DIY Land Itinerary - June 2016 Please provide input!

Ok - we have our cruise booked and are planning one week of land touring prior to leaving Whittier on 6/18 for a Southbound cruise on the Coral Princess. I'd love some feedback on our plans. I've tried to combine a mix of some tours along with some DIY stuff into this. Let me know if I'm misunderstanding how long something will take or driving from here to there might be.

Day 0 - Arrive ANC at midnight (Friday night)

Day 1 (Saturday) - Stay in Anchorage. See Portage Glacier and Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center; also get our bearings, get some groceries/snacks for the next few days, etc. If time rent bikes and do Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

Day 2 (Sunday) - Drive to Palmer and Matanuska area. Knik glacier (10am tour), Reindeer Farm, and Matanuska Glacier (possibly take the MICA guided tour in early evening). Stay somewhere in this area.

Day 3 (Monday) - Drive leisurely to Talkeetna area. Stay somewhere in/around Talkeetna.

Day 4 (Tuesday) - Float trip or combination Kayak/Float trip (looking at Denali Southside River Guides). This is our alternative to going into Denali but still visiting the general area - the whole family has decided we do not want to do the bus ride.

Day 5 (Wednesday) - Drive to Seward. Relax/explore. Do the last Seavey's Sled Dog Kennel Tour at 6:30.

Day 6 (Thursday) - Kenai Fjords Tour. Maybe Exit Glacier after dinner?

Day 7 (Friday) - not sure if stay in Seward one more day or go to Homer or ???. Open to suggestions.

Day 8 (Saturday) - drive to Whittier and board the cruise!

We also have the following tentative plans in the cruise ports:

• Skagway - Rent car - drive to Yukon/Emerald Lake area; take Rainforest bike tour in the afternoon
  
• Juneau - Rent car - do Mendenhell Glacier/Nugget Falls, etc. on our own. If time take the tram up to Mt. Roberts and do a little hiking.
  
• Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flight Tour in the morning. Still researching options.
  

Thanks in advance for any input on what will/will not work on the above!

Looks like a fun family vacation. Teens?

I'd skip Talkeetna if you're not going to flightsee or continue on to Denali. That's a long drive from Matanuska just to see a small town.

I'd always choose Denali but since your family isn't interested, use that day to go to Homer instead since it IS of interest. You can do a float trip as you pass thru Cooper Landing on your way to Homer. Or white water rafting at Matanuska or Six Mile near Hope.

Consider Homestead Guest Cabins at Matanuska. Other lodging choices: http://www.glacierview-alaska.com/

Ok - we have our cruise booked and are planning one week of land touring prior to leaving Whittier on 6/18 for a Southbound cruise on the Coral Princess. I'd love some feedback on our plans. I've tried to combine a mix of some tours along with some DIY stuff into this. Let me know if I'm misunderstanding how long something will take or driving from here to there might be.

 

Day 0 - Arrive ANC at midnight (Friday night)

 

Day 1 (Saturday) - Stay in Anchorage. See Portage Glacier and Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center; also get our bearings, get some groceries/snacks for the next few days, etc. If time rent bikes and do Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

 

Day 2 (Sunday) - Drive to Palmer and Matanuska area. Knik glacier (10am tour), Reindeer Farm, and Matanuska Glacier (possibly take the MICA guided tour in early evening). Stay somewhere in this area.

 

 

 

Day 3 (Monday) - Drive leisurely to Talkeetna area. Stay somewhere in/around Talkeetna.

 

Day 4 (Tuesday) - Float trip or combination Kayak/Float trip (looking at Denali Southside River Guides). This is our alternative to going into Denali but still visiting the general area - the whole family has decided we do not want to do the bus ride.

 

Day 5 (Wednesday) - Drive to Seward. Relax/explore. Do the last Seavey's Sled Dog Kennel Tour at 6:30.

 

Day 6 (Thursday) - Kenai Fjords Tour. Maybe Exit Glacier after dinner?

 

Day 7 (Friday) - not sure if stay in Seward one more day or go to Homer or ???. Open to suggestions.

 

Day 8 (Saturday) - drive to Whittier and board the cruise!

