This is our second trip to Alaska. We did Anchorage, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, and Kenai Fjords National Park last time.

- Day 1: Arrive Juneau in the afternoon. Mendenhall Glacier.

- Day 2: Juneau to Gustavus.

- Day 3 Glacier Bay National Park boat tour.

- Day 4: Travel day - Gustavus to Juneau and onward to Anchorage.

- Day 5: Anchorage to McCarthy via Whittier/Valdez or Glenallen.

- Day 6: Explore McCarthy area. Root Glacier.

- Day 7: McCarthy to Glenallen/Nabesna.

- Day 8: Explore Nabesna road area.

- Day 9: Nabesna/Glenallen to Healy through the Denali Highway.

- Day 10: Denali NP tour.

- Day 11: Healy to Anchroage , late evening flight out.

Does this look doable in the last week of May, first week of June?

Thoughts? What to avoid, what to do? We plan to rent 4x4 car from ANC to ANC.

I will never take a cruise ship to Alaska again…. Let me explain.

We had 11 days on land in the kenai. Small groups, moving between three amazing lodges. It was what we were hoping for in an experience.

We decided to add a cruise at the end from Seward to Vancouver as a way to see the SE locations and frankly recover from a very active land trip.

The ship and food etc was great.. exactly what we usually get from any of the major cruise lines. It as a bit of a shock going from small group travel to a ship of thousands, but that is on us.

What I won’t do again is impact the towns like I saw us and 3-4 other cruise ships all at the same time. I am sorry we did this to the people in those towns. Yes, I understand that the season is short and they make hay in the summer, and thousands of seasonal workers depend on the tourism.. but I had to think long and hard if the towns wanted it.. or are just coping with it since it cannot be stopped.

When I come back, it will be with my two feet and maybe 4 wheels….

We're leaving Saturday for a trip through Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay/Gustavus, and Sitka.

If you had just one free day in each place, what are the two things you'd most want to do, see, or eat in or near town?

Not necessarily the biggest tourist attractions. I'm interested in what you'd personally choose.

Our route:

• Ketchikan
• Juneau (already doing a whale watching tour)
• Gustavus/Glacier Bay (already doing the National Park boat tour)
• Sitka

What are your top two?

We are exploring the idea of booking a Denali flightseeing tour with glacier landing for a family including an 11 year old, on the last day of our Alaska trip. We will be driving to Talkeetna that morning from Anchorage and have a 1 AM flight to catch from Anchorage that night

Trying to decide between two tour options- Talkeetna Air Taxi is a 2 hour experience including the glacier landing with departure options of 11 AM and 4 PM. The other is K2 aviation which is only 1.5 hours including the glacier landing, departure options being 11 AM, 1:30 PM and 4 PM.

Are the chances for these flights taking off in the last week of August slim? Also is 1.5 hours too short including the glacier landing? The other concern I have is what time is the best option for the flightseeing tour given that we need to drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna that morning, and the tour companies advise you to get there 45 mins ahead of the flight.

Thank you in advance for all advice and recommendations

Going to Alaska for a week on Aug 28. Need recommendations for things to do, can’t be too far of a drive from Anchorage but a few hours is fine. Will be staying close to the Alaska Native Heritage Center for reference. Interested in the “must sees” as well as some of the hidden gems worth checking out! Thanks!

Hi everyone,

This is our rough 8 days Alaska itinerary - 22nd to 29th Aug.

We have two seniors with us who are not used to cold and rain, so we are not planning on any difficult hikes as such. They don't have any mobility issues, if there are some simple hikes, please recommend. Regardless, we all are going to be all geared up with waterproof hiking shoes, raincoats, rain pants, and warm layers.

On our first day, we have to wake up around 4am for our flight from SF, and we land in Anchorage around 1:30pm. I am not sure if we should plan any activities on that day.

Life's been busy, so I haven't been able to add much details to this plan, although I have this weekend to do so. I am seeking feedback from this community on this itinerary, and suggestions for things to do on our way to or from places.

