January 27, 2019

Alaska trip

Alaska

A beautiful place with Glaciers, Abundant Wild life (Reindeer, Bears, Moose, and caribou), Activities (Sledding, Zip Lining, Hiking and more) , Ice Castles, and natural terrains with big forests and mountains. So much to see and do. We debated long time either to do cruise or road trip. Ideally I prefer/recommend cruise and road trip together. We decided to do road trip based on the time we have and things to do. Road trip gave us closer look of the glaciers on small cruises, and beautiful drive on the inside roads with scenery.

Places to see :

Denali National Park
Katmai National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Anchorage
Fair Banks
Mendenhall Glacier Park
Juneau
Homer
Glacier Bay National Park
Ketchikan

Katmai National Park is the place where bears catch salmon directly from river. This will be a once in a life time experience to closer to the bears and watch them fish.

Alaska cruise ships :

Most of the cruise ships start from either Seattle or Vancouver or Victoria and cover inside passage (Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan) and Glacier Bay.

Sample Princess Cruises 7 day Anchorage to Vancouver itinerary. There is Northbound or southbound itineraries that you can pick from.

After finishing the cruise you can start the road trip from Anchorage.

Here is our “10 Day Alaska Road trip”

Day	Activity	Detailed Activities	Stay
Day 0	Reach Anchorage
Day 1	Anchorage -> Whittier -> Anchorage	Anchorage -> Whittier (1 hr 21 min, 61 miles) Tunnel to catch : 10:30AM Activity 1: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (TurnAgin Arm) Time: 8AM - 8PM (Summer hours) (907) 783-2025. Activity 2: Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise Major Marine Tours (4.5 hrs) Checkin : 11:45 AM, Boarding : 12:15 PM Departs - 12:45 pm , Returns - 5:15 pm Catch the 6PM Tunnel Activity 3 : Alyeska Tram - $29 per adult (Northern light Coupon) Hours of operation are 12 PM–8 PM. Trams depart every 15 minutes. You should plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to closing. Hotel Alyeska - Tram Ticket Office 1000 Arlberg Ave, Girdwood	Anchorage
Day 2	Anchorage to Seward -> Anchorage	Anchorage to Seward - Drive - 2 hr 30 mins (3 hrs) Major Marine - 6 hr cruise Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise to Holgate Glacier With Buffet Checkin : 10:30 AM, Boarding : 11:00 AM Departs - 11:30 Am , Returns - 5:30 pm Exit Glacier Road Turnoff (mi 3.7)	Anchorage
Day 3	Anchorage	Anchorage - Matanuska Glacier - 2 to 2 1/2 hours drive MATANUSKA GLACIER trekking guided trek (MUST) Ice Fall Trek - $79 (11:30AM) - Milepost 102.5, Glenn Highway Glacier View, Alaska Aurora-Northern Lights show in Anchorage theater in downtown	Anchorage
Day 4	Anchorage to Talkeetna	Anchorage to Talkeetna - 2hrs 12 mins Flight to Denali peak, Mt. McKinley (landing on Glacier) 3:15 PM ( check in time 45 mins before, 2:30 PM) http://www.talkeetnaair.com/directions 14212 E 2nd St, Talkeetna, AK 99676	Talkeetna Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
Day 5	Talkeetna -> Denali	Trapper Creek -> Denali (1 hr 45 mins) - https://goo.gl/maps/fbRB5Xwp5nE2 Drive inside to the Denali park Visitor Center Drive/HIke until 14 miles https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/savagecanyon.htm Savage River Loop Trail Located at the Savage River at Mile 15. Very limited parking available. Can be accessed by free Savage River Shuttle 90 minutes, total Distance : 2 miles, total Horseshoe Lake Trail A popular trail that descends to, and travels entirely around, a lake. 1 hour one-way Distance - 3.2 miles Elevation : 250 feet	Denali
Day 6	Denali	BUS tour to Denali national park to Eielson Shuttle https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/visiting-denali.htm The Eielson Alpine Trail is a very steep hike of around 1,000 feet. The trail is a bit less than one mile one-way, up Thorofare Ridge. The views are particularly impressive on clear days! Thorofare Ridge Trail From the Eielson Visitor Center, this switchback trail climbs to a ridge for high, scenic views of Denali and a vast expanse of tundra beyond. One hour, one way 0.8 mile, one way Elevation : 1,000 feet	Denali
Day 7	Denali to Fairbanks	Talkeetna to Fairbanks	Fairbanks
Day 8	Fairbanks, Artic circle	Botanical Garden Mus Ox Farm University of Alaska Afternoon trip to Arctic Circle (12PM to 1:30AM) - Bird MIgratory field - Nature walk - Pioneer Park	Fairbanks
Day 9	Fairbanks	Trans-Alaska Pipeline Viewpoint North Pole Santa clause House Chena Hot springs	Fairbanks
Day 10	back home	home

