Anchorage - 6.5 hours to explore before Flight

[dee66]

Hi,

 

We will have 6.5 hours to explore Anchorage before our return flight. We will be dropped off after our cruisetour ends at the airport at 11:00 am and have a 8:30 pm return home flight. We would like to explore and make the best use of the time. We will be renting a car.

 

Any ideas on what we can do, see, and place to eat. Thanks for the information.

[Orlando Vic]

1. Alaska Native Heritage Center
   
2. Anchorage Museum
   
3. Alaska Zoo
   

 

Place to eat: Either Orso http://www.orsoalaska.com/ for fine dining or Moose's Tooth http://www.moosestooth.net/index2.htm for pizza.

[poolwife]

1. Go up the tram at Mt. Alyeska; the view is awesome

2. Wildlife Conservation Center

3. Enjoy the stops and views around Cook's Inlet

 

I would for #1 say take a Prince William Sound Tour that starts out of Whittier at 1:00 pm and comes back in there at 5:30 which would be no problem catching your flight. But, it is a little tight getting to Whittier on time with having to go through the tunnel and all.

 

So my other choices are above and you won't be pushed for time. The drive around Cook's Inlet to the Wildlife Conservation is indescribable. The cutoff to go to Girdwood and Mt. Alyeska tram is right near there.

 

You will love it IF you are into scenery which most people are that want to visit Alaska. Also, if your time is running good drive farther down the road past the Wildlife Conservation Center and go only as far as Summit Lake. They have a nice place to eat lunch and the view again at Summit Lake is very beautifu. It is one of my favorite places. Beautiful mountain behind the lake; just very picturesque. Turn around and come back at Summit Lake. Have a great time enjoying the gorgeous scenery of Alaska.

[Kirrus]

I will have similar situation during my upcoming cruise. Poolwife, do you suggest to rent a car to get to Mt. Alyeska, Wildlife Conservation Center and Cook's Inlet? Won't it take too long (renting, drop off) for such short period (6 hours)?

[poolwife]

If you are organized and have good directions to get to the highway to the Wildlife center and Girdwood that you would be fine. Get another opinion, perhaps, from the auto rental place.

 

If nothing else, just take the drive, drive through the wildlife center, to Summit Lake and back to Anchorage. I am thinking that would work fine. Cut out Mt. Alyeska then.

 

I would start out driving around Cook's Inlet to Summit Lake. Have lunch there at the restaurant which is really pretty good, see how your time is going to see how long it took you to do that and determine how much time you have to spend at the Wildlife Center and then head back to return the car.

[Budget Queen]

I would for #1 say take a Prince William Sound Tour that starts out of Whittier at 1:00 pm and comes back in there at 5:30 which would be no problem catching your flight. But, it is a little tight getting to Whittier on time with having to go through the tunnel and all.

 

QUOTE]

 

 

I don't agree. On cruise days, you have to look at a 2 hour window at Anchorage airport, and the car will have to be gassed up and returned. You can NOT count on the Seward Highway not having delays behind packed traffic, which is 2 lanes most of the way.

[Budget Queen]

Where are you staying the night before? McKinley Lodge?

[PennyAgain]

Georgraphy issue: Cook's Inlet???

 

I think the intention is to have said Turnagain Arm.

 

Also you can't leave Whittier at 5:30 pm and make an 8:30 pm flight. Just not enough time and as BQ pointed out, big risk of traffic tie ups and delays!

[Kirrus]

Is the highway from ANC airport to the Wildlife center really tough noon to 6pm on Sundays?

[PennyAgain]

The problem is that it can be slow and does sometimes come to a stop. You can GOOGLE map the route and do Street View and see the whole way. Very interesting to do that.

 

What BQ is warning about is that there is no alternative road at all. Anything that goes wrong just causes everyone in that direction of traffic (and sometimes both ways) to stop or really slow down.

 

It is my favorite place on earth and have walked and hiked there very seriously and often. Sometimes at walking speed, I am keeping up with the cars.

 

You just can't count on anything. That is the big issue. It can be fine or it can be slow or stopped. There are more pull offs and parking areas than there used to be, but accidents don't happen in handy areas (at least most of the time.)

