Pre-Cruise DIY Land Tour - open to suggestions

[mathed101]

We decided to ditch the land tour portion of our cruise tour in favor of a DIY tour. Our rental car, lodging, and cruise have already been booked. Based on what we like to do, the many recommendations from CC, and various other sources, we are trying to do a bit of a "highlights" land tour and hope to see the northern lights. Any suggestions regarding activities in Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and what to do in Denali, given the road issue, would be much appreciated. 

Here are the basics of our plan.

 

Day	Date	Plan
Saturday	9/2	Arrive ANC, Pickup Rental, Drive to Seward
Sunday	9/3	Exit Glacier Hike, Scenic Places around Seward
Monday	9/4	Drive to Whittier, 26 Glacier Tour, Drive to Palmer
Tuesday	9/5	Matanuska Glacier Tour, Drive to Fairbanks
Wednesday	9/6	TBA Fairbanks Activities
Thursday	9/7	TBA Fairbanks Activities
Friday	9/8	Drive to Denali, Talkeetna
Saturday	9/9	Drive to Reindeer Farm, Hatcher Pass, Independence Mine State Park, Return Rental
Sunday	9/10	Train to Whittier, Embark Noordam
Monday	9/11	Cruising Hubbard Glacier
Tuesday	9/12	Cruising Glacier Bay
Wednesday	9/13	Skagway, Self-guided Jeep Tour
Thursday	9/14	Juneau, Whale Watching Tour
Friday	9/15	Ketchikan, TBA Activities
Saturday	9/16	Scenic Cruising Inside Passage
Sunday	9/17	Disembark Vancouver, BC, CA, Fly home ☹

[Coral]

If it helps - you should be able to do 26 Glacier Tour on 9/10 before embarking Noordam. They used to coordinate train times with the tour and your ship most likely will leave after the tour. It has been years since I looked at the time so double check that. Many people doing a B2B will also be on the 26 Glacier tour.

 

This may free up more time for you on 9/4.

 

Glad you are seeing Seward.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Coral

[Gardyloo]

Some notes...

 

First, I'd suggest forgetting about the aurora; in Fairbanks in early September astronomical twilight lasts all night (actual twilight lasts past 10 pm) plus you need cloudless skies and high aurora activity.  Just my view, but I'd use the Fairbanks days someplace else, but of course it's your call.  

 

A couple of ideas just to throw into the "thought experiment" category.

 

1.  The Alaska State Fair is held in Palmer over Labor Day weekend (ends Sept. 5 this year.)  The fair is a lot of fun - usual state fair stuff (booths, competitions, animals, rodeo, shows...) but also features the amazing giant vegetables grown in the long summer days.  You might give it a go.

 

2.  You might (check that, you likely will) find some days on the Kenai Peninsula more rewarding than the time in Fairbanks.  (No disrespect to Fairbanksians - I like the place and traveled there often when I lived in Anchorage.)  But set against the likes of Homer and Kachemak Bay, or salmon fishing and the Kenai Fjords cruises in Seward, or a day exploring Halibut Cove or Seldovia, or visiting the historic mining village of Hope... well...

 

3.  Given the high price of rental cars, and the limitations imposed on seeing wildlife and big views in Denali, you might consider jumping on an Alaska Airlines plane at Anchorage and flying up to Nome, the historic gold mining town on the Bering Sea.  Nome has a fairly extensive road system radiating out into the Seward Peninsula bush (vehicle rentals available in town) and the tundra in autumn color, and all the wildlife in the area, can be pretty wonderful.  There are muskoxen, caribou and reindeer, moose, bears, all kinds of birds, and the mosquitoes will be gone by then.  Round trip airfare is usually under $350 (i.e. less than a Denali flightseeing ride) or you can use Alaska Airlines frequent flyer miles if you have any.  (Look into the Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card, which offers a bunch of miles at signup but also an annual companion certificate with which one passenger pays the going rate and the other pays $99 plus taxes - on any Alaska Airlines itinerary - cross country, Hawaii, one way, round trip or multi-stop...  Helluva deal.) And of course if the gods allow, you can see the aurora from Nome as well as from Fairbanks.

 

 

Anyway, some thoughts to consider.

[AKStafford]

Unless you have something specific in mind for Fairbanks, I'd skip it.

And as previously suggested, you can do the 26 Glacier Cruise before boarding your ship on the 10th.

And I really like the suggestion to fly out to Nome. Off the beaten path and very unique.

