Staying along the Turningan Arm: Girdwood

[SEPyle]

Since we've been to Talkeetna/Denali/Fairbanks on our previous 2 trips to Alaska, this time we decided to spen the majority of our time before our cruise exploring the Kenai Peninsula.

Our first 3 nights were spent in Hoonah as I reviewed in another post. We flew from Juneau to Anchorage; arriving in Anchorage about 8:30pm. We had to wait for our bags since for some reason they came in on two separate baggage claim areas. If yours do not show up in a reasonable time, don’t waste time; go to another baggage area and your luggage will hopefully be waiting for you! We went to the Avis desk and quickly had our rental and we were off. We made our way to Girdwood, and by the time we arrived; it was after 10:30pm. We quickly made our way to our B&B (Glacier View B&B); and since we hadn’t eaten, got a bite to eat at the Silvertip Grill. Don’t let the less than upscale exterior convince you to not go in…the food was quite good! Our plan was to eat at Chair 5; however it was too close to 11pm, so it’s good information to know the Silvertip Grill is open later.

I know many say Girdwood is not worth a stop. I disagree. We actually stayed two nights. We considered staying the first night in Anchorage, however Girdwood is just about a 45 minute drive and decided to go this route. Since we were arriving late and leaving early after night 2 we really had one full day. We had perfect weather; and since the weather was so clear decided to go to the top on the Alyeska Tram. By the way, we purchased the lunch/tram ticket combo and I must say the lunch was quite good! The views were absolutely beautiful; and being able to stand on snow in August was quite unique to say the least. The pictures we were able to capture of the glaciers and of Turningan Arm were amazing! After going down I remembered the hike my daughter (who lived in Anchorage for a couple summers) insisted we do-Winner Creek Trail. She said: “Mom, I know you aren’t in the best shape, but it’s an easy trail, and it’s so beautiful.” She made us promise to push ourselves and go further than we thought we could go…We did and she was right. It was a beautiful easy hike though an actual rainforest in Alaska! We didn’t make it as far as she did when she was there (a no-brainer), but we did go further than we would have if she didn’t push us!! It was worth it!

We went back to our B&B and after some time in the hot tub, we went to Chair 5 for dinner. I had delicious Halibut and then we were off to explore the Turningan Arm up close and personal. In our two previous trips we weren’t able to stop along the way. This time we did and with the weather was perfect; a rare clear blue sky and the water so calm! We enjoyed every moment! We saw Beluga’s thru the scopes at Bird Point, since they weren’t all that close. We met a really nice Alaskan family who had come down from Anchorage because the weather was so perfect. Have I mentioned before how very nice Alaskans are????

Glacier View B&B proved to be a great choice, combining a beautiful home with flowers everywhere; moderately priced and excellent breakfasts – a perfect combination!

If anyone has any questions about this area, I’ll do my best to answer. I ended up not having any particular excursions booked in advance so we could have various options, depending on weather. We decided to do what we did because the weather was so good. Others at the B&B went to Whittier and said the Glacier tour was fantastic.

[stired]

I totally agree with you - we enjoyed Girdwood both times we were there. It's a beautiful area and the views from the top of the tram are wonderful. As you mention, there are several great hiking trails as well. Glad you enjoyed it as much as we did.

[Nancyquilts]

But you didn't go to the Bake Shop for lunch and/or dinner?:(

[SEPyle]

Nancy, no we didn't make it to the Bake Shop...that's what I love about Alaska...so many reasons to return!

 

Here's a link to some of the pictures we took while in Girdwood. It's the first time I've used Picasa so I hope it works!

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/TASharon1/GirdwoodAK2008

 

If you want to speed up or slow down the speed of the slide show, just adjust at the bottom of the page.

[vbmom87]

Nancy, no we didn't make it to the Bake Shop...that's what I love about Alaska...so many reasons to return!

 

Here's a link to some of the pictures we took while in Girdwood. It's the first time I've used Picasa so I hope it works!

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/TASharon1/GirdwoodAK2008

 

If you want to speed up or slow down the speed of the slide show, just adjust at the bottom of the page.

 

Your slide show worked great!!!

 

I was thinking of using Picasa too. Was it easy to set it up?

[SEPyle]

Your slide show worked great!!!

 

I was thinking of using Picasa too. Was it easy to set it up?

 

Yes, Picasa was easy to set up. They have a new beta downloud which I used and I'm impressed with the spead to upload pictures. What I like is the ease of being able to put captions on each picture. I do that on webshots, however in the slideshow they just don't show.

[Choozin Croozin]

Thank you for posting this. I was pondering starting a post about this. You must have been reading my mind.:rolleyes: Do you know how long it actually took to get there from Anchorage? I am thinking about staying here rather than in Anchorage our first night off the ship to give us a little longer in the Seward. It will just be a little longer then the next day to Denali.