 

I've had traffic tie ups where I literally went to sleep for a long while and work up to find nothing moving. I've also made the trip with no problems at all.

 

Your results may vary!

 

It is also now against the law in Alaska for slow vehicles to block 5 other vehicles and there are signs saying that the slowest one has to pull over and let everyone else go. That helps, but we've followed the same slow RV for what seemed like half the drive and the guy wouldn't yield and we couldn't get around.

[Kirrus]

OK, what are the other alternatives to spend 6 hours before checking in? I will come to ANC at 11:30am by cruise train from Seward and my departure is 8pm. I will be with my mother, so no active hikes possible. Thanks!

[Orlando Vic]

OK, what are the other alternatives to spend 6 hours before checking in? I will come to ANC at 11:30am by cruise train from Seward and my departure is 8pm. I will be with my mother, so no active hikes possible. Thanks!

 

What is wrong with the ones in #2? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=29769220&postcount=2 They require no out of town travel along Turnagain Arm.

[Budget Queen]

Is the highway from ANC airport to the Wildlife center really tough noon to 6pm on Sundays?

 

Very likely doable. Nothing is 100% of course. But is this your priority, to see the wildlife? It is likely you can get a transfer that includes this. You would have to give up the train, but with your short time, you are going to be "giving up" something anyway. Determine what is of the most importance?

[Kirrus]

As I see on the map, I will see these beautiful places along Turnagain Arm from the train from Seward, and possibly Summit lake, right? Perhaps I will not risk to miss my plane because of just Wildlife center.

How to get to Anchorage zoo, museum, other nice places in downtown? Is public transit good there?

[PennyAgain]

Pubic transit is no good for what you want.

 

If you gave up the train and booked a bus/van tour from your ship via the Wildlife Center and then to the airport, that would likely be reasonable.

 

What I had assumed you wanted to do was to ride the train to Anchorage and then rent a car and backtrack to the Wild Life center which is a lot of time on that road.

 

Basically what you on doing either on the train or on the road is going along a fjord. Hence the lack of other roads that go the same way.

 

The road and the train tracks are almost down to water level. There is hardly anywhere else to build until you get way to the back of the fjord.

[doofus]

I also have a few questions regarding to spending an entire day at Anchorage. Would I have enough time to do all the following:

 

1. take a tram up to Mt. Alyeska

2. take the 1 hour cruise to Portage Glacier (I'm already doing the PWS cruise, is it too much glacier and how does that compare to PWS?)

3. stop by the Wildlife Conservation Center (does anyone know how much does it cost to get in? I tried to look but couldn't find anything.)

4. drive along Turnagain Arm and stop by Summit Lake for scenic stop

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

[PennyAgain]

Ling, starting from Anchorage? or a ship?

 

I would skip the Portage Glacier trip as you will have seen better. Sorry to say but Portage has changed so much that it isn't the spectacular glacier that it was when I was young.

 

Summit Lake is close to Moose Pass which is on Alaska highway 1.

 

If you are doing your own driving, yes it is very doable. Many folks book a van tour.

 

The tram at Alyeska is only worth doing on a very clear day (just like the tram in Juneau for the same reason.) Do a GOOGLE and look at the view and see if it is worth it to you.

 

As I mentioned in a post above you can GOOGLE map and Street View the whole way and have a good look at the scenery and what is where.

 

Remarkably good look.

 

If you have a car and all day with no pressure, I would suggest driving on around Turnagain Arm to the village of Hope which gets a few hundred visitors a year. Real Alaska and you can see the views back over to Alaska 1 and all that. Google likewise on that. It will give you real bragging rights as most folks never go to Hope. link: http://hopealaska.net/

[Budget Queen]

As I see on the map, I will see these beautiful places along Turnagain Arm from the train from Seward, and possibly Summit lake, right? Perhaps I will not risk to miss my plane because of just Wildlife center.

How to get to Anchorage zoo, museum, other nice places in downtown? Is public transit good there?

