I have a buddy that’s moving to Alaska from Florida, he has family there that will provide him with bunch of stuff but what’s good going away gift yall think would
Be good to have up there or something you use everyday ? Thanks !
I would love any advice or experience regarding the Alaska Railroad system around September 15-18th this year, for two adults. I'm trying to set up a one-way trip from Anchorage --> Denali NP --> Fairbanks.
The hope:
-Sept 15: Fly into Anchorage
-Sept 16: Catch a train (Denali Star?) to Denali NP
-Sept 17: Denali Tundra Wilderness bus tour (last day of the season)
-Sept 17 or 18: Jump back on the train and continue north to Fairbanks, where we'll rent a car for the remainder of our trip
The catch (per the Alaska Railway website)
-"Anchorage → Wasilla → Talkeetna → Denali → Fairbanks
When the train runs: May 13 – September 17, 2026 (northbound only May 13; southbound only September 17)"
https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/fares
I see there's an "Aurora Winter Train" that starts running Saturday, Sept 19, but there's no mention of "Denali to Fairbanks" on the schedule (though there is Fairbanks to Denali).
Are there other public transport options I'm missing? A bus would be great, but it looks like most/all of them stop running on the 17th. Any advice would be super helpful. :)
I will be in Homer the next 3 days (July 2nd-4th). I’m hoping to find a field or trail with a bunch of blooming lupines. I believe this is around the right time for it! Any suggestions?
Your help needed here! :)
I’m a Chinese girl/ solo traveler and I plan to stay around one week in Alaska flying from some cities in the Sates ( Chicago for example) and fly back to Seattle, by end of July.
I cannot drive by myself. Is it possible to travel there all by public transportation? Is there any tour recommendations and the contact please ?
Only having the option of public transportation traveling in the states seems so difficult. I don’t even know where I can go. I love wildlife and nature scene, not too much interested in metropolitans.
Also, It will be great if anyone partner with me for this one week natural adventure to Alaska or maybe other national Park in the states or Canada.
Hi, I'm planning a visit late Sept (23-27th) for a special birthday/romantic couple visit. I live in a desert, so the idea of rain, cold misty weather, autumn colors, and wildlife VERY much appeals to me (I'm so sick of the sun and heat)
I was thinking of taking a day trip to AWCC (I love animals) and Portage Glacier on the actual birthday, and hiking on the other days, with the home base being northern Wasilla/Hatcher Pass since Girdwood didn't have many accommodations that I was wanting (privacy, hot tub, forest or mountain view, etc). I found an awesome secluded (refundable) Airbnb there, but I'm second guessing the location since Wasilla may not be a great home base for hikes.
We're not crazy advanced hikers, but rather beginners and enjoy scenery (will have bear spray, waterproof hiking boots, windbreakers, etc). Also the chance of seeing northern lights under a hot tub is very romantic, but I know it's not a guarantee with the clouds.
Am I making a mistake with my home base? Would another location be better? All the reviews of AWCC say it's 100% worth a visit so I prioritized that over Denali. Flights are booked to Anchorage and we will have a rental car as well. Thank you in advance
I am renting a truck and camper with my husband and baby. We fly in and out of Anchorage and have 10 days. We‘re from northern BC and are used to long drives and rural/remoteness. Does anyone have any must dos? any recommendations for camping spots? considering taking the ferry from Whittier to Valdez or the other direction.
thanks!!!!
For Next year I’m planning trip Argentina to Alaska solo . Most likely using public transportation. Any recommendations or suggestions. Specially how I can cross Darien gap because in this trip I don’t want to use aero plane. Only land transit and waterways.
Just got back from our first Alaska trip (June 20- 26). Here’s my humble opinion of the itinerary we put together. For reference we’re an active/fit, child free couple in our mid thirties {with high expectations}. We’re from CO and try to go out of our way to avoid tourist traps:
Day 0: Anchorage to Seward Drive- 5 Stars
Landed in Anchorage around 9:30 pm. Took the shuttle to pick up a Turo- this took a little longer than expected, but easy enough process.
As everyone else has noted, this drive is INCREDIBLE. Due to the crazy summer sun hours, we made it to Seward before it was “dark” and ended up driving this stretch during golden hour with super limited traffic.
Day 1: Exploring Seward- 3.5/5
All I can say is you better have a great rain jacket. From my understanding the wet/cold/cloudy weather we had is the norm. Mountain views are impaired by the clouds, with the occasional magnificent break where a peak popping out will remind you why you’re putting up with all the cruise people. *If you weren’t aware, Seward recently started allowing cruise ships to dock and the small town can absolutely NOT accommodate this volume of people.
**We stayed at the Edgewater Hotel. That was a mistake. We absolutely should have booked an Airbnb around Bear Creek.
We started the day by grabbing coffee and exploring town. We got out first serving of lox at Rowdy Radish. It was good not spectacular.
We mistimed the tides which prevented us from doing Caines Head hike, which was a bummer because the Tonsina Trail we ended up doing was busier than we prefer. For anyone in shape, this is a very easy hike but it was very beautiful. Once we made it to the beach we went off trail and explored the river which made for a very nice afternoon.
*on the way to the trailhead we saw the pregnant Fin whale that was struck and killed by the cruise ship. Heartbreaking.
We had dinner at Rays. It was good not great, we’ve had way better seafood on other adventures. We ordered the chowder, ahi, halibut, and seafood pasta. Note, if you’re not cool with waiting 1+ hours for a table anywhere, you better make a reservation. We were told 2 hours at Rays, got in after 90 mins.