 

We also have the following tentative plans in the cruise ports:

• Skagway - Rent car - drive to Yukon/Emerald Lake area; take Rainforest bike tour in the afternoon
  
• Juneau - Rent car - do Mendenhell Glacier/Nugget Falls, etc. on our own. If time take the tram up to Mt. Roberts and do a little hiking.
  
• Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flight Tour in the morning. Still researching options.
  

 

Thanks in advance for any input on what will/will not work on the above!

Since you determined you do not want to include Denali National Park, absolutely I would suggest you not waste the time you currently planned on thinking - seeing "outside " the park is in anyway worthwhile, In my opinion, it is a poor plan to consider.

You can do a raft trip elsewhere.

I also question- your backtracking the Arm twice? Your day 2 isn't doable with glacier trekking of Matanuska, in my opinion.

If you want to see/go to Talkeetna, then one night is enough,

I wouldn't be making reservations at this point. Backing up your idea of Knik Glacier, in Palmer your second night instead of 3rd makes more sense, if you are going to include Talkeetna? Do you want to include it? Know what you want to see and do there?

For your Kenai Peninsula touring, again, figure out, IF you have priorities to spend all that time in Seward?

Have you a priority/interest in going to Homer? IF so, then you need to rework your itinerary, in my opinion, you need 2 nights there, especially if you are planning on driving from there to Whittier? No interest in a Prince William Sound boat tour?

You are on a public board- so sorry to sound harsh, but this is a "plan" that needs a lot more work. I see a lot of areas that need improvement and thinking. I always suggest- determining activities and areas of interest- first. Those go a long way toward figuring out a route, and allotting where to be and for how long.

Right now- it appears you are planning on Denali to Seward in a single day? And planning on a tour? This needs at least a 9 hour time investment, and at least a couple hour cushion for construction- which, is just about a given to encounter. You already have claimed you don't want to bother with the Denali Park shuttle bus- which IS loaded with scenery and wildlife. So I can't imagine why you would even consider this plan?

Again- just suggestions, it's YOUR trip.

Looks like a fun family vacation. Teens?

Just one "pre-teen" - he will be 12 (almost 13) when we go. Our other two kids are out of college so he's kind of an only child :).

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been debating Talkeetna as well - but was thinking just the drive that way would give us some different scenery. If we were to skip it and drive back to Seward, Homer, etc. is there a different road/route back you might suggest?

Since you determined you do not want to include Denali National Park, absolutely I would suggest you not waste the time you currently planned on thinking - seeing "outside " the park is in anyway worthwhile, In my opinion, it is a poor plan to consider.

 

You can do a raft trip elsewhere.

 

I also question- your backtracking the Arm twice? Your day 2 isn't doable with glacier trekking of Matanuska, in my opinion.

 

If you want to see/go to Talkeetna, then one night is enough,

 

I wouldn't be making reservations at this point. Backing up your idea of Knik Glacier, in Palmer your second night instead of 3rd makes more sense, if you are going to include Talkeetna? Do you want to include it? Know what you want to see and do there?

 

For your Kenai Peninsula touring, again, figure out, IF you have priorities to spend all that time in Seward?

 

Have you a priority/interest in going to Homer? IF so, then you need to rework your itinerary, in my opinion, you need 2 nights there, especially if you are planning on driving from there to Whittier? No interest in a Prince William Sound boat tour?

 

You are on a public board- so sorry to sound harsh, but this is a "plan" that needs a lot more work. I see a lot of areas that need improvement and thinking. I always suggest- determining activities and areas of interest- first. Those go a long way toward figuring out a route, and allotting where to be and for how long.

 

Right now- it appears you are planning on Denali to Seward in a single day? And planning on a tour? This needs at least a 9 hour time investment, and at least a couple hour cushion for construction- which, is just about a given to encounter. You already have claimed you don't want to bother with the Denali Park shuttle bus- which IS loaded with scenery and wildlife. So I can't imagine why you would even consider this plan?

 

Again- just suggestions, it's YOUR trip.

I don't mind the harshness - you are just being honest - which I appreciate - so no worries:). I'm considering skipping Talkeetna based on the responses so far. I am not set on 3 days in Seward - especially if we skip Talkeetna we could allocate our time elsewhere.