On Friday the 8th, are you looking to do anything at Denali National Park?

[mathed101]

7 hours ago, Coral said:

If it helps - you should be able to do 26 Glacier Tour on 9/10 before embarking Noordam. They used to coordinate train times with the tour and your ship most likely will leave after the tour. It has been years since I looked at the time so double check that. Many people doing a B2B will also be on the 26 Glacier tour.

 

This may free up more time for you on 9/4.

 

Glad you are seeing Seward.

 

Thank you for your response! I originally had this tour on the 9/10 but changed it to 9/4  to avoid the cruise ship crowds. I will give it a bit more thought to see if there's something else we might want to do on the 4th.

[mathed101]

 

4 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

Some notes...

 

First, I'd suggest forgetting about the aurora; in Fairbanks in early September astronomical twilight lasts all night (actual twilight lasts past 10 pm) plus you need cloudless skies and high aurora activity.  Just my view, but I'd use the Fairbanks days someplace else, but of course it's your call.   This makes me a little sad! I thought that being up there in September would be okay to see the lights even if it was at 3 am. We have booked a cabin at A Taste of Alaska Lodge which is outside of Fairbanks on 280 acres based on the excellent reviews and testimony of seeing the aurora at the same time of year. 

 

A couple of ideas just to throw into the "thought experiment" category.

 

1.  The Alaska State Fair is held in Palmer over Labor Day weekend (ends Sept. 5 this year.)  The fair is a lot of fun - usual state fair stuff (booths, competitions, animals, rodeo, shows...) but also features the amazing giant vegetables grown in the long summer days.  You might give it a go.  I thought the State Fair was going to be earlier in the summer. I will have to check this out and see how it can fit.

 

2.  You might (check that, you likely will) find some days on the Kenai Peninsula more rewarding than the time in Fairbanks.  (No disrespect to Fairbanksians - I like the place and traveled there often when I lived in Anchorage.)  But set against the likes of Homer and Kachemak Bay, or salmon fishing and the Kenai Fjords cruises in Seward, or a day exploring Halibut Cove or Seldovia, or visiting the historic mining village of Hope... well... If I move the 26 Glacier tour to another day we may be able to get over to Homer area. Something to think about for sure. 

 

3.  Given the high price of rental cars, and the limitations imposed on seeing wildlife and big views in Denali, you might consider jumping on an Alaska Airlines plane at Anchorage and flying up to Nome, the historic gold mining town on the Bering Sea.  Nome has a fairly extensive road system radiating out into the Seward Peninsula bush (vehicle rentals available in town) and the tundra in autumn color, and all the wildlife in the area, can be pretty wonderful.  There are muskoxen, caribou and reindeer, moose, bears, all kinds of birds, and the mosquitoes will be gone by then.  Round trip airfare is usually under $350 (i.e. less than a Denali flightseeing ride) or you can use Alaska Airlines frequent flyer miles if you have any.  (Look into the Alaska Airlines-branded Visa card, which offers a bunch of miles at signup but also an annual companion certificate with which one passenger pays the going rate and the other pays $99 plus taxes - on any Alaska Airlines itinerary - cross country, Hawaii, one way, round trip or multi-stop...  Helluva deal.) And of course if the gods allow, you can see the aurora from Nome as well as from Fairbanks.  I recall seeing a recommendation to go to Nome in another post and the idea is very intriguing but the other people that we are traveling with won't be able to afford it on this trip. I am keeping this info in my folder for future reference. Luckily my DH has a surprisingly good rate from National due to his frequent travel and high status. 

 

 

Anyway, some thoughts to consider. Thank you for your thoughts!! 

 

[mathed101]

4 hours ago, AKStafford said:

Unless you have something specific in mind for Fairbanks, I'd skip it.

And as previously suggested, you can do the 26 Glacier Cruise before boarding your ship on the 10th.

And I really like the suggestion to fly out to Nome. Off the beaten path and very unique.

On Friday the 8th, are you looking to do anything at Denali National Park?

 

Thanks for the response! Would you please elaborate on why you would skip Fairbanks?

 

We were trying to figure out what to do at Denali NP. Would you recommend the Tundra Wilderness Tour or something else?

Edited January 6, 2023 by mathed101

[Coral]

I have known people who have seen Northern Lights in September. It can happen but it is not common. My friends saw it from their cruise ship - I forget which port but it was a common port on a common route.

 

I also really like the Kenai Peninsula area. So much to do (all day boat rides, etc...).

