Vacation to Alaska (non-cruise)
- Thread starter MacNit
- Start date
Anchorage and the earth quake museum. Denali Park green bus tour. Take the long trip even though it may be too long for the kids. they'll appreciate it later in life. The Alaskan railway train ride from Anchorage to Denali is very nice and scenic.
Need a little more info -- primarily when you plan to take the trip.
Going the non-cruise route is already a smart move, though it forces you to do a lot of planning.
I'll give you a partial answer on the assumption that your kids' school schedule will force you to take the trip in June, July, or August.
You'll fly into Anchorage (pretty much all flights to Alaska go there). From there, you have all kinds of options. Probably best to take a day to recover from the flight and get your bearings, especially if you have 2 weeks. There are a variety of things to see in and around Alaska. My top recommendation, especially with kids involved, would be the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It does a great job of showing the differences in how the any various tribes lived in Alaska. (I recognize that I've always been into Native Americans. If you have no interest in this, you might ditch this suggestion.) Other options, in random order, a) Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, b) Imaginarium Discovery Center (very popular with kids), c) Point Woronzof (very pretty, some wildlife, d) Wells Fargo History Museum (small but quirky museum). You can google these locations and see what interests you.
Alaska is huge, so you're not going to get to all (or even most) of it in 2 weeks. If you want to see a lot of it, here's what I would suggest. Get in a car, and drive in a modified circle.
My first stop would be a drive up to Denali on Hwy 3. There are some awesome views of Denali along the way. If you're lucky, the mountain will not be shrouded in clouds. There are lots of places to stay outside the National Park. Take the bus ride in to the NP, and hike a bit at one or more of the stops. You should see quite a few animals on the bus, and if you call out that you see a XYZ, they'll usually stop and let you take pics. You also have the option of taking a plane ride over the park, or a helicopter ride to land on Mt. McKinley. Both are fun trips, but also pretty expensive. I would not recommend overnight camping in Denali, even with experienced guides. The trips can be interesting, but they can also be somewhat dangerous (not something I would expose kids to).
From there, I'd continue north on Hwy 3 to Fairbanks. You could stay there, or continue on -- your choice. I forget the location, but there's a road into a state park that is absolutely overrun with moose. It's an awesome experience. I'll see if I can look up what it's called.
Anyway, continue on to Chena Hot Springs Resort. Like most hot springs, it kind of stinks, but it feels great. Your family will enjoy the experience.
Then I'd head south on Hwy 2 to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This is not as popular as Denali or the coastal regions, but it's one of the gems of Alaska. There are some abandoned towns to explore, and some amazing views and wildlife. Check out the web site for the NP, and see if it interests you. If so, try to do one or more of the ranger walks or presentations.
At that point I'd head west toward Anchorage. You could drop down to Valdez, but there are better spots to experience the ocean. There are a few interesting things to do along the way to Anchorage -- just do a little research (I forget the names of them). I'd blow through Anchorage unless you want to spend a night there, and head toward Seward.
I need to take a break here, but will try to post the rest of my suggestions later today.
Going the non-cruise route is already a smart move, though it forces you to do a lot of planning.
I'll give you a partial answer on the assumption that your kids' school schedule will force you to take the trip in June, July, or August.
You'll fly into Anchorage (pretty much all flights to Alaska go there). From there, you have all kinds of options. Probably best to take a day to recover from the flight and get your bearings, especially if you have 2 weeks. There are a variety of things to see in and around Alaska. My top recommendation, especially with kids involved, would be the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It does a great job of showing the differences in how the any various tribes lived in Alaska. (I recognize that I've always been into Native Americans. If you have no interest in this, you might ditch this suggestion.) Other options, in random order, a) Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, b) Imaginarium Discovery Center (very popular with kids), c) Point Woronzof (very pretty, some wildlife, d) Wells Fargo History Museum (small but quirky museum). You can google these locations and see what interests you.
Alaska is huge, so you're not going to get to all (or even most) of it in 2 weeks. If you want to see a lot of it, here's what I would suggest. Get in a car, and drive in a modified circle.