Thank you so much for your help!

I am visiting Seward with my family on Sunday 8/16. The weather shows there’s 90% chance of rain. I am worried that it will ruin our cruise tour. What do you guys think should we do. ? Has anyone experienced like this before? Should we reschedule the tour?

I want to warn Alaska travelers about my recent rental experience in Anchorage specifically Anchorage Car Rental. I booked a RAV4 for a 16-day trip after specifically confirming with the company that I could drive McCarthy Road. I also put a note on my reservation requesting a full-size spare as per their instructions when I called to confirm I could.

The vehicle was supposed to be delivered at 8:00 AM. They were over an hour late and then told me I could not have the RAV4 I had reserved and had to take a truck instead. A Yukon was still advertised on their website, but they would not provide it even though at first this was the better option they suggested.

Because of their no-return/no-refund policy, I was essentially stuck. My entire trip was already booked and paid for, and I had a scheduled activity requiring a 2.5-hour drive. I was told I had to pay approximately $1,100 USD more for the truck or lose the rental. I reluctantly paid because I had no realistic alternative that morning.

The truck didn't arrive until approximately 10:40 AM. It had poor windshield wipers, dirty-looking fuel cans and a jack that didn't work; I was told to buy a jack myself. About 10 minutes after leaving, the check-engine light came on.

At drop-off, the owner became aggressive toward me in front of my 11-year-old daughter. He called me “dumb,” a “stupid/dirty Canadian,” told me to “go back home,” and got directly in my face in an intimidating manner. He also said that if I didn't like the rental car, I was supposed to return it ASAP — despite the fact that I had not received the vehicle I originally reserved until hours after the agreed delivery time.

I have filed complaints with the BBB and Alaska Attorney General Consumer Protection, and I have documentation and a recording of the interaction. I've also disputed CC charges.

I'm posting this because I don't want another traveler, especially a family with a fully booked trip, put in the same position.

Please research this company carefully before booking.

I am happy to provide documentation of the reservation, additional charge, vehicle issues and complaint filings to anyone considering booking with this company.

Hi All!

One of my bucket list dreams is to visit all the National Parks in Alaska!

I've already been to Glacier Bay, Denali, and Kenai Fjords.

My backcountry itch is really getting to me lately, haha, and I keep finding myself coming back to looking at some pack rafting trips in Gates of the Arctic NP.

*I have never pack rafted before, so this would be a new experience for me, but I've done plenty of extensive hiking/backpacking and would be looking for trip that has plenty of hiking.

Looking for any and all suggestions, tips, ideas, etc.!

Anyone done this recently? Anyone planning a trip like this?

I'd be hoping to go either in 2028 or 2029.

ETA- I'd be looking to go on a group trip with an outfitter.

Hi,

My wife and I (both in our thirties and avid hikers) are planned for a trip to Alaska Sept 4-12. We are going to keep it strictly between Homer and Seward as it will be our first time exploring Alaska and not trying cover too much ground. I’ll be renting a car (assuming a sedan will be fine for the drive this time of year?) and making our way from Anchorage to Homer for 4 days and then Seward for another 4.

Any advice on outdoor activities/hikes that are a must do/see? We were thinking about adding a fishing tour or glacier boat tour in hopes of seeing some whales. Would you recommend one over the other this time of year? Our hotel recommends these tour companies and any feedback is welcome! Also any specific clothing we should be packing for outdoor activities including flushing kayaking or hiking this time of year?

