Alaska in the summertime? Advice needed

[swanee]

I'm taking my family to Alaska at the end of June this summer. If anyone has ever been there in the summer and have any advice on "must see's or must do's" then let me know. My wife is running a marathon for Team In Training in Anchorage and after that we will have 10 days of sight seeing. Right now all we have planned is a trip to Denali. We just booked our flights last night, but want to put together an itinerary and book all lodging well in advance.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Bradzoo]

Take the train from Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks and back alot of nice stops, take a couple days and go down on the Kenai to Homer and go Halibut fishing, they have a big fishing derby down there, the biggest halibut caught is worth thousands in prize money, take a flight seeing trip to see the glaciers, there are alot of things to do and alot of daylight at that time of year to do it in. I try to go out at least once a year, the sleddin is great in the winter also

 

[patk]

Pick up a copy of the Milepost, it is well worth the money. It will give you information about what to see, where to stay etc.. Lived in Soldotna for a couple of years so here are some of my favorites.
I would recommend Denali, stop in Talkeetna on your way to Fairbanks. The river boat cruise in Fairbanks was o.k, very touristy.

Head south of Anchorage on the Seward highway one of the most scenic in North America. Sometimes you can see beluga whales along Turnagain Arm..lots of picture opportunities.

Check out the Exit Glacier in Seward and the Sea Life Center. Head back towards Cooper Landing and watch them combat fish for salmon along the Russian river. When you get to Soldotna/Kenai, you must stop at Sal's for their big cinnamon roll. Drive down to Homer and view the volcano's Iliama and Redoubt along the highway. Homer is great for halibut fishing, lots of good charters to take out of either Homer or Seward. Homer is the home port for the Time Bandit from the Deadliest Catch. Walk along Homer Spit and stop at the Salty Dog for a brew and be sure to leave your business card on the wall.

Whatever you decide to do, you'll have a great time. Drop me a line if you need anymore info.

 

[freezinbevr]

Whitewater rafting

Swanee,
If you want a great experience, do the whitewater rafting in the 33 degree glacial melt river near Healy. It is right by Denali. I don't remember the name of the place but it was a GAS!

That alone made my trip worthwhile. Nothing like getting dumped into a river with buried railcars at the bottom while wearing a drysuit. They give you a complete safety advisory before you can get in the raft.

Everything else mentioned is well worth the trip, walking right up to a glacier is amazing.

10 days would be perfect.

Enjoy!

 

[swanee]

These are great suggestions. Although with 3 kids, the smallest being 4 I think I will pass on the white water rafting. It looks like the bulk of our trip will be between Anchorage/Denali and the Kenai peninsula. PATK, since you lived in Soldotna did you ever get to Kenai Fjords National Park and Fox Island? We are looking at a 8 1/2 hour cruise that departs from Seward that takes us there. We are also looking at taking a flight over to Kodiak Island, is it worth the money?

By the way, I will definitely stop at the cinnamon roll place as I didn't get my fix this year from the Hilltop.

 

[patk]

We did take one of the day long cruises through Kenai Fjords National Park but never stopped at Fox Island. They're not inexpensive to take and make sure you bring a coat/raingear as it gets cool on the water. I think they also offer a 1/2 day cruise also.
The cruise we took had food served on the boat and it was a crowded boat. I heard that the cruise where you get off at the island to eat was better. On the cruise we took there were quite a few people getting seasick off the back of the boat so I would take something if you tend to get seasick. Never took a flight over to Kodiak, so I'm not sure what to tell you there.

Are you renting a motor home or going the hotel route? There are alot of nice campgrounds throughout the entire state.

 

[benz]

We did the Fox Island overnight stay on the Kenai Fjords tour. I would say it is not worth it. You are on an island with not much to do other than kayak. That would have been great but all the kayaks were spoken for by a large group on our trip. I would have rather spent my time hiking around somewhere on the Kenai peninisula. There are plenty of hikes that you could take the family on. Get the milepost as someone has suggested and use that time doing spmething that peaks your interest.

I would advise to be flexible. Are you renting an RV? THat will give you the most flexibility as rooms are hard to come by at that time of year.

 

[benz]

Oh yeah - go King Salmon fishing if it is in season. The best fishing experience i have had. Get a guide on the Kenai river, you can get a 4 hour guided trip and have a decent chance of catching a huge fish. The day starts at 5 so you could be done before the family is out of bed.