marx

Hi there! I love your 6 days DIY. They are very similar to what our family did last summer (except in reverse - Anchorage to Seward) Reading your post made me nostalgic!

 

I for sure vote to make Mantanuska a priority on your way to Denali. It was the absolute highlight of our entire trip (land and cruise). We did a private trek through Mantanuska Glacier Adventures, which’s was more affordable than MICA and Nova. Our guides were wonderful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for the tip. It looks like Matanuska Glacier Adventures would be about $25 less per person.

Glad I saw this thread. Last month, NCL added free extra guests to a cruise I booked (to Alaska) and the price dropped $900. With this promo, price remains the same (except for increase on drink gratuity), but it's all 5 deals.

Going to north to the Glacier, you can detour around by staying on the Parks Highway and taking the Trunk Road exit. Take that north to Palmer Fishhook, turn right and then rejoin the Glenn Highway. You could also take the Old Glenn Highway exit just before the Knik River and detour out through the Butte.

 

Coming south from the glacier headed to Denali, turn right at the first light you hit coming into Palmer. This will be Arctic Avenue. Take that to Trunk Road and turn south and rejoin the Parks Highway.

I just printed these instructions out, thanks!

While the fair parking entrances are about a mile off the highway. The Glenn can still get pretty backed up in the mid-late afternoon for all the concert goers and everyone who was leaving during the day. That being said the traffic isn't that bad and you're going on weekdays so it should lighten the load a bit.

 

To answer your question, it may add 15 minutes on the 29th because you're going with the traffic but shouldn't add too much the next day.

Thanks, I was more concerned about the 30th - good to hear my drive won't be impacted much!

We will be driving from Seward to the Matanuska Glacier area on August 29th (passing through the Palmer area late afternoon), then to Denali on August 30th (passing through mid afternoon). Will the Alaska State Fair have a significant impact on driving times?

Our plan was to do some tours in Seward, take the 6:00 bus to Anchorage, stay over night, pick up the rental car the next morning and head to Matanuska where we are booked at the Homestead Cabins.

 

 

 

I could not find a rental car in Seward that could be returned to a different location(tried online, email and a phone call), so booked the car in Anchorage for the next day and planned travels and activities from there. I have been told that is it possible to rent a car from Seward and drop it off at another location so that will be my goal for tomorrow. In the meantime, I am looking at that options that we may now have.

 

 

 

Plan A was - bus to Anchorage

 

 

 

Plan B - rental car from Seward and drive (stopping to enjoy) to Glacier Falls booking an additional night in their cabins. We would get there fairly late but have an easier start to our glacier float and glacier treks the following day.

 

 

 

or Plan C - rental car from Seward and drive to Girdwood. I found some adorable airbnb's there that would break up the drive, allowing us to enjoy more scenery on the first day but may make it rushed to get to the float and trek

 

 

 

Plan D could be same as plan C but only do the glacier trek upon arriving at Matanuska and do the glacier float the next day as we are heading out towards Denali.

 

 

 

Of course, Plan B, C & D are only options if the car rental in Seward works out. We will be ending in Fairbanks and know that the cost of one way rentals are higher than round trip.

 

 

 

Thoughts or suggestions?

I posted a plan that includes steps similar to yours a few days ago. We plan on renting a car in Seward for less than 24 hours and leave Seward early to drive to Matanuska with stops along the way including a stop in Anchorage to switch rental cars at the airport. I already have the cars reserved, so know you can do a one-way rental.

And we plan on staying near Matanuska and doing the trek the next morning.

Has anyone rented a car from Seward to be dropped off at a different location? I have tried to book online and the site would not let me. I emailed Seward Hertz and received no reply and finally I called and was told that Seward is a licensed location and cars can not be dropped off at a corporate location. I asked if there are any licensed locations in Anchorage or Fairbanks and was told no. I thought I read posts of others renting one way in the past.

 

I have a car rented in Anchorage for the next day but if I could rent in Seward and drop off in Anchorage or keep it all the way til Fairbanks, I would consider that option.

 

Any advice?