My first stop would be a drive up to Denali on Hwy 3. There are some awesome views of Denali along the way. If you're lucky, the mountain will not be shrouded in clouds. There are lots of places to stay outside the National Park. Take the bus ride in to the NP, and hike a bit at one or more of the stops. You should see quite a few animals on the bus, and if you call out that you see a XYZ, they'll usually stop and let you take pics. You also have the option of taking a plane ride over the park, or a helicopter ride to land on Mt. McKinley. Both are fun trips, but also pretty expensive. I would not recommend overnight camping in Denali, even with experienced guides. The trips can be interesting, but they can also be somewhat dangerous (not something I would expose kids to).
From there, I'd continue north on Hwy 3 to Fairbanks. You could stay there, or continue on -- your choice. I forget the location, but there's a road into a state park that is absolutely overrun with moose. It's an awesome experience. I'll see if I can look up what it's called.
Anyway, continue on to Chena Hot Springs Resort. Like most hot springs, it kind of stinks, but it feels great. Your family will enjoy the experience.
Then I'd head south on Hwy 2 to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This is not as popular as Denali or the coastal regions, but it's one of the gems of Alaska. There are some abandoned towns to explore, and some amazing views and wildlife. Check out the web site for the NP, and see if it interests you. If so, try to do one or more of the ranger walks or presentations.
At that point I'd head west toward Anchorage. You could drop down to Valdez, but there are better spots to experience the ocean. There are a few interesting things to do along the way to Anchorage -- just do a little research (I forget the names of them). I'd blow through Anchorage unless you want to spend a night there, and head toward Seward.
I need to take a break here, but will try to post the rest of my suggestions later today.
Sent Tom's response to my sister and brother-in-law who live in Anchorage. I agree with Tom that you are doing the correct trip by going on your own. We visited with some people from a cruise on our first Alaska trip and they were disappointed about being rushed and not able to hike through Denali like we were doing.
My family took a 10-day trip with them this year using their 32-foot RV. Tom has nailed the two visits (also went there in 2007) we have had. I would add that while in Seward take the wildlife boat excursion trip. Different lengths, but the 8-hour did not seem too long for us. My son is 15 and was interested the entire time. The opportunity is there to see whale blows, sea lions, seals, birds and you go up close and personal to a Glacier. You get two meals on this trip stopping on an island during the return trip. Not sure how much you are into fishing, but the day following the wildlife boat trip, we went halibut fishing. This actually gave us a closer look at the whales as we were several miles into the Gulf of Alaska. My son and another guy fishing with us were lucky enough to see a whale breach. We flash froze the fish filets with a company on the docks in Seward and used dry ice to get it home as one of our checked bags. Again, my sister lives in Anchorage so it was an advantage to keeping it frozen until our flight home.
Take the family up Flat Top Mountain outside of Anchorage. You may not get to the top, but any distance you can get will give you beautiful views of Anchorage and the surrounding area. Nice view of Cook Inlet and the Turnagain Arm.
Homer was interesting when we went in 2007. My sister compared it to a Key West type setting - all for the tourists. We fished out of Homer in 2007, but like the Seward atmosphere better.
On your way back from Fairbanks, there is a Glacier that you can climb/hike on as much as you want. It was one of the more awesome sights and part of our trip this year. When I get the name, I will let you know.
Edit from here with additions from family in Anchorage.
On the outskirts of Anchorage is Potter's Marsh. As suggested by another poster, your day of unwinding from the flight would be good, and a quick trip to the marsh for bird and wildlife would be a nice day trip.
The Pioneer Village in Fairbanks was suggested.
The wildlife boat trip out of Seward took us to Aialik Glacier and the stop for dinner was at Fox Island. My sister reminded me that the buffet dinner on the island as "okay".
The glacier we climbed is Matanuska. She commented it is the highlight of all trips she has taken since living there. That takes in two stints and about 12 years. It was awesome!
Other suggestions were salmon fishing on the Kenai River, Sea Life Center in Seward, Kennecott-McCarthy Copper Mine and the Santa Claus store on Richardson Highway.
Whittier is interesting due to the history - WWII army barracks. You travel a 3-mile tunnel to get there. Warning though, there is not much at all there. It is basically a port for cruise ships and merchandise. The one restaurant had a really tasty calamari steak sandwich.
My sister said the trip on Portage Valley road is beautiful with waterfalls and glaciers.
You will never regret going, but from a "lower 48" perspective, be prepared for the cost of living difference. Now, I live in a small rural NW Ohio town where $20 will get the three of us a sandwich and fries. There, the $20 got us an appetizer and pops.
Good luck!
