Land Itinerary Feedback

[henny]

We've booked our cruise and flight so now I know how much time we're working with. I got the Milepost from the library and looking through that - alot to look through. So this is what I'm thinking and would appreciate feedback, recommendations for loding, eating and sightseeing. FYI will be traveling w/6 people in a minivan (2 grandparents, 2 parents and 2 boys 9 & 12). We are interested in Alaska/native culture, history/museum type places and the 12 yr old is a WWII buff (I've read that Whittier is a base from WWII - anything of interest to see left from the war there) - oh and shopping for Grandma!

 

Day 1 - Arrive anchorage 9:00PM - hotel convenient to airport and car rental next morning - any suggestions?

Day 2 - get car from rental company - see sights in Anchorage (museum) any other suggestions, drive to Palmer - stay at B&B musk ox farm or other sights.

Day 3 - drive to Copper Center (stay at Princess there? other lodging options in area) stop at Mantu.... glacier (sp?) and other sights along the way.

Day 4 - drive to Valdez - possibly fishing or boat tour, drive back to hotel

Day 5 - drive to Fairbanks - see pipeline along the way, stop at Santa store in North Pole as we arrive Fairbanks.

Day 6 - Tour goldmine - drive to Denali - possibly stay at Healy?

Day 7 - Denali shuttle trip

Day 9 - Drive to Anchorage - turn in car that night or next morning depending on hotel location

Day 10 - train to Whittier for SB cruise to Vancouver.

 

Could also reverse this route going to Denali first. Would it make more sense to do one way vs. another?

 

Would like to tour a dogsledding place and possibly do the cart w/wheels ride. Where would be a good place to do this? Any of the places on this route or better as an excursion from ship?

[henny]

I forgot to mention the time of the trip. We'll be flying in Aug 8 and the cruise starts Aug 16 (Island Princess) arriving in Vancouver the 23rd and we'll be flying out that day.

[negc]

We've booked our cruise and flight so now I know how much time we're working with. I got the Milepost from the library and looking through that - alot to look through. So this is what I'm thinking and would appreciate feedback, recommendations for loding, eating and sightseeing. FYI will be traveling w/6 people in a minivan (2 grandparents, 2 parents and 2 boys 9 & 12). We are interested in Alaska/native culture, history/museum type places and the 12 yr old is a WWII buff (I've read that Whittier is a base from WWII - anything of interest to see left from the war there) - oh and shopping for Grandma!

 

Day 1 - Arrive anchorage 9:00PM - hotel convenient to airport and car rental next morning - any suggestions?

Day 2 - get car from rental company - see sights in Anchorage (museum) any other suggestions, drive to Palmer - stay at B&B musk ox farm or other sights.

Day 3 - drive to Copper Center (stay at Princess there? other lodging options in area) stop at Mantu.... glacier (sp?) and other sights along the way.

Day 4 - drive to Valdez - possibly fishing or boat tour, drive back to hotel

Day 5 - drive to Fairbanks - see pipeline along the way, stop at Santa store in North Pole as we arrive Fairbanks.

Day 6 - Tour goldmine - drive to Denali - possibly stay at Healy?

Day 7 - Denali shuttle trip

Day 9 - Drive to Anchorage - turn in car that night or next morning depending on hotel location

Day 10 - train to Whittier for SB cruise to Vancouver.

 

Could also reverse this route going to Denali first. Would it make more sense to do one way vs. another?

 

Would like to tour a dogsledding place and possibly do the cart w/wheels ride. Where would be a good place to do this? Any of the places on this route or better as an excursion from ship?

 

Have you checked a map of the region or checked out the distances between some of the places on your itinerary? I'm not sure, for example, that a drive from Valdez to Fairbanks in one day, is advisable or even doable. You also seem to be doing a lot of unnecessary backtracking. You might want to check out some of the landtours that the cruiselines offer to at least give you a realistic view of what is feasible in the amount of time you have allocated in your itinerary. If you find something that would fit your requirements you can probably replicate it on your own and set your own schedule and perhaps save some money.:)

[widehunters3]

While in Palmer we enjoyed our drive to Independence Mines. Very Scenic area!!

