Alaska on a Budget

[a9753]

What are the most cost-effective things to do in Alaska (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway)...? What have you done on a budget? Between 0-30 dollars each port...

[Glaciers]

Ketchikan

There are city buses that will take you out to Saxman Totem Park. It was a nice day so we walked. 30-40 minutes one way at a good pace. We did miss the presentation so plan accordingly if you do this.

 

Juneau

We took the Mendenhall bus to the glacier. It was $6 r/t pp last fall. You can hike up the east glacier trail from the observation area. They just banned all food in that area due to the bears. Not a big problem for hikers unless you smell like bear-bait.

 

Skagway

Last fall we rented bikes in Skagway and rode out to Yakatania Point and towards Smuggler’s Cove. We then rode back through town to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls. The bike rental was 14 bucks each and included helmets. The museums in Skagway are nice as well. A stop at the Skagway Brewery is a good ending to the day.

 

I hope you get many responses to your post. There are many things to do in port that don’t cost a bundle although if you’re only going to do an Alaska trip once, you may want to consider looking for at least one excursion. There are some really good ones for whale watching out of Juneau or Hoonah.

[karatemom2]

Well if you are in good physical condition each of the towns has areas that are very walkable and can be enjoyed on foot for no charge. Renting a car can also be a more affordable option for sightseeing than taking a tour. In Juneau for a small fee you can take a shuttle from the port to Mendenhall Glacier and back. You can also take the Mount Roberts Tramway right at the pier for less than $30 per person. In Ketchikan the Duck Tour and Lumberjack show, while not under $30 are each just slightly more than $30. If there are a few of you who can share a taxi, you can also usually design your own fairly reasonable taxi tour if you are splitting it among at least 4-6 people. In Skagway there are some hikes that you can do if the weather is agreeable, there is a Gold Rush Museum in town that I believe is free and you can rent a car and travel the highway through the Yukon to Carcross and back for a lot less than taking the train or a paid excursion. Good luck with your planning!

[CowPrincess]

There are lots of hikes available in Skagway. You can Google "Skagway hiking" to get an idea. The "Parks Service" (not sure its real name) has a storefront where you can pick up maps of the Skagway hiking trails, once you are there.

 

In Ketchikan there's the Totem Heritage Center, which is accessible by public transportation. There's also Creek Street, a historic sort of area that now houses small shops, and you may be able to see salmon in the creek, depending on when you are there. I love looking through the art galleries in Ketchikan, as so many of them feature local artists.

[GMoney]

There are lots of hikes available in Skagway. You can Google "Skagway hiking" to get an idea. The "Parks Service" (not sure its real name) has a storefront where you can pick up maps of the Skagway hiking trails, once you are there.

 

http://skagway.com/skagwaytrailmap.pdf

[Putterdude]

I agree, there are lots of interesting self guided walking tours in each of the coastal towns as well as transit in Juneau and Ketchikan. I have never taken any of the transit but certainly can spend at least half a day wandering around the towns.

[PennyAgain]

I only cruise on a budget. At my age I have to do so. When I arrive in a port in Alaska I get off the ship and start walking. I know my way around fairly well and do sometimes take public transport or a cheap shuttle, but I have usually just walked.

 

In Ketchikan I can get fairly high up on the trails in about 40 minutes. I'm not fast, but I am steady.

 

Sometimes people on the same cruise ship want to walk with me, but are afraid to do so without a tour.

 

I don't shop and seldom eat more than a sandwich and get a coffee or tea on shore.

 

I have the good time that I want to have. It works for me.

[qiangf2]

Is your budget $0-$30 total or per person? If you have a group of 3-5, you can pool in the resource to do a lot of self-guided excursions. In Skagway, you can rent a car and drive up to Emerald Lake for about $120 with gas. Again, you can rent at Juneau from rent-a-wreck and drive to mendenhall glaciers, shrine for theressa, chapel by the lake for about same amount.

[Budget Queen]

Head to your library and take out Fodor's Alaska and Frommer's Alaska. Both have city walking tours and maps. The walk up visitor centers, once in port also have walking tour maps and can further direct you. Free.

 

Everywhere there is hiking opportunities. Mendenhall glacier trails are easy and well marked, plus a nice scenic glacier view $14 round trip.

 

In Skagway DO NOT miss the the Park Service visitor center. Free walking tours, movie, small museum, ranger talks. Get there early, the walking tours fill out. Inquire, who is scheduled?? If different rangers- then different walking tours. :) http://www.nps.gov/klgo/

 

In Ketchikan, If you want to get to Totem Bight- at the dock, cross the street across from the Totem Eagle, just before the tunnel. There is a bus stop sign. Take the blue bus, $1, to Totem Bight. Free self guided walk. Print out and take with you the totem guide. Allow 3 hours with the transportation. Know return schedules. http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/totembgh.htm

[cardfans]

In Juneau we took the shuttle to Mendenhall ($7 per person each way)and took the trail to the waterfall. It is not a completely paved trail, but we did fine with it. There were some very large rocks at the end that you had to climb over if you wanted to get closer to the waterfall, but 5 out of 6 of us all made it over them. We had a gorgeous day, so we also took the Mt. roberts Tram which was 24.95 each, but that is for as many times as you want to go up and down. In Ketchikan, we did the duck tour and walked Creek street. We also took the funicular from Creek Street to the Cape Fox Lodge. It cost maybe $2 per person. We did rent a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

[Daycare Provider]

We are going to take some sort of transportaion up to Mendenhall Glaciar and hike the eastern loop...then pending the weather we might take the tram...we are only in port from 7-3 so we'll eat breakfast before we disembark and have a late lunch upon our return..

[labeachcomber]

We are going to take some sort of transportaion up to Mendenhall Glaciar and hike the eastern loop...then pending the weather we might take the tram...we are only in port from 7-3 so we'll eat breakfast before we disembark and have a late lunch upon our return..

 

DP, this is exactly what we were planning! Definitely wanted to see Mendenhall in Juneau, since it seems to be the highlight of the port. Already are doing whale watching at another port, so we figured, why spend a lot of money for a cruise excursion when we can just do the hike on our own? Probably won't do the 5 hour hike since I'd be worried about not having enough time to get back, so we're looking at some of the 2-3 hour hikes.