- major marine tours
- Seward ocean excursions
- wild fjord tours
- Seward wilderness collective
- j-dock fishing co

I was just asked to attend a two day conference in Anchorage in mid-September. I called a friend and she is happy to join me. We have time to do a 2 night/3 full day trip before the conference, and we have up to 5 nights (4 is better) after the conference. I was thinking of taking the northbound train to Denali on day 1, spend the night in the park, day 2 in the park, night two in Takeetna, and day 3 doing the flightseeing trip and whatever else before heading back to Anchorage. The train will no longer be running after the conference. For phase 2, I was thinking we would get a transfer to Seward (train won’t be running anymore), hang around there day 1, do the cruise day 2, and then ?? for days three and four. Does that sounds reasonable for a last minute, time restricted September trip? Anything you would do instead? I am not an avid hiker, especially in grizzly country. I am mostly focused on wildlife and scenery, especially sea life. I was hoping to get some time on the ferries but it looks like that won’t work well with my interrupted schedule. And yea, I would rather do a longer trip completely before or after the conference, but we each have commitments back home that hem us in to this timeline. Also welcome day trip options for my friend for the 2 days I am at the conference.

I've been guiding fishing/bear viewing trips out of Homer for 5 summers. About 40% of my guests are international (Japan, Germany, French, Brazil) and communication is a constant challenge — especially out on the water or near Hidden Falls where cell signal is poor.

Google Translate doesn't work without data. Phrase books are awkward for safety briefings and food allergies.

Recently started using CallToTranslate — just call a phone number and it translates both ways in real-time. It works great but unfortunately it is not totally free (pretty cheap at $0.04/min but I hope there is something free to use).

Do you guys have any other suggested translation services that I can try? How do you guys handle foreign customers who don't speak English well?

Hi! We are heading to Juneau on the 17th and were looking for a place to rent/borrow bear spray instead of buying it as we'll only be around for 4 days. Do you know any store/place we can go to?

i’ll be in juneau for work for about a week and will need a car since public transport is pretty limited and things are pretty spread out. i have meetings and might need to get around to a few different spots during the day.

i saw some options on turo that looked decent. has anyone rented there recently or have recommendations for reliable local companies? any tips on what to look for with alaska roads would be helpful too.

Hi everyone, I'm from Australia and I'm thinking about travelling to Alaska next year for roughly 3–4 weeks, sometime in June, July or August.

It'll be my first trip to Alaska and I'm interested in wildlife, especially seeing bears, fishing, hiking, mountains/scenery, camping and generally getting out into the wilderness. I'd also like to experience some of the towns and local food/culture along the way.

With 3–4 weeks to work with, what places would you consider must-visits, and what activities or experiences would you consider absolute must-dos while I'm there?

I'm happy to rent a car and road trip for part or most of it, and I'm also interested in any less touristy places that are worth visiting.

I'd love advice on which month you'd recommend between June, July and August, how you'd structure the trip, what experiences are worth spending extra money on, and anything that isn't worth the hype.

Thanks!

Looking for help from Alaskan residents to give me the best advice. Traveling to your beautiful state Sept. 17-22, to Anchorage, Fairbanks, Chena Springs. We will have a car once we get there so we might venture to places beyond those three, but not terribly far. I need help specifically for what types of pants to wear. I was told jeans are not the best choice. We plan to do some light hiking during the daylight hours. We plan to be out at night for awhile to catch the Northern Lights and I hear I have to prepare for rain.

Since I'm flying there I would like to pack as light as possible.

Do I need:

• hat
• gloves
• thermal underwear
• rain gear
• and what kind of coat/jacket

Thank so much in advance for the help. So excited to experience Alaska.

I arrive in Anchorage on August 19th with 2 of my 30 something sons. We get in our Great Alaskan Adventures RV and head to Homer. We will deep sea fish on a charter there and fish the Kenai along the way. We are bringing all the fishing gear. Then we head back to Anchorage and pick up my 3rd son. From there we take the RV to Talkeetna where we have a flight with Sheldon air to land on a glacier in Denali NP. Then fishing in Talkeetna. From there we will drive to Valdez or Seward. Not sure what order. Weather may help decide. In Valdez we want to go Kayaking and whatever else comes our way (Suggestions?). In Seward we will take another charter for Halibut. My plans are quite a bit less structured than the creator of this post as I don’t like to have that rigid a schedule.
Thanks to all!