[PennyAgain]

Too much driving in a short period of time.

 

Not enough time in Denali.

 

Too much running around. Why go to Fairbanks? Nole Pole is a tourist trap.

 

Alaska highways are not Interstate highways. They are not 4 lane divided highways with a few short exceptions.

 

This is too much to ask of a family in a full van.

 

No WWII history left at Whitter which is a wee village other than the really odd high rise apt. building.

[henny]

2 nights is not enough in Denali? We are going to do all day shuttle. We will not do rafting, flight, etc so what else would we do there?

 

I agree I could skip Fairbanks but we kindof have to go through there to make the loop. We have a tradition of buying a Christmas ornament on each vacation as our momento so that would be a neat place to get it for this vacation - since we're going through there anyway.

 

To Negc: I came up with this route by "copying and adjusting" the Copper Center Princess Tour which is done in less days but adding the Fairbanks loop instead of the Denali Highway due to the gravel road and car rental limitations.

 

Yes, it is a lot of driving but we will be seeing beautiful Alaska while doing it. I figured it would be better to drive the loop around rather than drive up and back on the same road. I have driven on the roads in Alaska about 10 years ago and I understand they aren't 4 lane highways so you sometimes get stuck behind slow moving traffic - that's ok. I also understand things can happen - on our trip there was a rock slide on the railroad tracks so we weren't able to take the planned train trip from Denali to Anchorage we had to go by van.

 

If you think this is not a good itinerary can you give me a better option? I've been looking over this for a few weeks now and haven't come up with a better plan. So I'd appreciate suggestions for another option.

 

I just did a mapquest for this route and Copper Center to Fairbanks is the longest stretch at 4 hrs 21 min., Healy to Anchorage is 4 hrs 5 min so very similar. So even with a possible traffic delay of some sort and factoring in slower driving than mapquest allows that is still very doable in a day. I really don't see why this would be a problem to do this amount of driving in a week. We all travel well. For example my parents (the seniors of the trip did Arizona up to Northern California and back in this same time period and thought it was a wonderful trip - double the miles of this itinerary). If I am off base here, please tell me why and give me alternative options.

 

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

[LA_FadeAway]

2 nights is not enough in Denali? We are going to do all day shuttle. We will not do rafting, flight, etc so what else would we do there?

 

I am working on my itinerary too and several people have suggested that you need at least two full days to fully enjoy denali. For example, you could do the shuttle one day and then spend another attending the sled dog demo, doing a guided ranger hike, etc. Also, they say it's good to have a second day in case the weather does not cooperate on your first day. I'm no expert though, just planning myself.

[negc]

 

To Negc: I came up with this route by "copying and adjusting" the Copper Center Princess Tour which is done in less days but adding the Fairbanks loop instead of the Denali Highway due to the gravel road and car rental limitations.

 

Yes, it is a lot of driving but we will be seeing beautiful Alaska while doing it. I figured it would be better to drive the loop around rather than drive up and back on the same road. I have driven on the roads in Alaska about 10 years ago and I understand they aren't 4 lane highways so you sometimes get stuck behind slow moving traffic - that's ok. I also understand things can happen - on our trip there was a rock slide on the railroad tracks so we weren't able to take the planned train trip from Denali to Anchorage we had to go by van.

 

If you think this is not a good itinerary can you give me a better option? I've been looking over this for a few weeks now and haven't come up with a better plan. So I'd appreciate suggestions for another option.

 

I just did a mapquest for this route and Copper Center to Fairbanks is the longest stretch at 4 hrs 21 min., Healy to Anchorage is 4 hrs 5 min so very similar. So even with a possible traffic delay of some sort and factoring in slower driving than mapquest allows that is still very doable in a day. I really don't see why this would be a problem to do this amount of driving in a week. We all travel well. For example my parents (the seniors of the trip did Arizona up to Northern California and back in this same time period and thought it was a wonderful trip - double the miles of this itinerary). If I am off base here, please tell me why and give me alternative options.