Day 1 :

Started early from Anchorage to Whittier. First stop at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) . Very good place start our trip with wild life of Alaska.

Anchorage to Whittier is about 1 hr 21 min and it is 61 miles. To go to Whittier there is a Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which opens to traffic on each side.

To Whittier: Cars leave on the half hour, from 5:30am to 10:30pm.
From Whittier: Cars leave on the hour, from 6am to 11pm.

There are different types of glaciers. Tide water glaciers (glaciers that flow and calves) , Hanging Glaciers, Cirque glaciers, Rock glaciers, Piedmont glaciers and Valley glaciers. Tide water glaciers are fun to watch with flowing and calving.

Here is Cruise comparison chart for picking up the cruise in Whittier.

Tour	Glaciers Covered	Price (Includes Tax)	Discount Price	Timing	Food included
Phillips – Glacier Quest	Shotgun Cove, Blackstone Bay, Passage Canal Cruise route features 7 named glaciers and many moretwo tidewater glaciers and several alpine glaciers awaitstop at an old shipwreck in Shotgun Cove	Adult : $123.95 Child : $83.95	AAA – 10% Adult : 113.05 Child – 76.85	Departs : 1:00PM Returns : 4:45PM3.75 Hour	Complimentary hot meal, coffee, hot tea and ice water	https://www.phillipscruises.com/cruises/glacier-quest-cruise.php
Philips – 26 Glaciers	Surprise Glacier (Visit an active tidewater glacier) Harriman and Surprise Glaciers, tide water GalciersEsther Passage opens into College Fjordvisit the second largest black-legged kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound	Adult : $178.95 Child : $118.95	AAA – 10% Adult – 163.05 Child – 109.85	Departs : 12:30 PM Returns : 5:30 PM5 Hour	Complimentary hot meal, coffee, hot tea and ice water	https://www.phillipscruises.com/cruises/26-glacier-cruise.php

Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise Major Marine Tours	3 active calving glaciers and 9 alpine & cirque glaciers Wildlife: sea otters, eagles, harbor seals, seabirds visit Hidden Falls visit the second largest black-legged kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound	Adults – $134.00 Children – $74.50	AAA – 10% Adult – 120.60 CHild – 67.05 Expedia – 6% – 8% Expedia – 153.57 , 70.34 Expedia with Buffet – 171.24, 79.17	Departs – 12:45 pm Returns – 5:15 pm4.5 hrs	No $19.00 – Adults $9.50 – Children 2-11	https://majormarine.com/prince-william-sound-blackstone-bay-glacier-cruise-map/
Prince William Sound Surprise Glacier Cruise Major Marine Tours	Surprise Glacier (Visit an active tidewater glacier) Harriman and Surprise Glaciers, tide water Glaciers30 mins infront of GlacierWildlife: sea otters, Steller sea lions, eagles, harbor seals, seabirds, and occasionally whalesvisit a salmon hatchery on Esther Islandvisit the second largest black-legged kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound	Adult : $164.00 Child : $89.50	AAA – 10% Adult – 147.60 Child – 80.55 Expedia – 6% – 8% Expedia – 125.67, 84.29 Expedia with Buffet – 143.34, 93.12	Departs – 12:15 pm Returns – 5:30 pm5.25 hrs	No $19.00 – Adults $9.50 – Children 2-11	https://majormarine.com/prince-william-sound-surprise-glacier-cruise-map/

After going through multiple options and many discussions, here is the conclusion for our trip. Whittier cruises are for closer look of the Glaciers & Seward cruises are for Kenai National for animal watching.