My family took a 10-day trip with them this year using their 32-foot RV. Tom has nailed the two visits (also went there in 2007) we have had. I would add that while in Seward take the wildlife boat excursion trip. Different lengths, but the 8-hour did not seem too long for us. My son is 15 and was interested the entire time. The opportunity is there to see whale blows, sea lions, seals, birds and you go up close and personal to a Glacier. You get two meals on this trip stopping on an island during the return trip. Not sure how much you are into fishing, but the day following the wildlife boat trip, we went halibut fishing. This actually gave us a closer look at the whales as we were several miles into the Gulf of Alaska. My son and another guy fishing with us were lucky enough to see a whale breach. We flash froze the fish filets with a company on the docks in Seward and used dry ice to get it home as one of our checked bags. Again, my sister lives in Anchorage so it was an advantage to keeping it frozen until our flight home.
Take the family up Flat Top Mountain outside of Anchorage. You may not get to the top, but any distance you can get will give you beautiful views of Anchorage and the surrounding area. Nice view of Cook Inlet and the Turnagain Arm.
Homer was interesting when we went in 2007. My sister compared it to a Key West type setting - all for the tourists. We fished out of Homer in 2007, but like the Seward atmosphere better.
On your way back from Fairbanks, there is a Glacier that you can climb/hike on as much as you want. It was one of the more awesome sights and part of our trip this year. When I get the name, I will let you know.
Edit from here with additions from family in Anchorage.
On the outskirts of Anchorage is Potter's Marsh. As suggested by another poster, your day of unwinding from the flight would be good, and a quick trip to the marsh for bird and wildlife would be a nice day trip.
The Pioneer Village in Fairbanks was suggested.
The wildlife boat trip out of Seward took us to Aialik Glacier and the stop for dinner was at Fox Island. My sister reminded me that the buffet dinner on the island as "okay".
The glacier we climbed is Matanuska. She commented it is the highlight of all trips she has taken since living there. That takes in two stints and about 12 years. It was awesome!
Other suggestions were salmon fishing on the Kenai River, Sea Life Center in Seward, Kennecott-McCarthy Copper Mine and the Santa Claus store on Richardson Highway.
Whittier is interesting due to the history - WWII army barracks. You travel a 3-mile tunnel to get there. Warning though, there is not much at all there. It is basically a port for cruise ships and merchandise. The one restaurant had a really tasty calamari steak sandwich.
My sister said the trip on Portage Valley road is beautiful with waterfalls and glaciers.
You will never regret going, but from a "lower 48" perspective, be prepared for the cost of living difference. Now, I live in a small rural NW Ohio town where $20 will get the three of us a sandwich and fries. There, the $20 got us an appetizer and pops.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Tom and Ohio,
First, planing the trip in late June.
I am a world traveler - been all over Europe and Asia, so I am usually pretty good at planning out complex family factions. But have never been to Alaska and it has has been overwhelming me with possibilities and distances. So your detailed replies have been very helpful! And it was very generous of you both to take some much time - Thanks!
Beyond that, I am looking to balance the interests of the adults and the kids. I believe you addressed that aspect really well in your replies. But if anything else occurs to you that is doubly appreciated.
Thanks again!
First, planing the trip in late June.
I am a world traveler - been all over Europe and Asia, so I am usually pretty good at planning out complex family factions. But have never been to Alaska and it has has been overwhelming me with possibilities and distances. So your detailed replies have been very helpful! And it was very generous of you both to take some much time - Thanks!
Beyond that, I am looking to balance the interests of the adults and the kids. I believe you addressed that aspect really well in your replies. But if anything else occurs to you that is doubly appreciated.
Thanks again!
Glad to help. June is the best weather month. July starts to get rainy and August has plenty of rain my family said.
Tom, when did you go and how did you go? Cruise or on your own?
Tom, when did you go and how did you go? Cruise or on your own?
One day wildlife or glacier cruise from Wittier or Seward. Spectacular and the kids will love it. If you drive around try to plan a leg of the trip taking a car ferry from one place to another. E.g. Wittier to Valdez. . Easy to do and again something that the kids will really like. Bike rental in Anchorage would be a fun family outing. Nice paved paths that go out of town. Just watch out for moose. Homer out on the Kenai if you want to go halibut fishing. There is a nice nature center there too. The big museum in Fairbanks is excellent. I thought Alaska was pretty expensive and its BIG. if you are driving be prepared to spend a lot of time in the car getting from one place to another.