 

Not a Fairbanks fan - for me, it would not be worth the travel there.

[mathed101]

24 minutes ago, Coral said:

I have known people who have seen Northern Lights in September. It can happen but it is not common. My friends saw it from their cruise ship - I forget which port but it was a common port on a common route.

 

I also really like the Kenai Peninsula area. So much to do (all day boat rides, etc...).

 

Not a Fairbanks fan - for me, it would not be worth the travel there.

 

Well I feel like I should rethink putting 3 nights in Fairbanks on my list however we will have to go for at least one night due to a nonrefundable deposit! Going back to the drawing board...

[Coral]

7 minutes ago, mathed101 said:

 

Well I feel like I should rethink putting 3 nights in Fairbanks on my list however we will have to go for at least one night due to a nonrefundable deposit! Going back to the drawing board...

Long drive for one night...... Maybe wait to hear from others.

[mathed101]

I hear ya! I am already wondering about what after the trip hindsight thoughts I will have!! LOL

Either way, it will be an interesting and fun adventure in Alaska! 😊

 

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, mathed101 said:

I hear ya! I am already wondering about what after the trip hindsight thoughts I will have!! LOL

Either way, it will be an interesting and fun adventure in Alaska! 😊

 

Honestly - you can't do it all and hopefully you will fall in love with Alaska and return!

[mathed101]

5 minutes ago, Coral said:

Honestly - you can't do it all and hopefully you will fall in love with Alaska and return!

 

So very true! We took a RT Alaska cruise in 2019 and definitely loved it and Alaska. This time we really want to spend even more time exploring away from the cruise ports. 

[mathed101]

Question...

 

If we did the train/26 Glacier Tour on Sunday, 9/10 booked directly with Phillips cruises, where would we store our luggage until we checked in for embarkation?

 

 

[Coral]

17 minutes ago, mathed101 said:

Question...

 

If we did the train/26 Glacier Tour on Sunday, 9/10 booked directly with Phillips cruises, where would we store our luggage until we checked in for embarkation?

 

 

I believe you can drop them off at the pier then check in later. I do know that it is not an issue - many travel the morning of and take the tour with luggage.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Coral

[1025cruise]

Just one thing to keep in mind, drive times in Alaska are estimates. Expect that the drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks will take 8 hours.

[mathed101]

6 minutes ago, Coral said:

I believe you can drop them off at the pier then check in later. I do know that it is not an issue - many travel the morning of and take the tour with luggage.

 

Thanks! It doesn't seem to be an issue as you have said. I just checked again on the Phillips website, this time I looked at the PDFs and this is what I found there:

 

 

I also found under the Cruise Ship tab:

[mathed101]

22 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Just one thing to keep in mind, drive times in Alaska are estimates. Expect that the drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks will take 8 hours.

 

Wow! I was expecting about 6 hours from Glacier View to Fairbanks since we will be going up there after the Matanuska Glacier Tour.  

[Northern Aurora]

Just a few random comments --

 

While every part of a communities economy is important, Fairbanks, in contrast to communities such as Ketchikan, Skagway and even Juneau, is not tourism driven.  Major employers include both the Ft. Wainwright (with the incredibly large training area south of the Tanana River) and Eielson Air Force Base (which has an incredible air space and hosts air forces of US allies for training exercises), the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the associated research institutes, active gold mines (yet another large mine is being developed off the Elliot Hwy,), oil field services, headquarters for Federal and State government offices, the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (212 beds with an expansion planned), and so forth.  When the global suspension of cruises happened Fairbanks was not one of the communities screaming to our congressional delegation.  Few businesses have summer only hires.  Folks who live here actually live here year round.  No Diamonds International, no Tanzanite International and no jewelry stores giving out free charms.

 

This being said we do have tourists and some touristy attractions (Riverboat Discovery and Gold Dredge #8).  We also have things which tourists like to visit (Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, Running Reindeer Ranch, Museum of the North, Morris Thompson Cultural Center and so forth).  Tourists who enjoy Fairbanks tend to be on the outdoorsy type who like to hike or want to travel north.

 

The aurora season for Fairbanks ranges from August 21 through April 21.  From April 22 through August 20 we are simply too light to see an aurora.  On average we have an aurora above us four out of five nights, but of course it has to be clear to see them.  We are presently having an incredible aurora season and I think that that extends through the end of 2023.  Check the website of the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute.

