Advice on getting from park to park in Alaska. (Anchorage: appointed, rent)

[carlsdrivein]

Near the end of July, I will be heading north to Alaska from San Francisco. I will most likely be flying to some point in southern alaska, making my way up through the parks. I will have about a month to see as many as I can. The main parks I would love to see are Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias and Kenai Fjords, but anything would be worth it. I just need to figure out how to get from park to park. I'm also on kind of a tight budget. I have been searching for transportation available in the state but all I have really found are guided tours and cruises, which aren't really what I'm looking for.

Also, are there any hiking groups or clubs that frequently go out to the more rugged wildernesses of Alaska? Or possibly some way to meet up with other hikers. I've never hiked areas that are without trails and the idea of it is kind of intimidating.

Oh! and another thing. Which park would you say would be best seen in the end of september, early october? I will be working in Nome for August and Sept but if I have any money left, I would like to continue a national park trip afterwards also.

My trip is still obviously in the beginning stages so any help would be greatly appreciated! thank you in advance!

[AKStafford]

Alaska has a lack of transportation infrastructure that you might find elsewhere... Glacier Bay National Park has no road access. You'd have to fly into Juneau or Gustavus and take a boat from there. Wrangell/St. Elias is accessible from the Richardson Highway and Kenai Fjords can be accessed from Seward.
These are very rugged areas. Please be very well prepared... People disappear in these parks.

[tigre79]

I met a girl last summer who went to a bunch of different parks without a car. I think she took the train from Fairbanks to Denali then to Seward, and then the ferry down to Haines and Skagway. So that much you can do without a car, and there's apparently a bus from Glennallen to McCarthy, which is in the middle of Wrangel-St. Elias, but you'd have to get yourself to Glennallen. I'm sure you could fly, but I'd guess you're going to spend more than you would to just rent a car. I drove around and hiked on my own for a couple weeks last summer and had a blast!

[heathen]

One thing that's worth considering is that national parks in Alaska are run with a very different attitude and offer very different challenges and opportunities than in the lower 48. With a couple exceptions, they are hard to get to and that's the point! On the other hand, the scenic quality and recreational opportunities close to the major population centers is equal to or better than most national parks elsewhere. To be totally honest, for a vacationing visitor on a budget, I would recommend flying into Anchorage and exploring Chugach State Park and Chugach National Forest (mostly on the Kenai Peninsula) which have a developed trail infrastructure and should be relatively easy to get to. I live 350 miles from Anchorage, but still get down there fairly regularly to take advantage of the world class recreation in south central. To get to the trailheads, I'd recommend introducing yourself to a couple of the hiking groups over at meetup.com. Last I checked, the Anchorage Adventurers was the biggest one, and I'm sure somebody would be willing to pick you up from an Anchorage hostel if you're, uh, worth hanging out with .

Though I'm sure you won't be disappointed with these areas, I think there's also bus service between Anchorage and Fairbanks along the Parks Highway. You can get off at the Denali Park entrance, and get on the park service buses (this is mandatory for everybody) to the trail-less hiking areas inside the park. Getting into Wrangell St. Elias might be difficult. Hitchhiking is common here in summer, and you might just give it a try if you don't look like a serial killer (though your driver might...). Again try the meetup groups, and maybe make a post over at the Alaska Outdoor Forums' hiking page. Maybe somebody else heading to McCarthy could pick you up.

From my understanding, there's no way to get into Glacier Bay without dropping a heap of cash... You have to fly to Gustavus, or start from Juneau, either way sailing in on a cruise ship / tour boat. Though I'm sure you can rent kayaks in Gustavus, you'll still have to be dropped off and there's no way that will be cheap.

In late September / October, the higher elevations are getting very snowy, it's getting ready to snow in the interior, and the rest of the state is chilly and wet. That said, if you know what to expect, that would be a great relaxing time to hang out in Haines and Skagway - once the cruise traffic has tapered off. Again, drop the assumption that all the best parts of Alaska are in the national parks!!