Tour Cancelled! Itinerary Comments Please

[RainLily]

My escorted tour has been cancelled so now we are going to rent a car and do this on our own. We should have planned to do it this way from the beginning (as many of you here know) :). So at this rather late time, we’re creating our own itinerary. Would this work well?

 

June 4 - Fly to Anchorage (Hawthorn Suites)

June 5 - Anchorage: Native Heritage Center - Sunday Market - walking around downtown

June 6 - Drive Anchorage to Fairbanks (Minnie Street B&B)

June 7 - Fairbanks: Univ. of Alaska Museum - Discovery Riverboat

June 8 - Drive to Denali - Rafting or hiking trails near visitor center (Denali River Cabins)

June 9 - Denali: Shuttle to Fish Creek

June 10 - Drive from Denali to Seward: Stop in Talkeetna ?? - Iditarod Museum in Wasilla - Alyeska Tram - dinner at the Double Musky (Alaska’s Point of View B&B)

June 11 - Seward: Northwestern Kenai Fjords Tour

June 12 - Seward: Exit Glacier - Sea Life Center - Seavey's dog sled ride ??

June 13 - Seward to Portage Glacier Cruise and Visitor Center - drive to Anchorage and drop off rental car - Princess transfer to cruise ship in Whittier

 

We would like to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks via the Glenn and Richardson highways (through Palmer, Glennallen, and Delta Junction). Would this be too long of a drive for one day? How long would it take? Would it be worthwhile to go this route? I would like to do this rather than go back and forth on the on the Parks Hwy. The more different things we see, the better.

 

Also, what should we do in Talkeetna (other than flightseeing) since we’ll be passing by?

 

Thanks!

[wolfie11]

I usually drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage via the Rich in about 8 hours on clear roads with stops for gas and food. It's a beautiful drive! In summer, I try to either leave really early (3am) or really late (6pm) to avoid the motorhome caravans. One of the best drives I ever had was a night time drive with twilight at 3am and the full moon over the Alaska range. Remember that you have 24 hours of light from May-July.

[AkSusan]

June 10 - Drive from Denali to Seward: Stop in Talkeetna ?? - Iditarod Museum in Wasilla - Alyeska Tram - dinner at the Double Musky (Alaska’s Point of View B&B)

 

RainLily,

 

You've got a nice variety the only one that in my opinion you've planned too much is just the drive from Denali to Seward. You're talking somewhere, coming down the Parks to the Glenn to the Seward, probably in the 8 1/2 - 10 hour range (couple of potty stops) for just your driving. We do have a lot of RVs, campers, trailers here in the summer and they can slow traffic down, so that's going to affect that. FYI too, it's about 2 hours just from Alyeska/Girdwood to Seward. And another thing Double Musky doesn't take reservations and the wait can be up to 1 1/2 or more, so that could throw another wrench into your time schedule.

 

Have you ordered the Milepost yet - http://www.themilepost.com/ I get a new one even for me every couple of years because it's so handy and always have to find new stuff for me to do when the relatives visit.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Budget Queen]

My opinion only, you have some drives that would be better split into 2 days and are covering a lot of road in too short a timeframe. You do not have time for the Glenn Richardson Anchoarge drive in one day unless you are considering this without touring stops. I would suggest perhaps, after Fish Creek, driving to and staying in Talkeetna. This would then be about a 5+++ hour drive to Seward, most important you want to avoid the marathon drives with no time to stop at something interesting. You could also cut your Seward time back to 3 nights, and even though a $125 drop off fee, I would consider picking up a one way Anchroage Whittier rental car. Will make far better use of your time and eliminate time consuming back tracking.

[RainLily]

Thank you for the replies. I guess I didn’t think too much about how the RV traffic will make an already long drive even longer. I don’t mind long rides if I’m seeing lots of different scenery. However, if I’m the one doing the driving, it probably won’t be very enjoyable without stops. Particularly between Denali and Seward where there is way too much we want to stop and see.

[AkSusan]

Rainlily,

 

You're welcome and you're right, if you're driving, hard to watch the scenery at the same time.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Ohio Born]

Have you thought about dropping your car off earlier and taking the train from Anchorage to Seward? Then you wouldn't have to drive all the way back to Anchorage to get the Princess transfer. You could do the train from Seward to Whittier to get your ship. That train trip is supposed to be just beautiful and would allow you some time to sit back and watch the scenery! You could get a car for your one or two days or do hotel shuttles in Seward. Just a thought.

[AkSusan]

Have you thought about dropping your car off earlier and taking the train from Anchorage to Seward? Then you wouldn't have to drive all the way back to Anchorage to get the Princess transfer. You could do the train from Seward to Whittier to get your ship. That train trip is supposed to be just beautiful and would allow you some time to sit back and watch the scenery! You could get a car for your one or two days or do hotel shuttles in Seward. Just a thought.

 

Ohio Born,

 

The train does not stop at Whittier on the way from Seward to Anchorage. The train to Whittier is on a separate spur.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Nanner]

What room will you have at Alaska Point of View B&B? We will be there June 6-8 (leaving the morning of the 9th). Too bad we'll miss crossing paths, RainLily!

[Budget Queen]

As mentioned there is NO train service between Whittier/Seward. But there are transfer options with PJ's cab having been listed?

[RainLily]

Nanner, we're staying in the studio suite. A jacuzzi is always an attraction for us! It's seems like a good deal.

[Nanner]

What a "small world" experience, since we'll be in the suite for the three nights before you arrive! I promise we won't trash the place. The price and location seemed very reasonable for us, and a good base for our three day exploration of Seward and surrounds.