Note that the Hertz office in Seward has extended Summer hours, but those hours are not bookable online. I called the hertz office directly to reserve a car in August for pickup at 7pm (with drop off the next day at the Anchorage airport).

They’re really different experiences. Although there are guided treks on Exit Glacier it is more difficult to get to the entry point to get on the glacier so most just opt for viewing. Matanuska is the most easily accessible glacier in the state. You can be trekking on the glacier after a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot. For safety, it’s best to go with a guide like NOVA or MICA. For me, I’d do both but I’m a bit partial to glaciers. This is the first year in 10 that I didn’t make it up to Matanuska. It’s just an exceptional experience.

 

 

 

Nice to see you mention Windy Point. You’ll have a good chance of seeing Dall sheep ewes and lambs during the summer. The rut is currently going on and the rams have been chasing the ewes along the cliffs this week. About 6 miles south of Windy Point is Bird Creek. If you’re here during the salmon runs you have a chance to see brown bears just off the highway. You’ll see dozens of fishermen from the bridge as well as the occasional brown bear looking for fish.

There are days on our trip that will be full of activities and tours. Exit Glacier is a 'probable' but not definite depending on how we feel at the time. I DO wish we could spend another 2 days post cruise and add in more places to see, but our kids have school starting the day after we return home.

And thanks for the tip about Bird Creek!

We will be in Skagway 8am to 8pm on August 24th, and are deciding between taking a train/bus tour to White Pass summit or to the Yukon.

With the Yukon tour, we will not have time to visit the Klondike Gold Rush Museum or take the National Park walking tour. We likely will have a couple of hours to walk around town after the Yukon tour though - so we will get a taste of Skagway.

I am leaning towards the Yukon Train/Bus tour and skipping the museum and NP walking tour.

I'd like to know others opinions - especially from those who visited the museum and took the NP walking tour.

Thx!

Hard to say about Talkeetna. I suggested it because it gives you almost the full day in denali for other activiites, AND gets you halfway to Anchorage. Talkeetna doesnt do anything for me, but some folks love it! If you'd rather stay another night at denali, do it.

As for Exit Glacier, decide when you get to seward. See how everyone feels...they might want to do the 1 hr trail, or they might be content with the waterfront trail to town so they can see wildlife....otters, eagles salmon. You'll also see glaciers on the Kenai cruise .....its pretty cool to park in front of a glacier in a smaller boat and listen to the sound it makes. So see how you feel about Exit on the day.

As for changing hotels, consider renting a small rv. , then your bed, bathroom and kitchen are with you every day!

 

Nice job with your itinerary, by the way. Nothing wrong with it all.

Thanks for the advice - not just from this thread. Over the past month or so I've been going through old threads where your advice and expertise was very helpful!

Thanks for the shout out!

 

There are a few different options. Really depends on your priorities.

 

I think your arrival day in Seward is too light, so why not beef it up a little, and even remove a day from Seward. You'll be rested after your cruise so go for the gusto!

 

Day 1 Shuttle to Exit Glacier, AND Sealife Center, as well as wander around Seward. There's a nice waterfront trail that leads from the harbor to the SeaLife Center, just over a mile. Fun to watch otters playing off shore. Great views across the Bay.

Day 2 Kenai Fjords boat tour. Catch the 6pm train or 6:30pm Park Connection Bus to Anchorage. Pick up rental car.

Day 3 drive to Matanuska. Have a leisurely day of driving and stopping wherever. O/N at Matanuska .... lovely cabins nearby.

(OR start your day by driving 1 hr south to Wildlife Conservation Center and Portage Lake area, lunch in Girdwood THEN drive to Matanuska)

Day 4 morning ice trek, then drive to Healy. Maybe stop at Independence Mine if interested. Talkeetna?

Day 5 denali shuttle

day 6 area activities until mid afternoon then drive to Talkeetna to overnight since it's only 2 1/2 hrs away.

day 7 Complete drive to Anchorage. Or drive an hour further and visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Lake, Byron Glacier since you have time to kill before your flight

 

Just one option to consider.

