there but scenery and
the campground (ie, no stores or visitor center, nothing to eat or
drink etc) and if it's cloudy (most of the time) there is no mountain
scenery.
The shuttle to Kantishna does exactly the same route for about 87
miles, to the short turn-off down to Wonder Lake campground, but it
continues past Wonder Lake on the north side, then drops into a
forested valley past a couple of lodges (where I usually stay) and
stops in the old mining town of Kantishna a few miles further, outside
the Park border. You won't be able to see the mountain or the lake
from here but there is a lodge with gift shop, bar, restaurant, dog
sled show-and-tell and other touristy stuff.
>So what is better, and why?
Depends on whether you want the (potential) scenery from the isolated
campground at WL or the pleasures of a bar and restaurant with no
scenery at Kantishna at the mid-point of your butt-numbing 12 hour
drive across Denali :)
>We'll be in Denali for Labor Day weekend this year, yes, after a cruise,
>and want to pre-book the shuttle
I've been there four years around Labor Day, typically staying 7-10
days at the lodges between WL and Kantishna, but occasionally riding
the shuttle from the entrance a couple of days as well, and if you have
a couple days lee-way you don't have to book far ahead (so you can try
to pick a day with clear weather), but if you just have one day in
Denial then it's probably a good idea to book early and make sure you
have a seat if you're set on WL or Kantishna ... because of the length
of this trip there aren't many busses doing it but, for example, if you
stick to say Eielson Visitor Center (about 8 hours and 65 miles instead
of 12 hours and 89 or 94 miles each way) there are probably 15-20
busses so you can always get a ticket. Eielson was closed last year
while they are re-building it, dunno about this year.
If you have your heart set on Kantishna then the folks who run
Kantishna Lodge have a day-trip that's no doubt more comfy than those
Park Service shuttle busses, I think they run you in to the Lodge, you
have lunch and see a sled dog training run and maybe do a couple of
other things, then you head back. This costs more but may be more up
your alley.
Bill
Bill
>
>The best day-trips go all the way into
>Kantishna ( half day trips can get to Wonder Lake).
I agree with most of what you wrote but this statement is wrong ... the
Wonder Lake bus trip is 12 hours round trip and typically the first one
starts at 6 AM so there is no way you can WL on a half-day trip.
Kantishna is only a few miles beyond WL.
Bill
Juliana L Holm
Sorry, I accidentally replied instead of following up.
This was our understanding. That Kantishna was only a few miles further than
Wonder Lake.
We have two full days in the Denali area. We drive from Seward on Friday, then
have to get to Fairbanks Monday in order to fly back on Tuesday. That would be
September 2 and 3, full days. Staying in cabins in Healy.
We were thinking one day of doing day hikes, ranger programs and such, and one
day of some kind of bus trip to see the scenery. I don't know how critical
reservations are in advance for that time of year.
The scenery/view is more attractive to us than the bar, shopping etc. Is there a better choice for us? What we have read does not give us much feeling s to
what the differences between the trips is.
Julie
- Bobb -
Excellent movie / photos. The scenery is awesome.
The puffin catching the fish, the eagle and the bears: great!
If I might ask about the bears ...
Did you do that on your own or was it an escorted tour ?
If a tour, which did you take ? ( I'd like to do that)
How did you EVER get that photo of just the foot/claw ??
Was it a zoom, or were you THAT close ?
Thanks,
Bobb
"Schreier" <davesc...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:003b9cb7a3de0d71...@localhost.talkabouttravelling.com...
Bill
>
>Dave, ...
>If I might ask about the bears ...
>Did you do that on your own or was it an escorted tour ?
>If a tour, which did you take ? ( I'd like to do that)
I didn't see Dave's movie but I've been to Alaska several times to
photograph bears and while there are several good spots the one that's
perhaps most famous is Brooks Lodge in Katmai. You can fly over for a
day trip from Homer (or arrange other bear viewing trips from Homer to
less crowded areas) or you can join a tour or you can arrange to do it
on your own for a lot less, either staying at the cabins or camping.