I am not against the Prince William boat tour - but wasn't sure if that would be too similar to the Kenai Fjords tour - but maybe not?

Sorry to be dense - but what do you mean by "backtracking the arm twice"? Not sure what area you are referring to?

I have not booked anything yet - working on getting the general plan down first which as I've learned from some of your other posts to others it will require re-working quite a bit before we get it finalized. In terms of activities and areas of interest many of them are in the itinerary I posted. Anywhere we go that has hiking, beautiful scenery, and things we have not seen before (I know that will be just about everything everywhere) I expect will be fun for us.

Thanks for your honesty:)

There is no other hwy ! Look at this road map. Hwys in Alaska are few and they're only 2 lanes.

http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/maps/Transportation_Map.pdf

I wouldn't worry to much about backtracking on the Glenn Hwy .... it's a more scenic and winding drive so it easily holds your interest for 2 hrs. Plus on the way up you'll be thinking about your other activities. Maybe on the return drive you could detour to Independence Mine then do the reindeer farm ?

I agee with BQ's comment about backtracking on the turnagain Arm. Day 1 you're driving an hour south to the Wildlife Center then Portage Lake. Perhaps you could do those activities as you pass thru on your drive to Seward ?? Stay the night in Girdwood or about 1/2 hr further is Summit Lake Lodge. OTOH maybe you chose to split the itinerary this way to adjust to the time change and get rested up from the journey rather than jump right into an ice trek at Matanuska your first day ....

There is no other hwy ! Look at this road map. Hwys in Alaska are few and they're only 2 lanes.

 

http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/maps/Transportation_Map.pdf

 

I wouldn't worry to much about backtracking on the Glenn Hwy .... it's a more scenic and winding drive so it easily holds your interest for 2 hrs. Plus on the way up you'll be thinking about your other activities. Maybe on the return drive you could detour to Independence Mine then do the reindeer farm ?

 

I agee with BQ's comment about backtracking on the turnagain Arm. Day 1 you're driving an hour south to the Wildlife Center then Portage Lake. Perhaps you could do those activities as you pass thru on your drive to Seward ?? Stay the night in Girdwood or about 1/2 hr further is Summit Lake Lodge. OTOH maybe you chose to split the itinerary this way to adjust to the time change and get rested up from the journey rather than jump right into an ice trek at Matanuska your first day ....

I think if we changed our itinerary to stay 2 nights in the Matanuska/Palmer area then we would hold off on the Wildlife Center and Portage Lake until the way back to Seward. I get BQ's comment now about the backtracking - I wasn't sure where she was referring to.

I'm glad you are rethinking the Talkeetna plan. I didn't think it was a particularly interesting drive to get up there, and if you're not interested in the park then better to skip.

We really enjoyed a kayak trip in Kenai Fjords. Loved the sled dog puppies at Seavey's.

We also liked the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer.

I think if we changed our itinerary to stay 2 nights in the Matanuska/Palmer area then we would hold off on the Wildlife Center and Portage Lake until the way back to Seward. I get BQ's comment now about the backtracking - I wasn't sure where she was referring to.

You may want to take a look at the Homer visitor site and also http://www.kenaipeninsula.com

There is nothing the "same" about a Kenai Fjords boat tour, and a Prince William boat tour, in my opinion. I don't find much similar going out on the same tour over and over either, so, likely should be considered as having skewed thinking. But- Both these do offer some fantastic scenery that is breathtaking. :)

An easy way to include the PWS boat tour- which = again, my opinion, if a perfect fit with a Princess cruise. I am never in any rush to get on an Alaska ship. You would need to be lined up and through the 11:30a tunnel, and efficient in dropping off your luggage and turning in your car and on to the boat tour. This time would work best for the Blackstone tour as example. IF you were to take the Surprise Glacier tour- leaving at 12:15p then going through the 10:30a tunnel offers more time.

Do you have a really good map of the area --it will help you to develop your trip. I found the Alaska.org site very valuable. http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do/scenic-drive

Our trip was post cruise out of Whittier.

Highly recommend the Alyeska resort http://www.alyeskaresort.com/and at Sheep Mountain Lodge nr Matanuska glacier http://sheepmountain.com/.