Day 2- Northern Latitude Adventures (Ultimate adventure tour) - 5/5 stars
We paid extra to do the small boat tour (6 people + captain max) and it was AMAZING. Captain Abby is a badass local elementary teacher & she was an absolute fantastic tour guide. We saw a pod of orcas, lots of humpbacks, and even a fin whale in addition to all the other wildlife. While it was WET and FREEZING I cannot recommend splurging and opting for this trip. https://northernlatitudeadventures.com/seward-boat-tours/ We saw some of the bigger tour ships out there- they were packed.
We ended the day by eating at the Seward Brewery. Pizza was fine, and the stout they had on tap was tasty.
Day 3- Seward to Soldotna
On our way out of Seward we stopped at Bear Creek Weir, a very cool stop (brief) stop. We then did Bear Lake Trail- south side, which was perfectly quiet and very cool- I would highly recommend this trail if you’re cool with some obstacles. 4.5/5
On our way to our Airbnb outside of Soldotna, we took the Skilak Lake Road and tried a hike down to the lake, however the mosquitos were so INTENSE we immediately turned around… didn’t matter how many mosquito patches we had on, these guys were monsters that swarmed the car the second we parked. So rather than hike, we just enjoyed the views from our car. The road deserves 4 stars, mosquitos-100.
We ended with dinner at Addie Camp. It was fine. The only thing I remember were the scallops which were tasty.
Day 5- Salmon fishing on the Kasilof River & Homer - 6/5 stars
Best day of our trip, and we’re not even fishing people! Matt, our guide with https://kenaikingpin.com/ was the best. In a boat of 5 people, we all caught the max limit of sockeye salmon. Two of us (myself included!) caught a king salmon.
Fishing among a hundred eagles was really incredible. This was the most unique and memorable day of our trip.
We then drove to Homer and had dinner at the Harbor Cafe in the spit. Best meal of our trip! I would run it back again & again if I could: Chowder, Halibut fish & chips, seafood risotto. Everything was EXCELLENT.
We finished with a night cap at the Salty Dog- they had a cool fermented pineapple beer/drink, it was a great vibe to end a great day.
Day 6- Homer/ Kachemak Bay
We grabbed a hearty breakfast at River Cafe and then took the water ferry across the bay.
We started with the trailhead that took us to the tram that crosses the river, then back tracked and took alpine & saddle. Mosquitoes were heavy in the wooded areas, but nearly as bad as Skilak. This was also busier than we like, but that was expected given the limited time that people have. The glacier was cool, but we’ve done better alpine lake hikes.
We regretted hiking and not kayaking around the bay- especially given the price for the water taxi.
3.5/5
We had oysters (I forget where) and ended with a DELICIOUS pizza from Finn’s. 4.5/5
Day 7- Homer & Red Eye out of anchorage
Started the day with breakfast at The Bagel Shop. It ain’t New York, but better than 95% of bagels out there and they were generous with the lox! My maple latte was fantastic. 4.5/5
Knowing that we were going to be flying home without showering, we opted for an easy hike and did a bunch of different trails around the Wynn Nature Center. Not too many people, wildflowers everywhere and no mosquitoes making it one of my favorite stops. 4.5/5
If we would have drove straight to Anchorage it would have taken us about 4.5 hours. But we gave ourselves lots of time to take Skilak back plus a few pull offs, making the drive about 6 hours.
✨TLDR:
-We preferred Homer to Seward
-Splurge for experiences that have less people
-Fishing is a must, even for nonfishers
-Must bring: more rain layers, mosquito repellent, binoculars
-We can’t wait to come back but will be specifically avoiding any cruise destinations
Animals
Humpbacks
Fin
Orca
Harbor seal
Sea lions
Sea otters
Eagles
Moose
Mountain goats
Snowshoe hare
Starfish
Wildflowers & Mushrooms
Lupine
Chocolate Lillies
Forget me nots
Wild geraniums
Cows parsnip
Chiming bells/bluebells
Canadian mayflower/bayberry
Wildrose
Shooting Star
Luis blue flax
Hoary primrose
Bears head
The Gypsy
Red belted polypore
Has anybody floated this river? With a guide or without. I am floating by myself next July and just trying to gather as much info as possible.
Planning for overlanding trip from anchorage for 7 nights 8 days starting from anchorage and return flight is also from anchorage, please let me know which route shall I take and what are the places not to miss also if you can guide me if any boondocking spots. I know this is very less time for Alaska, My preference is most scenic routes have already booked my 4x4 from Alaska overlander,
Hi there,
we´re going to Alaska mid July for 10 days. Little family with a 2 year old.
We´d like to focus on wildlife. We´re from Europe, so we won´t see that kind of wildlife very often.
Bears fishing salmon would be unbelievable to see, but 1.5 k a person to brooks falls (getting charged full price for the little one, as well - is not in our budget)
I have read with any luck there is a possibliity to see that at Russian River for free, is this true?
Does anyone got a fitting 10 days itinerary by any chance?
Thanks already guys.
Will be in Anchorage for a few days between big hikes and am looking for non-hiking stuff to do.
Will be in a hostel and don't have a car. I love Into the Wild (book and movie) and even though it's only a replica, I quite fancy going up to Healy to see the bus. I also hear the brewery is pretty decent.
Just checking how viable is this? Understand it's a four hour journey on road. Is there a bus or even taxi service available? Would an overnight stay be more advisable?