We end up booking the “Prince William Sound Blackstone Bay Glacier Cruise from Major Marine Tours (4.5 hrs)” . We need to to catch the 10:30AM tunnel so that we can check in at 11:45 AM, Boarding : 12:15 PM, Departs – 12:45 pm , Returns – 5:15 pm .

After our cruise, we did a quick stop at the Alyeska Tram resort. Alyeska Tram is about $29 per person with Northern light Coupon. Trams depart every 15 minutes. You should plan to be there at least 1 hour prior to closing.

Hours of operation are 12 PM–8 PM.

Alaska wild flowers are at their best. Alyeska is with full of snow in winter and it’s a ski resort.

If you have time you can spend time in Portage Glacier.

Day 2 :

Anchorage to Seward – Drive – 2 hr 30 mins (3 hrs)

Seward Cruise

Major Marine – 6 hr cruise Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise to Holgate Glacier With Buffet

Check in : 10:30 AM, Boarding : 11:00 AM Departs – 11:30 Am , Returns – 5:30 pm

Exit Glacier

Exit Glacier Road Turnoff (mi 3.7)

Exit Glacier Rd, Seward, AK 99664

6.7 miles and 20 mins from the harbor 360 hotel toward Anchorage.

Drive back from Seward to Anchorage : 7:30 PM to 10:30PM

Day 3 :

Matanuska Glacier is a valley glacier in the US state of Alaska. At 27 miles long by 4 miles wide, it is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. Its terminus feeds the Matanuska River.

Day 4 :

Flight to Denali peak, Mt. McKinley (landing on Glacier) is a must to do when you are in Alaska. Glacier watching from the flight and landing on the glacier is the experience never to be missed. Plan an additional day to make sure you do this. Even after the flight take off, there is possibility that landing might not happen on the glaacier due to wind and weather. Weather was nice when we went to Talkeetna, but the weather at the top of the glacier was windy. So all the flights were cancelled and we were disappointed to hear that. But we decided to come back from Denali based on the weather conditions. You can call the flight company in the morning and they will tell the plan for that day (if they are flying to Mt.McKinley or not) before 8AM in the morning.

Closest hotel you can stay is in Trapper creek. There are people that due hike to Mt. McKinley and there was video that shows the details of hiking.

Trapper Creek

Day 5 & 6 – Denali :

2 days of Denali trip. First day we were hiking near the Denali entrance. We went on 2 trails Horseshoe Lake Trail and Savage River Loop Trail. Horseshoe lake trail is at Mile 0.9 on the park road near the railroad tracks. It is around 3 miles round trip with 200 feet elevation. It will take around 1 and half hour round trip. There was panoramic view of the Nenana River, a beaver dam and lodge are evident in the oxbow lake.

Second trail we went was Savage river loop trail near Mile 15. About 2 miles round trip and easy for everyone, takes about 1.5 to 2 hrs for round trip.This is a popular hiking trail. This is a loop walk, there is a bridge that crosses the Savage River just about one-half mile downstream.

Second day we booked 8 hour bus tour of Eielson (Eielson Visitor Center – at Mile 66)

The Eielson Alpine Trail is a very steep hike of around 1,000 feet. The trail is a bit less than one mile one-way, up Thorofare Ridge. The views are particularly impressive on clear days! Only 33 miles from the summit of Denali, and at an elevation of 3300’, Eielson offers some of the most spectacular views of Denali (formerly Mt McKinley).

Thorofare Ridge Trail
From the Eielson Visitor Center, this switchback trail climbs to a ridge for high, scenic views of Denali and a vast expanse of tundra beyond.
One hour, one way – 0.8 mile, one way.

Elevation : 1,000 feet

Note :
A $10 per person entrance fee for the Denali Park glacier landing is due at the time of your flight unless you already have a National Park Pass. For children 16 and under, a National Park Pass is not required. If you are joining one of the Denali National Park Bus trips within seven days of your glacier landing trip , your entrance fee is covered.