Independent tours at Copper or Kenai

Are there any independent tour operators who will pick up at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Kenai Wilderness Princess Lodge? The Princess excursions we want (specifically Kenai Nature Hike and Copper Country Discovery Tour) are either sold out or unavailable on the days we need them.

Are there any independent tour operators who will pick up at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Kenai Wilderness Princess Lodge? The Princess excursions we want (specifically Kenai Nature Hike and Copper Country Discovery Tour) are either sold out or unavailable on the days we need them.

My understanding and I never have or ever will take a CruiseTour although I have taken AK cruises is that Princess does not allow independent operators on their hotel properties.

I guess that if you own the hotel you can set your own rules. That is one of the wonderful things about taking a CruiseTour and having the opportunity of staying in the isolated Princess owned lodges.

DON

Nope, you will have to use the Princess excursions.

The Copper River Princess Lodge has a shuttle from the property that loops around to the pipeline, the small town of Copper Center and a couple other places as I remember from our visit last fall. Maybe $5.

You might be able to make arrangements with an independent to pick you up at Copper Center after taking the Princess shuttle from the lodge.

The Copper River Princess Lodge has a shuttle from the property that loops around to the pipeline, the small town of Copper Center and a couple other places as I remember from our visit last fall. Maybe $5.

 

You might be able to make arrangements with an independent to pick you up at Copper Center after taking the Princess shuttle from the lodge.

Good idea. I'll check into that.

Does Kenai have such a shuttle?

Good idea. I'll check into that.

 

Does Kenai have such a shuttle?

They have a shuttle to Seward.

I am also quite certain, you are not going to find these tours "independent". Is there anything else of interest? The highlight of the Copper River area is McCarthy and Kennicott. A visit there is excellent, I like the road/fly combo option, but I am never in that area without a car.

The highlight of the Copper River area is McCarthy and Kennicott. A visit there is excellent, I like the road/fly combo option, but I am never in that area without a car.

Yeah, bum area to be without a car, particularly while staying at the Princess Lodge.

McCarthy/Kennicott would indeed be a highlight for that area.

The Kenai Wildlife Tour is at the Russian River Falls. If the hike is something you REALLY want to do, and don't mind going on your own, call Wildmans to see if their shuttle service will pick you up off property and take you to the trailhead then pick you up when you're done.

http://wildmans.org/offsite/page6/

Beyond any doubt, my choice would be "Tour H" "Historic Kennicott & Wrangell-St. Elias Flightseeing Adventure".

Might seem a little spendy, but having taken many tours the world over of this duration, I think it is a pretty darn good deal. And, with this tour you get 40 minutes plus of flightsee, the only way to appreciate the immensity of the Wrangells, I can't see how they do it so cheaply.

Lunch is up at the old but restored Kennecott Copper Corporation complex in the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. A world class lunch, be certain to get seated out on the deck looking up the Kennicott Glacier amphitheater and at Mount Blackburn, highest in the Wrangells. I'm a sucker for their clam chowder and tuna melt.

I forgot to mention Tour O "Kennicott Explorer". I realize flying in light aircraft make some folk nervous and the price of Tour H might bother some as well. This tour is 12 hours as opposed to 10 for Tour H, and it doesn't involve any flying. Rather, you ride up to the Kennicott River from the Princess lodge in a van, where you leave the van and walk across a footbridge. The footbridge is located less than a half mile from McCarthy. It is 5 miles from the bridge to the Kennecott complex. Tickets on the Kennecott Shuttle (another van), will be provided as part of your tour.

There is no provided lunch on this tour and for sightseeing at Kennecott and McCarthy you are pretty much on your own, you have to be back at the footbridge at a certain time to catch the van back to the Princess lodge at Copper Center. That is no big deal though, they wait if you late. (Watch out for bear and moose though---just kidding--but this area is right in the middle of the nation's largest national park, besides being a mountain wilderness it contains abundant wildlife.)

