wds0410 Loc: Nunya

The wife and I are in the process of re-planning a trip to Alaska this August. We were going to cruise from Vancouver but have scrapped that idea because of Covid19 and are now going to fly directly into Anchorage from Texas and rent a car. From Anchorage we are going to drive to Wrangell-St Elias National Park and spend 2-3 days at that park. From Wrangell-St Elias we are then driving to Seward to spend a couple of days and visit Kenai Fjords. After that its drive up to Denali National Park for 5 days. From Denali back to Anchorage to spend another 3 days to visit in and around Anchorage, for example we were planning on going to CHUGACH State Park.

I'm looking for suggestions for the drive from Wrangell-St Elias to Seward in particular and of course, any handy advice for the entire trip. Not sure if 2-3 days at Wrangell-St Elias is enough time. We are both retired so time isn't really an issue for us but money is always a consideration.

littlebug Loc: woburn ma

Sounds like a fun trip my nephew just came home from Alaska ; Free trip via his uncle Sam ( United States Navy) he enjoyed it very much have fun

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Did you consider renting RV in Anchorage?

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Where, in the Wrangell-St. Elias NP are you planning to visit? I’m going to make an assumption that you want to see Kennicot Mine and McCarthy. On your return you may want to take a detour and visit Valdez and the Alyeska Pipleline terminus. Bridal Veil Falls is unique, and at Thompson Pass you can walk on Worthington Glacier. Another place to visit is the Matanuska Glacier. It’s a short drive off the Glenn Hwy at about mile 100. I think they charge around $20.00 a person, and you can drive to a large parking area where you can hike out to the toe of the glacier. There are guided glacier tours for a fee, and photograph ice caves.

South of Anchorage you can drive off the Seward Hwy a about 6 miles out to Portage Lake and Glacier. You can’t see the glacier from the parking area, but you can drive partway around the lake to a place where they offer boat tours to where the glacier is.

There is also the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center at Portage, alongside the Seward Hwy. Well worth going in to see moose, grizzly bear, musk ox, bison, wolves and other animals.

I can’t think of anything particularly notable the rest of the way to Seward, but Seward is spectacular, and the glacier tours a great. We like Major Marine, and there is also Kenai Fjords Tours. They vary from 4 to 8 hours in duration.

Just so you know, for your drive to Denali Nat’l Park & Preserve, there was a large landslide along the road that goes into the park, and the road is pretty much shut down. So any bus trips into the Park may be short. However, we also don’t know how the Covid-19 pandemic is going to affect all of these things, so you might want to keep abreast of the situation before you leave on your trip.

Just a thought here, if your trip will have you here the last part of August, you might want to consider spending a day in Palmer at the Alaska State Fair. It’s quite the event and a lot of fun.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Excellent suggestion. Hotel rooms can be hard to find during the summer, as well as very expensive.

ricardo00

My wife and I have made several wildlife photographic trips to Alaska and have always been amazed at the beauty and wildlife there. And we always did land based trips, way before COVID (but after we had heard about Norovirus). First, we haven't been to Chugach state park or Wrangell-St Elias. We did go to Kincaid Park in Anchorage and enjoyed it (saw a lynx and moose). We also went to Denali and not sure how you plan to spend your time there, but they don't allow private cars in. So you take a bus which may or may not stop where you want. Are you going to camp there? Or have you been able to book the one place you can stay in Denali (which is very hard to book)? If not, and you are staying outside Denali and going in by bus each day, you might not find it that satisfying. We found that Lake Clark area and Katmai and Kodiak much more enjoyable. If you can budget wise swing it, I would recommend going at least for a day to the Lake Clark area (you need to fly over). It is the most amazing experience! Other areas we really liked were the Haines and Juneau area as well as Glacier Bay National Park. I think to get to some of the areas you need to take a ferry, or at least that is how we went. Let me know if you have other specific questions. I am sure it will be an amazing trip.
PS. I post pics on flickr with the names of the places if you are interested:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72157694711451270/with/30395286948/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72157684829119473
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/albums/72157671316314736

Lucasdv123

The stimulus checks just got to our account. $2,400 for me and the wife.you mentioned that you are retired and that you guys had plenty of time.now you will have 2400 reasons to spend more time on that trip.good luck when you do go and have a safe trip cause we would like to hear from you and not of you.

jederick Loc: Northern Utah

Terrific albums Ricardo...many thanks for sharing!!

Drip Dry McFleye

I really enjoyed seeing your albums. Thanks for making them available to us.

ricardo00

Thanks Jederick!

ricardo00

Thanks Drip Dry McFleye!

Mike Holmes Loc: The Villages Fl

Check John Halls Alaska on internet. They have guided trips for both land and sea or both. WE went last year and had a great time. All accommodations were first class.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Not sure howCOVID-19 has hit Alaska, but make sure you have lodging reservations already. Most lodging fills up a year in advance due to their short season. But in many areas hit hard there are even restrictions on lodging. In our area hotels can only rent to people traveling on business.

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

We did a very similar trip a few years ago, traveling for about six weeks in an RV we rented from Cruise America’s Anchorage branch. While you’re on the Kenai Peninsula, I urge you to visit Ninilchik and Homer. Ninilchik was a Russian settlement, and the bald eagles in Homer are as ubiquitous as pigeons in NYC.

We loved Denali, stayed at a friend’s in Nenana, visited Fairbanks twice, and drove to the Arctic Circle (My wife was disappointed by the absence of the dotted line that you see on every map.) Photographically, I refer to it as “our mountains and clouds tour.” If you’re not sure what that means, check UHH for photos from Alaska. After a couple of postings, you’ll understand what I mean.

It’s a memorable trip. I also urge you to go the RV route. If you go to a local Cruise America franchise, they can show you the available models and help you make reservations. Enjoy yourself.

If you’d like to talk, PM me and I’ll send my phone number.

Mr. B Loc: eastern Connecticut

Wingpilot did a great job for you and covered most everything. The only thing I would add is a very short side trip to Anchor Point ¾ of the way down the Kenai Peninsula. There are three unique things there: it's the westernmost piece of the USA that you can drive to; they launch halibut boats from the beach with tractors and log skidders...which is a sight to see; and often the beach there is loaded with Bald eagles. The last time I was there about 70 of them were on the beach and rocks there.

Valdez is very interesting and there is a small but extremely nice museum at the airport (it's a tiny airport). And the memorials and location of the Old Town are worth a visit. It was destroyed by a tsunami during the great Alaska earthquake in 1964. Plus the drive in and out is beautiful.