 

If you decide to pursue aurora viewing in our area consider spending several nights at the Chena Hot Springs Resort.  Lovely outdoor rock pool and inside hot tubs and so forth too.  Visit their ice museum and take their geothermal energy tour to learn how they "harvest" the steam of the hot springs to create their electricity.

 

We have been to Nome and the road to Teller is spectacular -- but only for those who find beauty in the tundra.  No big trees.  The historic buildings have essentially burned in the numerous fires.  Nome is quite windy and once a building fire started it was very difficult to stop.  Their historic walking tour takes you to sites where the respective historic buildings were and information about which of fires burned it.  Regarding birding, while Nome is great since so many of the Asiatic birds nest there, in September they will be migrating.

 

 

[mathed101]

13 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

Just a few random comments --

 

While every part of a communities economy is important, Fairbanks, in contrast to communities such as Ketchikan, Skagway and even Juneau, is not tourism driven.  Major employers include both the Ft. Wainwright (with the incredibly large training area south of the Tanana River) and Eielson Air Force Base (which has an incredible air space and hosts air forces of US allies for training exercises), the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the associated research institutes, active gold mines (yet another large mine is being developed off the Elliot Hwy,), oil field services, headquarters for Federal and State government offices, the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (212 beds with an expansion planned), and so forth.  When the global suspension of cruises happened Fairbanks was not one of the communities screaming to our congressional delegation.  Few businesses have summer only hires.  Folks who live here actually live here year round.  No Diamonds International, no Tanzanite International and no jewelry stores giving out free charms.

 

This being said we do have tourists and some touristy attractions (Riverboat Discovery and Gold Dredge #8).  We also have things which tourists like to visit (Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, Running Reindeer Ranch, Museum of the North, Morris Thompson Cultural Center and so forth).  Tourists who enjoy Fairbanks tend to be on the outdoorsy type who like to hike or want to travel north.

 

The aurora season for Fairbanks ranges from August 21 through April 21.  From April 22 through August 20 we are simply too light to see an aurora.  On average we have an aurora above us four out of five nights, but of course it has to be clear to see them.  We are presently having an incredible aurora season and I think that that extends through the end of 2023.  Check the website of the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute.

 

If you decide to pursue aurora viewing in our area consider spending several nights at the Chena Hot Springs Resort.  Lovely outdoor rock pool and inside hot tubs and so forth too.  Visit their ice museum and take their geothermal energy tour to learn how they "harvest" the steam of the hot springs to create their electricity.

 

We have been to Nome and the road to Teller is spectacular -- but only for those who find beauty in the tundra.  No big trees.  The historic buildings have essentially burned in the numerous fires.  Nome is quite windy and once a building fire started it was very difficult to stop.  Their historic walking tour takes you to sites where the respective historic buildings were and information about which of fires burned it.  Regarding birding, while Nome is great since so many of the Asiatic birds nest there, in September they will be migrating.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your thoughts! During my research I did notice that there were very few touristy things to do which is a plus for us. We picked lodging on a homestead in part for the aurora viewing but also for some time just being up north. Since we have lived in Florida for over a decade and miss our northern home states, Alaska will fill this void for a little bit!!

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, mathed101 said:

 

.......We picked lodging on a homestead in part for the aurora viewing but also for some time just being up north. ....

 

You have mentioned "lodging on a homestead" -- can I ask where you are staying?

[mathed101]

39 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

You have mentioned "lodging on a homestead" -- can I ask where you are staying?

 

We are staying at A Taste of Alaska Lodge. Do you know of it?

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, mathed101 said:

 

We are staying at A Taste of Alaska Lodge. Do you know of it?

 

A Taste of Alaska Lodge -- Yes I certainly know of it.  It is owned by Debbie and Dave Eberhardt.  One of Dave's cousins is a good friend of mine!

[AKStafford]

On 1/6/2023 at 1:01 PM, mathed101 said:

 

Would you recommend the Tundra Wilderness Tour or something else?

I would use the shuttles. Same road, same views, much cheaper: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

[mathed101]

18 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

A Taste of Alaska Lodge -- Yes I certainly know of it.  It is owned by Debbie and Dave Eberhardt.  One of Dave's cousins is a good friend of mine!

 

How about that!! Small world up there in Fairbanks! Lol  We are booked there because we thought that it was as good of a chance as any to see the aurora there and it looks like a pretty nice place to stay. We are staying in The Spruce House which is the one that Kory built. Have you ever been out there? Does the cousin live on the property somewhere? What do you think about staying there?