I suggest eating lunch at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge and doing so while seated out on their deck in order to enjoy the world class view. There are a number of guided tours available up at Kennecott, I suggest the "Mill Tour", two hours. The NPS has all sorts of things to see and do up at Kennecott, be sure and stop in their store and see the 12 minute free movie which illustrates the hardships and successes of mining during the first third of the 20th century in this wilderness area.

Stop at the McCarthy/Kennicott museum before walking around McCarthy and get a walking tour brochure. The museum is very interesting and a guide is always there to answer questions. It is located in the abandoned railroad's McCarthy depot.

You will have 6 hours to look around, eat lunch, and take tours. They even have glacier hikes up at Kennecott for the adventurous.

Total time in the van is 6 hours, three going and three returning, they do make plenty of potty stops and a few stops to enjoy scenic attractions. The road from Chitina to McCarthy is built on the railbed of the original Copper River Northwestern Railway, a almost 200 mile railroad that took the world's richest copper ore to tidewater at Cordova.

The Kenai Wildlife Tour is at the Russian River Falls. If the hike is something you REALLY want to do, and don't mind going on your own, call Wildmans to see if their shuttle service will pick you up off property and take you to the trailhead then pick you up when you're done.

http://wildmans.org/offsite/page6/

That might work- IF, they don't mind the walk to the Sterling Highway, which is over a mile from the lodge. But, I don't find this area anything special with wildlife being more likely with salmon runs. The raft trips are fairly nice again depending on interests. But the highlights if not into fishing is better in Seward.

I forgot to mention Tour O "Kennicott Explorer". I realize flying in light aircraft make some folk nervous and the price of Tour H might bother some as well. This tour is 12 hours as opposed to 10 for Tour H, and it doesn't involve any flying. Rather, you ride up to the Kennicott River from the Princess lodge in a van, where you leave the van and walk across a footbridge. The footbridge is located less than a half mile from McCarthy. It is 5 miles from the bridge to the Kennecott complex. Tickets on the Kennecott Shuttle (another van), will be provided as part of your tour.

 

There is no provided lunch on this tour and for sightseeing at Kennecott and McCarthy you are pretty much on your own, you have to be back at the footbridge at a certain time to catch the van back to the Princess lodge at Copper Center. That is no big deal though, they wait if you late. (Watch out for bear and moose though---just kidding--but this area is right in the middle of the nation's largest national park, besides being a mountain wilderness it contains abundant wildlife.)

 

I suggest eating lunch at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge and doing so while seated out on their deck in order to enjoy the world class view. There are a number of guided tours available up at Kennecott, I suggest the "Mill Tour", two hours. The NPS has all sorts of things to see and do up at Kennecott, be sure and stop in their store and see the 12 minute free movie which illustrates the hardships and successes of mining during the first third of the 20th century in this wilderness area.

 

Stop at the McCarthy/Kennicott museum before walking around McCarthy and get a walking tour brochure. The museum is very interesting and a guide is always there to answer questions. It is located in the abandoned railroad's McCarthy depot.

 

You will have 6 hours to look around, eat lunch, and take tours. They even have glacier hikes up at Kennecott for the adventurous.

 

Total time in the van is 6 hours, three going and three returning, they do make plenty of potty stops and a few stops to enjoy scenic attractions. The road from Chitina to McCarthy is built on the railbed of the original Copper River Northwestern Railway, a almost 200 mile railroad that took the world's richest copper ore to tidewater at Cordova.

Ken, another one your superb suggestions, with great descriptions. :)

The Kennicott Shuttle picked us up at the Princess lodge, no issues of any kind with the pickup or drop off. We made all arrangements independent of Princess, I had no idea they would even care what we did in our free day. I don't think anyone knew or cared.

It was a long but very interesting day, as previously described. We did the guided walking tour with the Wrangells St Elias guides. We had a great lunch at the Kennicott glacier lodge. Our shuttle driver was friendly and informative and we learned so much about life in the Alaska backcountry.

Thanks for the Princess Excursion suggestions. I should have asked sooner :o They're sold out too. I'll keep an eye on them in case someone cancels. In the meantime I'll investigate the options via shuttle.