I like this (a lot) for the activities, but I don't like switching hotels as much. But, I think I can work with this :) This itinerary also has me taking the train to Anchorage instead of a rental car from Seward - which I won't need as I would backtrack by car to the area south of Anchorage. I also like that.

As for Day 6, is it worth it to stay a night in Talkeetna (if I don't do the flightseeing) or should I stay the extra night in Healy? Reviews of Talkeetna are mixed.

And if I am going to Matanuska, is it still worthwhile to visit Exit Glacier? (I will be visiting Mendenhall, Glacier Bay and Hubbard on the cruise).

If you decide to do the flightseeing in Talkeetna, this option would provide 2 different opportunities in case the flights are weathered out..... on day 4 and day 6.

 

And if you arrive to great weather in Seward, take advantage of it and hop on the Kenai Fjords boat tour Day 1. You can do Exit Glacier and Sealife Center the next day.

Thanks for the advice! I did have the option of swapping the boat tour on the itinerary based on weather, but not Talkeetna. I need to look at the cancellation policy for rafting (I haven't even booked yet) and the change policy for the boat tour.

I'm planning on an NCL NB cruise in August with six nights in Alaska post cruise. I've looked through all relevant Trip Reports and browsed the Alaska folder for ideas and information and more or less know what I will be doing in each port. (This thread started by Mapleleaves is excellent and should be a sticky: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2347988).

Post cruise planning has been difficult.

Initially, I planned this -

Arrival Day: Aquarium and tour Seward. Night in Seward.

Day 2: 6 or 7.5 Kenai Fjords trip. Night in Seward

Day 3: Rent car, Exit Glacier, drive to Anchorage with possible stops at Windy Point, Wildlife Conservation Center and (less likely due to time) Portage glacier. Switch rental cars at airport. Night in Anchorage.

Day 4: Drive to Denali with a possible stop in Talkeetna. (Small possibility of a Flightseeing trip to Denali). Dog sledding demo in park. Night in Healy.

Day 5: Denali National Park - all day touring park. Night in Healy.

Day 6: Late morning. Activities around Healy/Denali. Rafting, possibly Ziplining. Night in Healy.

Day 7: Drive to Anchorage for flight home.

After reading up on Denali, I thought I might skip it entirely and spend more time around Anchorage, maybe visit Whittier, Chugah National Forest and Glacier View (for the ability to walk on the Matanuska Glacier).

Now to the present. I think I'd really like to walk on a glacier. Talkeetna Flightseeing with a glacier landing would be ideal, but will likely be out of my price range when I start locking in my port plans and the money spent there. I can go with my initial plan and add a stop at Byron Glacier on Day 3, but when I compare pictures of Byron and Matanuska I think I'd much prefer Matanuska.

So, my current plans changes Day 3 completely. Skip Exit glacier and head to Glacier View instead of Anchorage to spend the night. (We would need to stop in Anchorage to change cars). If I plan on making the other stops planned for Day 3 (including a car swap in Anchorage), I would likely have no time for Matanuska until the morning of Day 4. So, Day 4 would be to hike Matanuska in the morning, and then drive from there to Healy bypassing Talkeetna.

I'd like to hear opinions from others :)

I think i'm out of ne Resources to add to this thread.

Going on a NB cruise in August. Thanks for all the information provided here! Very Helpful. This should certainly be a sticky.

Thanks everyone for the advice! Seeing the glaciers are a priority for us, so I will plan to see as much as we can.

What times are you in Juneau?

 

I would do the Kenai Fiords trip. I wouldn't miss it.

We are Juneau 11am-9pm.

I've added the Kenai Fjords National Park cruise to my plans. Thx!

We are in the early stages of planning for a northbound Alaska cruise in late August 2018. The ship cruises by the Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. We will be staying two nights in Seward and will visit Exit Glacier while there. Other glaciers we can visit are the Mendenhall Glacier and the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park via a 7 hour cruise tour. (If we don't visit the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park, we will at least take a wildlife cruise). Is this glacier overkill? Right now I am including all these glaciers in my touring plans, but am considering not taking the Kenai Fjords National Park cruise tour.