There is so much to do and see especially between Anchorage and Seward. Give yourself time to breathe.

OK - thanks everyone for the feedback so far. I've revised our draft plans based on your feedback. Fire away!

Day 0 - Arrive ANC at midnight (Friday night)

Day 1 (Saturday) – Get groceries and snacks and drive to Palmer. Early afternoon tour of Knik Glacier in Palmer. Visit the Reindeer Farm and then head to a hotel somewhere. I’m wondering how the Wasilla area is? Looks like there are things to do there and it is kind of centrally located between Palmer and Matanuska. Open to other suggestions. Checked out Sheep Mountain and looks nice but concerned there is not much else around it for a 2 night stay.

Day 2 (Sunday) – Take a ranger-led (MICA?) Matanuska hike. Possibly visit the Musk ox Farm. Back to same hotel in Wasilla or wherever.

Day 3 (Monday) - Drive to Girdwood. Stop at Potter’s Marsh and Alaskan Wildlife Conversation Center on the way. Possibly stay at Alyeska Resort and just hang out there for the day and relax a bit, hike, etc.

Day 4 (Tuesday) – Visit Portage Glacier and then drive to Seward. Seavey’s Sled Dog Kennel later in the day. Overnight in Seward.

Day 5 (Wednesday) – Kenai Fjord Tour. Overnight again in Seward.

Day 6 (Thursday) – Exit Glacier and then drive to Homer. Overnight in Homer.

Day 7 (Friday) – Ferry or tour over to Kachemak Bay. Overnight in Homer or – should we go somewhere else that evening to get part way to Whittier?

Day 8 (Saturday) - drive to Whittier, possible Prince William Sound cruise. Board the Coral Princess!

Tentative plans in the cruise ports (no change from before):

• Skagway - Rent car - drive to Yukon/Emerald Lake area; take Rainforest bike tour in the afternoon

• Juneau - Rent car - do Mendenhell Glacier/Nugget Falls, etc. on our own. If time take the tram up to Mt. Roberts and do a little hiking.

• Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flight Tour in the morning. Still researching options.

If you stay in Wasilla, do not stay at the Grandview Hotel. Either stay at the Lake Lucille Inn or something like this: http://www.pioneerridge.com/

The Iditarod Trail Race headquarters are in Wasilla.

It's not very "Alaskan", but your kids might like this: http://www.extremefuncenters.com/

On your way to the Knik Glacier, be sure and make a stop at Pioneer Falls: http://akstafford.blogspot.com/2015/07/three-hidden-alaskan-gems.html

OK - thanks everyone for the feedback so far. I've revised our draft plans based on your feedback. Fire away!

 

Day 0 - Arrive ANC at midnight (Friday night)

 

Day 1 (Saturday) – Get groceries and snacks and drive to Palmer. Early afternoon tour of Knik Glacier in Palmer. Visit the Reindeer Farm and then head to a hotel somewhere. I’m wondering how the Wasilla area is? Looks like there are things to do there and it is kind of centrally located between Palmer and Matanuska. Open to other suggestions. Checked out Sheep Mountain and looks nice but concerned there is not much else around it for a 2 night stay.

 

Day 2 (Sunday) – Take a ranger-led (MICA?) Matanuska hike. Possibly visit the Musk ox Farm. Back to same hotel in Wasilla or wherever.

 

Day 3 (Monday) - Drive to Girdwood. Stop at Potter’s Marsh and Alaskan Wildlife Conversation Center on the way. Possibly stay at Alyeska Resort and just hang out there for the day and relax a bit, hike, etc.

 

Day 4 (Tuesday) – Visit Portage Glacier and then drive to Seward. Seavey’s Sled Dog Kennel later in the day. Overnight in Seward.

 

Day 5 (Wednesday) – Kenai Fjord Tour. Overnight again in Seward.

 

Day 6 (Thursday) – Exit Glacier and then drive to Homer. Overnight in Homer.

 

Day 7 (Friday) – Ferry or tour over to Kachemak Bay. Overnight in Homer or – should we go somewhere else that evening to get part way to Whittier?

 

Day 8 (Saturday) - drive to Whittier, possible Prince William Sound cruise. Board the Coral Princess!

