u/lakeorjanzo

Hi everyone,

So we’re gonna check out the Kenai Fjords on a 7.5 hour tour boat out of Seward this coming Monday, and I’m wondering how early I should leave our AirBnb in Anchorage as I’ve heard traffic can be bad. Could perhaps camp in Seward the night before but would much rather sleep in bed. Thanks in advance!

Update: I reserved a campsite by the waterfront for the night before just to be safe!

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the recs of people on this sub I’ve decided to do a Major Marine Tour when I go to Seward, but I’m curious to hear the perspective of folks who have done both the 7.5 and the 8.5-hour tour. Currently have the 7.5 booked but I’ve heard the longest one can be worth it. Would appreciate the experience of anyone who has been on both!

Edit: I just realized the Major Marine Tours is only available for 7.5 on the dates I’ll be traveling, is Kenai Fjords Tours just as good?

Hi everyone,

I’m coming to Alaska with my boyfriend July 4-10 and would appreciate thoughts on my itinerary. The trip was originally meant to be July 4-12, but I had saved the wrong date for a very close friend’s wedding, so I had to cut it short by two days and am trying to squeeze as much into six nights as possible. We are staying at a cheap Airbnb in Anchorage, and in general I am trying to keep the budget down as much as possible while still treating ourselves a bit.

Yes I know this is kind of an exhausting timeline but this is just kinda how I like to travel. I am an outdoor adventure lover living in NYC so I gotta squeeze all I can out of these trips lol

Day 1
- Land in Anchorage at 1:20pm
- Check into Airbnb
- Rent bear spray, grab supplies
- Byron Glacier Hike OR Portage Glacier Cruise (yes I know this is basically driving all the way to Whittier where we will return the next day)
- Drive back to Anchorage

Day 2
- Drive to Whittier
- Portage Pass trail
I’ve literally been fascinated by the concept of Whittier my entire life (town in one building) so I would love to try and check it out if I can do so without being annoying to residents lol
- Eat some food by the water
- Drive back to Anchorage

Day 3
- Wake up in Anchorage, start scenic drive to Homer
- Check out any interesting stops along the way (would love recommendations)
- Maybe a low-to-medium effort, high-reward hike along the way [recommendations appreciated]
- Smoke weed, eat fish
- Camp by the sea on the Homer Spit beach campground

Day 4
- Wake up and relax and explore Homer more
- Go fishing if possible
- Drive back to Anchorage, possible hike in Hope on the way back if we have energy

Day 5
- Get up VERY early and drive to Seward (2 hours)
- Big hike: Harding ice field trail (6-7 hours)
- Nice dinner, explore town
Drive back to Anchorage

Day 6
- Open buffer day to allow for flexibility / spontaneity / time to do a planned activity we were unable to do earlier in trip
- Potential Matanuska Glacier excursion (big question there is value for money)
- If there is clear views of Denali we can drive in that direction to get a clear view (Denali is kinda the sacrificial lamb of having to end the trip 2 days earlier than originally planned)

Day 7
- Check out of our Airbnb in morning
- Secondary “flex” day with the caveat that we are flying back to New York at 8:20pm

The biggest thing for me is whether it’s truly worth it to do some sort of wildlife tour?

Thanks in advance for any input!

Hello, i will be coming to visit Alaska for one week arriving on July 4 at 1:30pm in Anchorage. I would love to experience the famous car launch in Glacier View, but I’m consistently seeing folks say that it is best to get there extremely early in the morning. But realistically, we wouldn’t be able to get there till around 4pm. L

Would greatly appreciate input on whether this plan would be suboptimal but still worthwhile, or if we’re better off doing something else? And if the latter, what other July 4 activities may be a better use of our time. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I am hoping to visit Alaska in July and would really appreciate recommendations if you have any day hikes you love that have doable trail conditions in early July. Prefer hikes under 8 hours but open to longer ones if they’re quite special.

Would love to see some glaciers and wildflowers if it’s not too early for that?

Open to a range of difficulty levels, as I love a challenge but it’s good to have easy/moderate hikes in between to avoid burnout, as I’d be looking to hike every day for 6-7 days in a row.

Thanks in advance!