The bears are at the falls catching salmon heading upstream in early
July and the bears are back in the river in late August and early Sept
catching spawned out salmon (the rest of the time you won't see many
bears). These bears are used to people and not dangerous so long as
you don't do something remarkably stupid. I've been within a few yards
of them many times.
Here are a few shots from last year's trip, where it rained almost
every day ... the first shot was taken while I was wading in the river
and the bear approached me, the others were taken from viewing
platforms where most of the tourists hang out ...
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/yogi.jpg (river challenge)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D3660.jpg (nursing sow)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_W2651.jpg (boar w/ fish)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D2614.jpg (head shake)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D2663.jpg (female with salmon)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D3693.jpg (sitting cub)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D3037.jpg (play fighting in the
rain)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D2989.jpg (bear with red salmon)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D3203.jpg (bear near cabins)
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/bear_D3216.jpg (bear chased from
cabins)
Bill
SMS
We went to Kantisha. I would not recommend it versus Wonder Lake.
Kantishna Roadhouse is a big nothing with mediocre food.
Juliana L Holm
I am hearing my best bet, since we're not staying in Kantishna, is to do Wonder
Lake and to pack food.
RIght?
Craig
"Juliana L Holm" <jh...@osf1.gmu.edu> wrote...
>
> I am hearing my best bet, since we're not staying in Kantishna, is to do
> Wonder
> Lake and to pack food.
>
> RIght?
I would say that's correct, Julie. Or, if you're short on time (or don't
want a bus ride *that* long), do the still-substantial half-day trip to the
interior Visitor Center. Good luck at getting a chance to see The Mountain!
Craig
Tom J
> SMS <scharf...@geemail.com> wrote:
>> Bill wrote:
>>>> FST writes ...
>>>>
>>>> The best day-trips go all the way into
>>>> Kantishna ( half day trips can get to Wonder Lake).
>>>
>>> I agree with most of what you wrote but this statement is wrong
>>> ...
>>> the Wonder Lake bus trip is 12 hours round trip and typically the
>>> first one starts at 6 AM so there is no way you can WL on a
>>> half-day trip. Kantishna is only a few miles beyond WL.
>
>> We went to Kantisha. I would not recommend it versus Wonder Lake.
>> Kantishna Roadhouse is a big nothing with mediocre food.
>
> I am hearing my best bet, since we're not staying in Kantishna, is
> to
> do Wonder Lake and to pack food.
>
> RIght?
I'd do neither! I saw Mt. McKinley better from the parking area on the
road going to Talkeetna. That's where all the photos you see in the
travel magazines are taken from. We saw way more animals along the
main roads & in Denali State Park. Our 2nd trip back we didn't bother
going inside the Denali National Park.
- Bobb -
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/grizzly.htm - Very awesome. But while
viewing some,I'm thinking: " What's he doing taking a photo, he BETTER
get movin'."
I've never done that part of Alaska. I would like to spend some time
salmon fishing in Kenai area, and trying to get my fishing buddies to
agree on a trip.
Thanks,
Bobb
"Bill" <bhilt...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1147192776.8...@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
SMS
When you get to Kantishna Roadhouse, they offer an option to fly out for
around $100. No one took it on our bus.
Juliana L Holm
We're in the area threee nights, two full days. How early the first night
depends on how fast we can get there from Seward, and how early we get off
our ship. (Sorry folks we are taking a cruise - not a behemoth ship, but
not a small either) and how long we have the last day depends on how fast we
decide we want to get to Fairbanks the next day.
So a long ride one day sounds fine.
Julie
> Craig
Juliana L Holm
>>
>> I am hearing my best bet, since we're not staying in Kantishna, is
>> to
>> do Wonder Lake and to pack food.
>>
>> RIght?
> I'd do neither! I saw Mt. McKinley better from the parking area on the
> road going to Talkeetna. That's where all the photos you see in the
> travel magazines are taken from. We saw way more animals along the
> main roads & in Denali State Park. Our 2nd trip back we didn't bother
> going inside the Denali National Park.
Well we're there for a couple of days, we could do both.