Glaciers are like snowflakes- no two are alike

[mlkmnsgrl]

Brilliant and incredibly helpful!

[AKStafford]

Thanks! Now I have to decide between the state fair and the Matanuska Glacier in Anchorage!! And here I thought I had our day planned.

You'll drive right by the fair to get to the glacier. Would you have time for both?

[mapleleaves]

Thanks for posting this - it's great. We are planning a trip for 2015 and Glaciers are one of our main attractions. We will be RVing around Alaska for 16 nights between 2 cruises. I would love to hear from you regarding your RV experience. "We" are 3 couples from Australia.

 

Bizzie, for RV trip reports, go to the Alaska forum of tripadvisor. Under Top Questions you'll find a link to each years reports. The first line usually indicates the itinerary and if they used an RV so it will be easy to determine if the report is relevant. There's are excellent reports with photos from a Denmark couple who have visited for 2-3 yrs in a row.

 

I RV'd for 2 weeks. We rented from Great Alaska Holidays which was top notch. We did Anc - Denali - Fairbanks - Glennallen - Valdez - Palmer - Seward - Girdwood. An RV is a great way to see Alaska. You have your kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with you at all times so it gives you great flexibility to move around without being tied to reservations. RESERVE DENALI though! IF the weather was crappy we moved on, and if we were really enjoying a location we could stay an extra day. I highly recommend that you buy the Milepost by Kris Valencia. For each Alaska Hwy it provides the milepost number for sights, viewpoints, gas stations, parks, even frequent wildlife sightings. An older edition off amazon will work just as well. Have fun planning!

[Eileen G]

We are back from Alaska and I wanted to update Exit Glacier. The glacier has really receded since the pictures I took in 2007. We were really shocked when we walked out to the moraine and didn't see the glacier.

 

 

Now you have to hike up a trail to overlook it. It used to be about 20 ft. tall and you could walk up and touch it. It also kind of just tapers off.

 

 

If you at the upper left corner you can see the trail.

[Moby58]

Awesome photos! We booked a last minute land/cruise to Alaska (1st visit). We leave June 11, so I have had very limited time to plan anything, so I'm hoping I can pick your brain a bit.

 

We'll be in Anchorage approx. 24 hours (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm). Do you have a car rental recommendation? If we can only make one scenic drive, what highway do you recommend we explore? You mentioned seeing Byron Glacier and Matanuska Glacier. We'll be taking a motor coach from Anchorage to Seward to board cruise ship, so we'll be able enjoy the scenery from the bus.

 

In Juneau, we can book a ship excursion (HAL) to Tracy Arm or we can go to Mendenhall on our own. We will already have cruised through Glacier Bay, so I'm wondering if Tracy Arm will be worth it ($500), or should we go to Mendenhall instead?

 

Oh, how I wish I had more time for planning. This will definitely be a spontaneous trip which goes against my grain as I like to plan DIY excursions when possible, but no time to make that happen this trip.

[Eileen G]

Awesome photos! We booked a last minute land/cruise to Alaska (1st visit). We leave June 11, so I have had very limited time to plan anything, so I'm hoping I can pick your brain a bit.

 

We'll be in Anchorage approx. 24 hours (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm). Do you have a car rental recommendation? If we can only make one scenic drive, what highway do you recommend we explore? You mentioned seeing Byron Glacier and Matanuska Glacier. We'll be taking a motor coach from Anchorage to Seward to board cruise ship, so we'll be able enjoy the scenery from the bus.

 

In Juneau, we can book a ship excursion (HAL) to Tracy Arm or we can go to Mendenhall on our own. We will already have cruised through Glacier Bay, so I'm wondering if Tracy Arm will be worth it ($500), or should we go to Mendenhall instead?

 

Oh, how I wish I had more time for planning. This will definitely be a spontaneous trip which goes against my grain as I like to plan DIY excursions when possible, but no time to make that happen this trip.

 

 

We rented from Dollar but I would rent from whatever major car company has the best price. If you really would like to do a glacier hike I would go to Matanuska but it is about 2 hours from Anchorage and if you need to get back by 5 I'm not sure I would get that far away. Driving along Turnagain Arm is really beautiful with many places to stop to soak in all that beauty. Besides Byron Glacier there is the Portage visitors center just a mile away. It is only about an hour from Anchorage.

 

Personally I would not spend $500 for Tracy Arm but I would for a glacier helicopter ride. You can not get that close to Mendenhall but I really love going there. The water fall is awesome. Everyone loves different things about Alaska so it is hard to advise someone. Have you considered whale watching in Juneau. You may be able to book that and Mendenhall on the dock. Early in the season there should be plenty of people selling tours on the dock.

 

 

[mapleleaves]

I'll add my 2 cents .... I agree with Eileen !

Matanuska is a good 2 hrs from Anchorage. It's certainly do-able but maybe consider driving to Palmer to overnight instead of staying in Anc??

Lots to see and do along the Turnagain Arm and keeps you within an hours drive of Anchorage. Since you aren't going to Denali, maybe swing by the Wildlife Conservation Center for a short visit... it's fun to watch the bears play and you're supporting a great cause:

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

 

Some hikes in that general area:

http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do/parks-and-trails

 

Granted you leave in a week, but it's still a week to plan ....

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks so much for posting your pictures. We have seen Sawyer Glacier and Hubbard Glacier. After seeing your pictures, I want to book another cruise to Alaska and see more!

 

Happy cruising!

[Moby58]

Eileen & Mapleleaves,

 

Thanks for your replies. We are doing a 3 night land tour that will take us to Denali (on the train) & Fairbanks before we board the cruise ship in Seward. Our starting point is in Anchorage, and we are arriving a day early, so I have from 4:00 pm onward on Day 1, then on Day 2 I have to check into the Anchorage Hilton some time after 3:00 pm, so virtually, I could sightsee most of Day 2 if we wanted.