 

Tentative plans in the cruise ports (no change from before):

• Skagway - Rent car - drive to Yukon/Emerald Lake area; take Rainforest bike tour in the afternoon

• Juneau - Rent car - do Mendenhell Glacier/Nugget Falls, etc. on our own. If time take the tram up to Mt. Roberts and do a little hiking.

• Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flight Tour in the morning. Still researching options.

IF you are going to add a PWS boat tour, which is highly recommended, I would switch your Homer/Seward plan. Easy 2 hour drive to Whittier from Seward, and simple to get on the 10;30am tunnel opening. From Homer, you need to allow 4 hours, so would be leaving a lot earlier. The extra distance, really doesn't impact with getting to Homer, instead of Seward with your listed plans.

For clarification, Wasilla is not between Palmer and Matanuska, and the trekks are not "ranger" guided. But you can be assured that- they are professional, highly qualified guides. In my opinion- Anchorage has some top attractions, which you aren't taking advantage of? http://www.anchorage.net It could be a excellent choice to see for at least half a day perhaps? Potter's Marsh could be a 15 minute stop, depending on any birds? The Conservatory, is a couple hours (at most, in my opinion) Leaving Anchorage at 1pm very likely enough time. Just a suggestion- if you would like to take a look at Anchorage.

Budgetqueen - great suggestion on swapping Seward and Homer. I was worried about the long drive to Whittier from Homer - this breaks it up much better!

AKStafford - thanks for the lodging tips and especially the links to the hidden places. My husband is obsessed with taking pictures of waterfalls so any quick falls stop is much appreciated! We will definitely add that one!

Tentative plans in the cruise ports (no change from before):

• Skagway - Rent car - drive to Yukon/Emerald Lake area; take Rainforest bike tour in the afternoon

• Juneau - Rent car - do Mendenhell Glacier/Nugget Falls, etc. on our own. If time take the tram up to Mt. Roberts and do a little hiking.

• Ketchikan - Misty Fjords Flight Tour in the morning. Still researching options.

You've gotten lots of good advice on your land portion of the trip so I will just comment on your plans for the ports.

In Skagway, I would not try and drive to Emerald Lake and expect to have enough time to do the bike tour in the afternoon. The drive is beautiful and if your husband is into photography, you will want to have time to stop and take pictures without rushing. When we did this drive in June of 2014 it was an all day drive.

Have you considered doing a whale watch in Juneau? You could do that in the morning and then spend the afternoon at the Mendenhall Glacier.

Your port plans are in fact, very similar to what we did on our cruise on the Coral Princess. I wrote in detail about our trip and included LOTS of photos from our cruise on my blog My Souvenir Memories. You can find the specific posts on the archives on the right side of the page.

Out of TEN cruises, Alaska is by far my favorite...you will have a great time!!

if your husband is obsessed with waterfalls, on your way out of Anchorage, you can stop and take a quick hike to Thunderbird falls....it is a mile in and a mile out...it is about 25 miles north of Anchorage....and if you are going near Palmer....instead of going to the Seavey's sled dog camp, think about splurging to go a a sled dog ride on the Knic Glacier....You will be with an Iditaride musher, on a glacier, seeing the glacier from a helicopter, and you can stay at the Knik River Lodge...just another idea. Budget, last year the road up to Hatcher' Pass didn't open up till almost the middle of June. this year, so far, they have had a couple of avalanches already there so it really might depend on whether the OP is coming early or late June. Just another suggestion or two to throw into the mix...Also, you can hike out to the Byron glacier and walk on that one without a guide, and without anything but a parking fee. It is right next to the Portage Glacier little boat ride....there is a sign for the trailhead and a nice trail, again about a mile in, and out....They also have ranger led walks that are free.

if your husband is obsessed with waterfalls, on your way out of Anchorage, you can stop and take a quick hike to Thunderbird falls....it is a mile in and a mile out...it is about 25 miles north of Anchorage....and if you are going near Palmer....instead of going to the Seavey's sled dog camp, think about splurging to go a a sled dog ride on the Knic Glacier....You will be with an Iditaride musher, on a glacier, seeing the glacier from a helicopter, and you can stay at the Knik River Lodge...just another idea. Budget, last year the road up to Hatcher' Pass didn't open up till almost the middle of June. this year, so far, they have had a couple of avalanches already there so it really might depend on whether the OP is coming early or late June. Just another suggestion or two to throw into the mix...Also, you can hike out to the Byron glacier and walk on that one without a guide, and without anything but a parking fee. It is right next to the Portage Glacier little boat ride....there is a sign for the trailhead and a nice trail, again about a mile in, and out....They also have ranger led walks that are free.