[Snorkel Mom]

Since we've been to Talkeetna/Denali/Fairbanks on our previous 2 trips to Alaska, this time we decided to spen the majority of our time before our cruise exploring the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Our first 3 nights were spent in Hoonah as I reviewed in another post. We flew from Juneau to Anchorage; arriving in Anchorage about 8:30pm. We had to wait for our bags since for some reason they came in on two separate baggage claim areas. If yours do not show up in a reasonable time, don’t waste time; go to another baggage area and your luggage will hopefully be waiting for you! We went to the Avis desk and quickly had our rental and we were off. We made our way to Girdwood, and by the time we arrived; it was after 10:30pm. We quickly made our way to our B&B (Glacier View B&B); and since we hadn’t eaten, got a bite to eat at the Silvertip Grill. Don’t let the less than upscale exterior convince you to not go in…the food was quite good! Our plan was to eat at Chair 5; however it was too close to 11pm, so it’s good information to know the Silvertip Grill is open later.

 

I know many say Girdwood is not worth a stop. I disagree. We actually stayed two nights. We considered staying the first night in Anchorage, however Girdwood is just about a 45 minute drive and decided to go this route. Since we were arriving late and leaving early after night 2 we really had one full day. We had perfect weather; and since the weather was so clear decided to go to the top on the Alyeska Tram. By the way, we purchased the lunch/tram ticket combo and I must say the lunch was quite good! The views were absolutely beautiful; and being able to stand on snow in August was quite unique to say the least. The pictures we were able to capture of the glaciers and of Turningan Armwere amazing! After going down I remembered the hike my daughter (who lived in Anchorage for a couple summers) insisted we do-Winner Creek Trail. She said: “Mom, I know you aren’t in the best shape, but it’s an easy trail, and it’s so beautiful.” She made us promise to push ourselves and go further than we thought we could go…We did and she was right. It was a beautiful easy hike though an actual rainforest in Alaska! We didn’t make it as far as she did when she was there (a no-brainer), but we did go further than we would have if she didn’t push us!! It was worth it!

We went back to our B&B and after some time in the hot tub, we went to Chair 5 for dinner. I had delicious Halibut and then we were off to explore the Turningan Arm up close and personal. In our two previous trips we weren’t able to stop along the way. This time we did and with the weather was perfect; a rare clear blue sky and the water so calm! We enjoyed every moment! We saw Beluga’s thru the scopes at Bird Point, since they weren’t all that close. We met a really nice Alaskan family who had come down from Anchorage because the weather was so perfect. Have I mentioned before how very nice Alaskans are????

 

Glacier View B&B proved to be a great choice, combining a beautiful home with flowers everywhere; moderately priced and excellent breakfasts – a perfect combination!

 

If anyone has any questions about this area, I’ll do my best to answer. I ended up not having any particular excursions booked in advance so we could have various options, depending on weather. We decided to do what we did because the weather was so good. Others at the B&B went to Whittier and said the Glacier tour was fantastic.

Loved your pictures! We are thinking of hiking Winner's Creek Trail late next June. How long did it take you to hike to the hand-tram across the gorge and back? Did you go this far? Is it easy to find the trail? Thanks for any tips!:D

[Nancyquilts]

Girdwood is about 30 something miles from Anchorage. Technically, I think it is in Anchorage, but is really something quite special. Nancy

[SEPyle]

Thank you for posting this. I was pondering starting a post about this. You must have been reading my mind.:rolleyes: Do you know how long it actually took to get there from Anchorage? I am thinking about staying here rather than in Anchorage our first night off the ship to give us a little longer in the Seward. It will just be a little longer then the next day to Denali.

 

I think Girdwood is a great place to stay rather than an overnight in Anchorage. It took us about 45 minutes, but I'm not sure it was that long. That's from the airport to our B&B. The trip to Denali might be a bit longer, but the trip along the Turningan Arm in the morning should be a beautiful!

 

By the way, at the end of our 7 nights we had to return our rental to Anchorage. We arranged with PJ's Taxi to pick us up at the airport. On our way to Seward we stopped and got great pics of the Dhall Sheep on the rocky cliffs. The one who made his way to the top simply stood there, knowing he was the center of attention!

 

Isn't it amazing, just answering questions takes you back to memory lane!

[SEPyle]

Loved your pictures! We are thinking of hiking Winner's Creek Trail late next June. How long did it take you to hike to the hand-tram across the gorge and back? Did you go this far? Is it easy to find the trail? Thanks for any tips!:D

 

No, afraid we didn't make it to the hand-tram. I know we missed something special because I have pictures of my daughter's hike and of the hand-tram!

 

The trail is very easy to find. Face the tram going up from behind the Alyeska Hotel; Simply walk to the right and look for the sign that says Winner Creek Trail...

[Choozin Croozin]

Thank you booth for your help.....Yes SEpyle, these boards serve many purposes don't they.:rolleyes:;):)