 

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

 

Maybe I misread your itinerary, but it says that on Day 4 you are in Valdez and on Day 5 you drive to Fairbanks, which, when I checked Mapquest involved a drive of seven to eight hours, which I thought was an excessive amount of driving for one day. You obviously have a better understanding of how much driving time you are comfortable doing in one day, so I will defer to your judgment.:)

[PennyAgain]

MILEPOST is much better.

 

About Denali. You need to be in the area overnight before you take the shuttles as the shuttles depart early and it is an all day trip if you do the longest or nearly longest runs. If you plan to arrive at Denali on the day you will be taking the shuttle, you will be in a huge rush.

 

There is little scenic about Fairbanks. You can buy Christmas ornaments nearly anywhere in Alaska. Long haul driving in Alaska is not fun during tourist and construction season. Been there, done that and plenty. You are not allowing time for stops for scenery, animals, meals and toilets.

[negc]

MILEPOST is much better......

 

You are not allowing time for stops for scenery, animals, meals and toilets.

 

 

That was part of my thinking when I made my original post. How much driving time do you estimate would be involved going from Valdez to Fairbanks using MILEPOST as your source?

[klingoncruiser]

Day 1 - Arrive anchorage 9:00PM - hotel convenient to airport and car rental next morning - any suggestions?

Day 2 - get car from rental company - see sights in Anchorage (museum) any other suggestions, drive to Palmer - stay at B&B musk ox farm or other sights.

Day 3 - drive to Copper Center (stay at Princess there? other lodging options in area) stop at Mantu.... glacier (sp?) and other sights along the way.

Day 4 - drive to Valdez - possibly fishing or boat tour, drive back to hotel

Day 5 - drive to Fairbanks - see pipeline along the way, stop at Santa store in North Pole as we arrive Fairbanks.

Day 6 - Tour goldmine - drive to Denali - possibly stay at Healy?

Day 7 - Denali shuttle trip

Day 9 - Drive to Anchorage - turn in car that night or next morning depending on hotel location

Day 10 - train to Whittier for SB cruise to Vancouver.

 

Well....we are going to be in Anchorage for 9 days this year. Here is what I would tell you to do.

 

There is a LOT to do in Anchorage. We love Potters Marsh and Beluga point. Downtown is also worth seeing. Up near palmer, as already stated, go to Hatcher Pass. (Independence mine)

 

Going to Copper Center is O.K., but we did not like it. The rooms were hot (sunny day and it faced west) with no AC. Nothing to do there. Most Princess lodges are pretty cool, this one was not. Might just as well head on down to Valdez. From there you can go to Fairbanks. I would lose the goldmine and put in the Riverboat Discovery! (Both are run by the same people). Down to Denali (two day is better) and then back to Anchorage.

 

All this being said.... Are you crazy? You NEVER get where you are going on time in Alaska. ROAD WORK! Yikes..... no wait there is a Moose... pull over. (Insert Fox, Otter, Wolf, or your critter of choice) Look at that view! Pull over......

 

Try this one...... Take a little more time in Anchorage. Then mosey up to Denali. Then on to Fairbanks. If you do go to Fairbank.... MAKE SURE you do Esters Camp. The Malmute Saloon show is worth the trip. If you want to see some water... go down to Seward and take the Long Kenai Fjords tour out of there. Easier and quicker to do than Valdez and MUCH better scenery. It is a really fun overnight and you could take the train down and back. Now that is a train ride! Either way, plan an overnight. It is a beautiful place.

 

SO... here goes...

Day 1 Arrive in ANC. Check Travelocity or such for rooms and rates. It is high no matter what. We have used several over the year. Using a "Vacation Rental" this year as we will stay in ANC most of the time and just take day trips.

Day 2. Mosey down to Seward and spend the night. Take the "long tour" the next morning.

Day 3. Kenai Fjords tour and then back to ANC. or Palmer

Day 4. Go to independence Mine and Hatcher pass.

Day 5 Off to Denali. (Either Denali or Princess Mckinley lodge)

Day 6 Long tour into park.

Day 7. Off to Fairbanks.

Day 8. Riverboat Discovery, Creamers Field and dinner and a show at Esters Gold Camp.