Here's what we did back in the late 90's. My brother in law was CFO for the University of Alaska (now Vice President of Finance at Miami University) and he and his family lived in Fairbanks where the main campus is.
We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast (B & B by the River - don't think it exists anymore) for about a week and rented a car, a Toyota Camry. We took multiple day trips - Chena Hot Springs, the Pipeline, Museum in Fairbanks, Gold Mine, Denali, Rafting, town of Talkeetna, etc. Driving the Alaska Highway system itself was interesting.
We finished up the trip by driving down to Anchorage and staying a couple of days. Then we drove to the "Autotrain" and took it to Whittier. I thought the Autotrain was going to be a nice trip as you would be loaded onto a passenger car and they would put your car onto the train. Well we found out that the passenger car was our own vehicle which we had to drive onto a flatbed. Made for an interesting train ride. Once in Whittier, we got onto the ferry which transported us to Valdez, an 8 hour trip. This is the "cruise" a lot of the Alaska residents take. There was a park service naturalist on the boat who spent a lot of the trip discussing the history and nature of the Alaska coast, pointing out and discussing the wildlife as we went by including whales and sea otters. The ferry does a side trip that takes you into one of the fjords to get near one of the glaciers. The temperature quickly dropped from 72 to below freezing as we approached the glacier. We then visited Valdez and the drove the eastern leg of the Alaska Highway back to Fairbanks stopping to look at a lot of the sights along the way. Very interesting, but very desolate with lots of frost heaves in the road. Milepost Alaska was the guide we used for the Alaska highway system.
We still want to go back so we can visit the Kenai Peninsula and drive up the haul road, things we didn't have the time to do.
We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast (B & B by the River - don't think it exists anymore) for about a week and rented a car, a Toyota Camry. We took multiple day trips - Chena Hot Springs, the Pipeline, Museum in Fairbanks, Gold Mine, Denali, Rafting, town of Talkeetna, etc. Driving the Alaska Highway system itself was interesting.
We finished up the trip by driving down to Anchorage and staying a couple of days. Then we drove to the "Autotrain" and took it to Whittier. I thought the Autotrain was going to be a nice trip as you would be loaded onto a passenger car and they would put your car onto the train. Well we found out that the passenger car was our own vehicle which we had to drive onto a flatbed. Made for an interesting train ride. Once in Whittier, we got onto the ferry which transported us to Valdez, an 8 hour trip. This is the "cruise" a lot of the Alaska residents take. There was a park service naturalist on the boat who spent a lot of the trip discussing the history and nature of the Alaska coast, pointing out and discussing the wildlife as we went by including whales and sea otters. The ferry does a side trip that takes you into one of the fjords to get near one of the glaciers. The temperature quickly dropped from 72 to below freezing as we approached the glacier. We then visited Valdez and the drove the eastern leg of the Alaska Highway back to Fairbanks stopping to look at a lot of the sights along the way. Very interesting, but very desolate with lots of frost heaves in the road. Milepost Alaska was the guide we used for the Alaska highway system.
We still want to go back so we can visit the Kenai Peninsula and drive up the haul road, things we didn't have the time to do.
Of course -- see as much as you can, Alaska is absolutely beautiful and really big.
We flew into Anchorage from Atlanta, arriving at 11:00 at night to full sunlight. At the end of July, beginning of August you have 17+ hours of sun and plenty of sunshine every day -- warm days and cool mornings. There are several hotels in Anchorage, Marriott is one, without air conditioning and a good motel/hotel type at the lake (with the float planes). Only one pure shopping district (I believe it is 4th street) and restaurants serving only one thing, and it is great -- Alaskan King Crab Legs -- relax over several long dinners.
You might wish to take float plane trips first -- one over the Mountain, another over the College glaciers and landing near the fishing trawlers and lunch on an island, or down the peninsula to see the bears, also check out Talkeetna (sp) for flying trips landing on a glacier on the mountain. Amazing, and take more than a smart phone camera.
As other posters have mentioned, see Denali up close, Fairbanks and any other part of a rugged sparsely populated state with a priority on nature. The cities downstate are hard to travel to unless you are on a cruise and afford popular tours of glaciers, helicopter tours, fishing expeditions, the gold rush train tour, whale watching and tourist shopping in Juneau.
Have a good time and see it more than once.
Similar threads