 

Nope, you don't see Summit Lake from the train, but that is hardly a "plus" to consider. As noted, public transportation is poor for your list and wastes too much time. Get yourself the rental car, which is picked up right at the airport.

[Budget Queen]

I also have a few questions regarding to spending an entire day at Anchorage. Would I have enough time to do all the following:

 

1. take a tram up to Mt. Alyeska

2. take the 1 hour cruise to Portage Glacier (I'm already doing the PWS cruise, is it too much glacier and how does that compare to PWS?)

3. stop by the Wildlife Conservation Center (does anyone know how much does it cost to get in? I tried to look but couldn't find anything.)

4. drive along Turnagain Arm and stop by Summit Lake for scenic stop

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

 

The Portage Glacier visitor center is very good, and worth a stop, if of interest. As mentioned, skip the boat tour. Summit Lake is hardly worth the time, and certainly isn't if short on it. If you wish to see wildlife, the Conservatory can offer some good looks. $10 admission http://www.alaskawildlife.org/

[Kirrus]

BQ, I asked about public transit from airport to the downtown (zoo, museum, etc) , surely not to the Wildlife center. I just try to avoid scenery duplication, since I will see this part of Turnagain Arm from the train without traffic delay risk.

Honestly, I just consider it as a plan B in case my pre-payed post-cruise "Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise" will be cancelled/overbooked...

[PennyAgain]

You should be fine with your Kenai Fjords tour.

[Budget Queen]

BQ, I asked about public transit from airport to the downtown (zoo, museum, etc) , surely not to the Wildlife center. I just try to avoid scenery duplication, since I will see this part of Turnagain Arm from the train without traffic delay risk.

Honestly, I just consider it as a plan B in case my pre-payed post-cruise "Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise" will be cancelled/overbooked...

 

I'm not talking about the Wildlife Center. From the Anchorage airport, with your short time, it is a poor choice to consider any "public transportation" other than a cab.

 

If your Kenai fjord cruise is "canceled", you are no where near Anchorage, and only way you would be able to "add" touring would be with a one way rental car and three hours of transit. These tours, on occasion do cancel, or shorten. I was given the option to cancel one of my trips this year, since the desk reported very rough seas, I certainly went anyway, and there were plenty of unprepared sick passengers on board.

[dee66]

Where are you staying the night before? McKinley Lodge?

 

 

Hi, yes we are staying at the Princess McKinley Lodge the night before. Our cruisetour is set to depart from the Lodge at 8am and arrive at the Anchorage airport at 11:00am for dropoff and luggage pickup. Our plane departs at 8:30pm.

 

We would like to do a scenic driving tour by rental car or a scenic boat trip. The main objective is to utilize the time and enjoy our last day in Alaska. This is our first trip to Alaska, but hopefully will not be the last. Thanks for any ideas.

[poolwife]

I only wrote down Summit Lake because it is somewhere I don't miss stopping at when doing a driving sightseeing tour. You mentioned wanting to rent a car.

 

I don't agree with the negativity that "Budget Queen" is giving Summit Lake. I think it is a truly beautiful stop, if one has the time, and very peaceful and serene to the psyche. This is my opinion and that is hers. Kind of different strokes for different folks.

 

I always wish I had the time to just sit on the bench in front of the lake and just take in all that beauty for an hour or so.

 

It is an individual opinion.

[Budget Queen]

Hi, yes we are staying at the Princess McKinley Lodge the night before. Our cruisetour is set to depart from the Lodge at 8am and arrive at the Anchorage airport at 11:00am for dropoff and luggage pickup. Our plane departs at 8:30pm.

 

We would like to do a scenic driving tour by rental car or a scenic boat trip. The main objective is to utilize the time and enjoy our last day in Alaska. This is our first trip to Alaska, but hopefully will not be the last. Thanks for any ideas.

 

The only boat tour you would have time for, is the so so Portage Glacier boat tour. You can not make any of the Whittier ones. You may be able to take a Kenai River raft trip?? But again, not a real exciting tour in my opinion.

 

If you choose to go to Summit Lake, then you need to invest at least 3 1/2 hours of your time- Plus any time you wish to "stay" there. This can "utilize" your time.