The Kennicott Shuttle picked us up at the Princess lodge, no issues of any kind with the pickup or drop off. We made all arrangements independent of Princess, I had no idea they would even care what we did in our free day. I don't think anyone knew or cared.

It was a long but very interesting day, as previously described. We did the guided walking tour with the Wrangells St Elias guides. We had a great lunch at the Kennicott glacier lodge. Our shuttle driver was friendly and informative and we learned so much about life in the Alaska backcountry.

Would a shorter version of this be practical?

Would a shorter version of this be practical?

Shorter? You need to tell us what tour you are looking at that is shorter?

"Short" does not go with McCarthy and Kennicott.

Would a shorter version of this be practical?

Just my opinion but I do not think that even a long day trip to Kennecott is worth it unless you fly both ways and maybe not even then. We stayed there 3 days.

DON

Shorter? You need to tell us what tour you are looking at that is shorter?

"Short" does not go with McCarthy and Kennicott.

I found out something interesting (and irritating) today. Maybe you all have known it forever, but it's new to me. If we have a Princess excursion booked, myprincess labels all other options "not available" or prevents access to them altogether. I called Princess and confirmed that the Kennicott excursions are indeed sold out, but if I want to see whether availability has opened up, I either have to cancel an already booked second choice excursion and risk ending up with nothing at all, or call Princess every day :mad:

Does any one know how to see alternative availability without cancelling a previously booked back-up excursion?

I found out something interesting (and irritating) today. Maybe you all have known it forever, but it's new to me. If we have a Princess excursion booked, myprincess labels all other options "not available" or prevents access to them altogether. I called Princess and confirmed that the Kennicott excursions are indeed sold out, but if I want to see whether availability has opened up, I either have to cancel an already booked second choice excursion and risk ending up with nothing at all, or call Princess every day :mad:

 

Does any one know how to see alternative availability without cancelling a previously booked back-up excursion?

Is your second choice, a tour that is short, has several times, and takes large numbers of people? If so, that tour is not likely to sell out as quickly, giving you time to wait out a few more months and see if your first choice opens up.

Problem with "calling" Princess, is they aren't in Alaska. Once the season opens, calling the Copper River Princess Lodge directly could be a better option for specific information about tours, waiting lists, added tours, etc.

Princess contracts out for excursions, so contact the vendor independently. Ask if they'll pick you up at the lodge or where to meet.

Would a shorter version of this be practical?

The shorter version would be to hire a pilot to fly both ways or check with Kennicott Shuttle regarding flying one way, driving the other in their van. Check out the website for Kennicott shuttle.

Our independent trip to Kennicott was inexpensive, I think the shuttle cost $109 per person. The shuttle cost was paid in advance. We paid ten or twenty bucks for the walking tour of Kennicott. We bought lunch at the Kennicott Glacier hotel. The shuttle people told us exactly what to do for the day, where to eat, etc.

I don't think Princess offered many excursions out of Copper River when we were there in 2013. The main trip people talked about was to Valdez. I don't think they offered anything to Kennicott McCarthy. I'm pretty sure we were the only Princess people in those near ghost towns that day.

The shuttle trip is very doable but it is a long bumpy ride. We loved this outing and recommend it as long as you understand the length of the drive on unpaved roads. Our driver was excellent behind the wheel and she offered extensive commentary. We stopped a few times for wildlife.

We booked the "Kennicott Explorer" from Princess. Knowing that we could book the Kennicott Shuttle on our own gave us the courage to cancel our second choice tour and when we did, suddenly the Princess tours that had been marked "unavailable" became bookable. These were the same tours that the Princess phone agent said were sold out :confused:. Since the Princess tour was nearly the same price as the Kennicott Shuttle and also included transportation from the other side of the foot bridge, we went with Princess for convenience.

Thank you everybody for the suggestions and very helpful detailed information.

As for the free time I asked about finding independent tours for, it's late on two travel days. We'll probably just leave it free.

Oops, posted on the wrong thread, sorry.