Thanks for the tip on Thunderbird Falls - maybe worth a stop for us.

Based on your comments, I'm wondering if we should skip Matanuska Glacier. If we see Knik, Byron (which we can walk on), and Portage (plus what we will see on the cruise), is there much more to see with Matanuska that we have not already seen? If not then I may consider just a day trip to the Palmer area to do the Knik Glacier tour and then allocate our time elsewhere. As budgetqueen has said, there are so many things to do and I'm finding I may prefer less road travelling and more staying in one place and exploring and hiking the areas. Thoughts on skipping Matanuska all together?

Budget-wise are your options equivalent?

Budget-wise are your options equivalent?

Pretty much. If we skip Matanuska that just gives us an extra half day (at least) to explore the Seward Highway on our way South, along with extra time in the Girdwood/Alyska area, Portage Glacier, etc. I was previously a little concerned we would have to rush this and I expect we will want to take our time driving that route, after reviewing the Milepost guide and all of the things to do along the way.

So - budgetwise it is probably cheaper, since we wouldn't spend $100 each ($300) on the Matanuska MICA guided hike.

It's more about time than money (although saving money is always good since this trip is costing us a bundle already!). I'm sure we will find somewhere else to spend the $300:)

Thanks for the tip on Thunderbird Falls - maybe worth a stop for us.

 

Based on your comments, I'm wondering if we should skip Matanuska Glacier. If we see Knik, Byron (which we can walk on), and Portage (plus what we will see on the cruise), is there much more to see with Matanuska that we have not already seen? If not then I may consider just a day trip to the Palmer area to do the Knik Glacier tour and then allocate our time elsewhere. As budgetqueen has said, there are so many things to do and I'm finding I may prefer less road travelling and more staying in one place and exploring and hiking the areas. Thoughts on skipping Matanuska all together?

Sure you can "skip" anything. :) You are making glacier comments in support of your thinking to not do Matansuka. Up to you.

I think we are going to stick with the original plan and do both Matanuska and Knik. If we have to cut something out later we will. Just trying to make sure we don't feel rushed in any one place.

I need some more help on the Matanuska/Palmer area of our trip. I am hoping to only stay in the Palmer/Matanuska area 1 night to add one in Anchorage at the beginning of the trip. I think we will be tired after travel and need that day to get our bearings a bit. Also this allows us to skip Anchorage all together on the way to the Kenai Peninsula area. At the beginning of our trip here is now what I'm thinking:

Day 0 - arrive midnight and stay in Anchorage

Day 1 - explore Anchorage area and stay overnight there

Day 2 - leave early in morning - drive to Palmer - visit Reindeer and Musk Ox Farm, Hatchers Pass area and Eklutna Historical Park (not sure we will have time for all of this). Early evening drive to Matanuska and take the 7pm tour with Nova Glaciers.

Day 3 - 10am Tour of Knik Glacier. This is a 3 hour tour so after this we would want to get going on the road to head towards Girdwood which is our next stop. We want to make sure we have time to stop and enjoy scenery along Seward highway.

My dilemna is:

• Do we stay near Matanuska or in Palmer. If we stay in Palmer I imagine it will be 10-11pm driving back from our tour of Matanuska, but we can sleep in a bit before a long day. If we stay in Matanuska we will need to get up early and leave around 8am I believe for the Knik glacier tour.
  
• Maybe we drive to Palmer the evening of Day 1 instead of staying in Anchorage 2 nights? Then for sure I think we would want to stay in Palmer, and maybe do an earlier Matanuska tour?
  
• Other suggestions? Are we trying to fit too much in?
  

So many decisions to make! I'm starting to look at lodging for the various areas we are planning to stay and seeing that some are already getting booked so I feel like I need to start making some reservations soon!

