Alaska Travel Forum

We are flying into Anchorage and will be in Alaska for 4 nights (June 12-June 16). My original plan was to stay in Anchorage for the first night, then drive north to Denali and stay up there for 2 nights and then spend the final night in Anchorage again.

I'm wondering if a better option would be to stay in Anchorage for all 4 nights and take day trips from there. I'd like to see Denali, but from the limited research I've done, it looks like you can see it (on a good, clear day) with just a short car ride (like 2 hours) and not have to go into Denali National Park.

What would you guys recommend? We've never been before and I'm sure there are lots of other things to see than just Denali.

We would like to see the scenery, take road trips, and maybe do some hiking.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

I would recommend going to Denali National Park for the 2 nights.There are bus tours of the parks that take you within 35 miles of MT McKINLEY.Plus it give you the chance to see some of the park wildlife(see my Alaska page)There is whitewater rafting or calm water rafting in the area,helicopter flights with glacier landing is great tour but they are expensive,has is all Alaska during the summer.Check the web link for some other Denali day tours

http://www.alaskatravel.com/denali-park/tours.html

Your first step in viewing the big mountain is to pray for luck. Statistics for summer viewing are less than spectacular. However if the weather cooperates - yes, you can get a great view of McKinley from the highway just north of Wasilla or at the turnout enroute to Talkeetna. For that matter I have had a lot of great days seeing it lately from the mountains in Anchorage. Depends on what you want and how far you are willing to drive to get it. As for Anchorage there are plenty of things to do in and around the city to occupy four days. If you like hiking, biking or outdoor activities there are plenty of trails of all ability levels. The drive to Girdwood or Portage is one of the prettiest in the state with plenty of opportunity in June for wildlife spotting along the way. You could do wildlife cruises, kayaking or hike up to the glacier in Seward. Wildlife cruises or kayaking day-trips out of Whittier. Rafting on the Six-Mile river. Hatchers Pass and Matanuska Glacier is a shortish drive north, etc etc. Just depends on what exactly you want to accomplish while you are here. Denali is famous for a reason but it isn't the only exceptional spot in the state. Check out my VT pages for some details on what outdoor stuff there is to do in and around the city. Let me know if you have any specific questions...

Scott

Definetly don't stay in Anchorage all 4 nights.

Either go to Denali National Park or travel around the pennisula. If you drive to Denali, I'd recommend buying a fishing rod because there are numerous rivers right off Parks Highway that are great for salmon fishing. After fishing in Alaska, all charters seem like rip offs and tourist traps. If you want to guarentee seeing Alaskan Wildlife this would be your best choice, since you only have 4 nights. The other recomendation would be to do a short road trip around the pennisula, the drive is beautiful the entire length. Tell me which option sounds better and I can give you some detailed information.

I agree with the other posters, Denali can be worth it, but as an alternative, consider driving south, or better yet, take the train.

I think there are a lot more options and prettier scenery if you go south from Anchorage. All in all, seems like more bang for your buck with a short trip.

If the weather is really great, though, I would drive North far enough to check out the scenic turn out. You can't see the mountain at all from the actual entrance to Denali National Park, (I spent two summers there, and this was one of the top questions tourist asked,) and even otherwise, only something like less than 30% of all summer tourists get to see the mountain at all.

Most people I talked to did not specifically enjoy the bus tour into the park, it is very long, the seats are uncomfortable and crowded, and you are still not gauranteed to see wildlife (though many do). Unless you have the time to take the less crowded camper bus and do some day hikes or an overnight, I'd skip it.

So, unless you'd consider some flight-seeing (Worth It!) you're less likely to be disappointed by going south, checking out Girdwood, Seward, and maybe making it down to Kenai for some salmon fishing or Homer if you want to do Halibut or just get out on the water. (It's great just to take a boat tour on a nice day, good bird watching and sea life viewing, nice hikes, camping on the spit is fun, too.)