Day 9. Back to ANC. Turn in car

Day 10. Have a great ride on the train and enjoy the cruise!

 

I think I got that right. Check it out and see. Little more laid back, and allows time to STOP and smell the Fireweed.

[henny]

For everyone that is talking about our time in Denali - we have 2 nights scheduled there giving us one full day for the shuttle and time the evening before and/or morning the next day if we want to visit the dogs etc.

 

Klingoncruiser - thanks so much for taking the time to give a possible itinery. My trouble I am running into is that we did a land only vacation for 2 weeks in Alaska 10 years ago. I am trying to incorporate some areas we have not done before so that we can see some new things. We spent a couple of nights in Seward, a couple in Denali and a week in Fairbanks (had a friend in the Airforce). I was planning on skipping the riverboat and the goldmine as we did both of those in that trip. My parents thought the goldmine sounded like fun and the kids would probably like it as well - that's why I put that in. I will leave that decision up to them.

 

It seems that to do land touring in Alaska the only options are Anchorage, Denali, Kenai (Seward or Homer) and Fairbanks - and I totally agree with Pennyagain that Fairbanks is not on my must do list. I only had Fairbanks on the schedule as that's where the road leads. Ester Camp looks fun - although the website I found said it may be closed this year??

[klingoncruiser]

O.K. that makes sense.... How adventurous are you? Here is a cool option.....

 

Head down to Homer and spend a day or so there. Then take the ferry out to Kodiak Island. There are not a LOT of roads there, but what is there is just too cool. At the south end of the island are lots of bunkers to explore from WWll. We have done this twice and can't wait to go back and try it again.

 

Fishing out of Kodiak is the best we have found so far in Alaska, even better than Sitka.

 

Have you been to Homer? In that area are the "old believer" communities, the ferry over to Seldovia, the "spit".

 

These are the kind of "off the grid" trips we take these days in Alaska. On the way down is the Princess Kenai Lodge at Coopers landing. That is about the best of all the princess lodges in Alaska.

 

If this would be of interest, let me know and I can give you a bit more detail after you look it up.

 

Part of Esters was closed this year. (Malmute Saloon) I have not heard if they are going to be closed this coming year. We helped some friends on a trip last summer up there and that is when we found that they were closed.

[henny]

I think that sounds like an awesome trip. It also sounds like it would be expensive.... maybe beyond what we can handle but I will definitely look into it. Any details you can provide since you've been there would be appreciated.

[klingoncruiser]

That trip is NO more expensive than the rest of Alaska, but is WELL off the grid.

 

If you skip the stays at "expensive lodges" such as Princess Kenai lodge, you can control the cost. LOTs of places to stay in Homer area. Two years ago we stayed at some cabins just outside of town that were high up on a bluff looking out over the ocean and had a hot tub you could sit in and watch the eagles fly by below you.

 

They ferries are MORE than reasonable and the ride is not very long from Homer to Kodiak. Here is a link to check out the run times, schedules and prices.

 

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml

 

Those ferries are a HOOT! The one to Kodiak even more so. It will stop in Seldovia on the way there and back. They are NOT cruise ships. Too funny to watch people get on them and be very puzzled. We use them all the time in the summer and just too funny watching the "cruise ship" people wonder what they have gotten themselves into. However you often see things will NEVER see on a cruise ship. Also you get to talk to the "locals" who are always willing to tell you the "secret" spots to see. Alaskans are wonderful friendly and helpful people.

 

Once again, lots of places to stay on Kodiak but you will have to do your homework on what is best for you. Not much in the way of hotels, more in line with "vacation rentals" or B and B's. The best fishing (if that is important) we have had over the years is out of there. There are some people that will take you out on "tours" that will cater to your group and it is WAY beyond the large tour boats you will see in the SE Alaska. We even took a "dinner cruise" out of there last time that was wonderful. Fresh seafood and such a wonderful evening.

 

Probably the greatest "hassle" is that you have to plan this one. If you really are interested. I will set up a rough schedule and some people we have used in the past along with the relative cost. Then you can decide if this is "too authentic" or just about what you are looking for.