I need some more help on the Matanuska/Palmer area of our trip. I am hoping to only stay in the Palmer/Matanuska area 1 night to add one in Anchorage at the beginning of the trip. I think we will be tired after travel and need that day to get our bearings a bit. Also this allows us to skip Anchorage all together on the way to the Kenai Peninsula area. At the beginning of our trip here is now what I'm thinking:

 

Day 0 - arrive midnight and stay in Anchorage

 

Day 1 - explore Anchorage area and stay overnight there

 

Day 2 - leave early in morning - drive to Palmer - visit Reindeer and Musk Ox Farm, Hatchers Pass area and Eklutna Historical Park (not sure we will have time for all of this). Early evening drive to Matanuska and take the 7pm tour with Nova Glaciers.

 

Day 3 - 10am Tour of Knik Glacier. This is a 3 hour tour so after this we would want to get going on the road to head towards Girdwood which is our next stop. We want to make sure we have time to stop and enjoy scenery along Seward highway.

 

My dilemna is:

• Do we stay near Matanuska or in Palmer. If we stay in Palmer I imagine it will be 10-11pm driving back from our tour of Matanuska, but we can sleep in a bit before a long day. If we stay in Matanuska we will need to get up early and leave around 8am I believe for the Knik glacier tour.
  
• Maybe we drive to Palmer the evening of Day 1 instead of staying in Anchorage 2 nights? Then for sure I think we would want to stay in Palmer, and maybe do an earlier Matanuska tour?
  
• Other suggestions? Are we trying to fit too much in?
  

 

So many decisions to make! I'm starting to look at lodging for the various areas we are planning to stay and seeing that some are already getting booked so I feel like I need to start making some reservations soon!

It's at least an hour - Matansuka from Palmer- BUT check the construction info, and additional time if needed. Staying night 2 in Palmer, is an easy drive from Anchorage, then another easy drive to Matansuka.

I would suggest, putting your Nova tour, first. Leave at 7:30a unless construction going on, known. And stay in Palmer both nights. It is a 1 hour drive from Palmer. That leaves the afternoon available for the rest of your ideas. Alternatively - if you run out of priorities for Anchorage in the evening, drive the 2 hours to Matansuka and stay there before you trek.

Your activities "can" fit- IF not extended time at any of them. You will need to determine- IF you are going to tour Independence Mine, take the Eklutna Spirit House tour, spend a LOT of time at the farms? You could have time to see more the next day, prior to Girdwood, which is a 2 hour drive from Palmer. It is a lot of time do see/do what you want.

 

I would suggest, putting your Nova tour, first. Leave at 7:30a unless construction going on, known. And stay in Palmer both nights. It is a 1 hour drive from Palmer. That leaves the afternoon available for the rest of your ideas. Alternatively - if you run out of priorities for Anchorage in the evening, drive the 2 hours to Matansuka and stay there before you trek.

 

 

Your activities "can" fit- IF not extended time at any of them. You will need to determine- IF you are going to tour Independence Mine, take the Eklutna Spirit House tour, spend a LOT of time at the farms? You could have time to see more the next day, prior to Girdwood, which is a 2 hour drive from Palmer. It is a lot of time do see/do what you want.

Thanks - I was leaning towards 2 nights in Palmer - I'm thinking we could still have dinner in Anchorage and have plenty of daylight left to drive to Palmer while it's still light out so we can see the scenery on the way, get a good nights sleep, and I like the idea of heading to the Matanuska hike 1st thing - I had not considered that!

That brings up a different question - if we do the hike in the morning it opens up other tour providers. I've read both Nova and MICA are good, and the other one at the visitor center maybe not as much. Any preference or significant difference between Nova and MICA that you are aware of?

 

That brings up a different question - if we do the hike in the morning it opens up other tour providers. I've read both Nova and MICA are good, and the other one at the visitor center maybe not as much. Any preference or significant difference between Nova and MICA that you are aware of?

both trekking companies are well run, long standing vendors. Consistent raves about their tours.

I just always go with MICA, only my preference, and nothing against NOVA. Just have been very pleased with my tours and continue to patronize the same company. (like other's do with a NOVA preference)