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Old 07-09-2011, 11:59 PM
 
Location: interior Alaska
6,895 posts, read 5,881,911 times
Reputation: 23410

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I'd much appreciate you all drawing on your stores of experience to recommend the best things to do and see in/around the following places, and the spaces between them:

Denali Highway
Cantwell
Girdwood
Whittier
Seward
Homer
Kodiak

I did some searches, but anything you'd like to add to previous comments would be great

Last edited by Frostnip; 07-10-2011 at 12:44 AM..
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Old 07-10-2011, 04:03 AM
 
Location: Naptowne, Alaska
15,603 posts, read 39,879,429 times
Reputation: 14891
Ride the Tram in Girdwood, have lunch on the spit in Homer, take the short hike up to Exit Glacier in Seward and maybe see the Sealife Center in Seward, maybe the wildlife cruise out of Whittier or Seward.
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Old 07-10-2011, 08:24 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
1,786 posts, read 2,883,402 times
Reputation: 898
Default Geez... can I come?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostnip View Post
I'd much appreciate you all drawing on your stores of experience to recommend the best things to do and see in/around the following places, and the spaces between them:

Denali Highway
Cantwell
Girdwood
Whittier
Seward
Homer
Kodiak

I did some searches, but anything you'd like to add to previous comments would be great
I love Rance's answers... sounds like a great adventure... would love to come too ... have a great Sunday Frost...
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Old 07-10-2011, 10:12 AM
 
Location: Valdez, Alaska
2,758 posts, read 5,298,931 times
Reputation: 2806
In Seward, hike all the way up to the icefield. Definitely worth it.
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Old 07-10-2011, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
17,823 posts, read 23,487,142 times
Reputation: 6541
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostnip View Post
I'd much appreciate you all drawing on your stores of experience to recommend the best things to do and see in/around the following places, and the spaces between them:

Denali Highway
Cantwell
Girdwood
Whittier
Seward
Homer
Kodiak

I did some searches, but anything you'd like to add to previous comments would be great
I would expand upon some of Rance's suggestions. Take the tram at Girdwood, but also plan on eating dinner at the Seven Glacier's restaurant at the top of Mount Alyeska. It is definitely one of the best restaurants in the state, and the view cannot be beat (the tram ride is free if you have reservations at the restaurant).

Just south of Girdwood is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which is always good for a few close-up photographs of Alaskan critters.

A little trip to the Portage Glacier and information center may be something you enjoy.

On your way to Seward, stop and check out Exit Glacier. It is a land-locked glacier about 10 miles north of Seward.

Since you will be driving through Cooper Landing, the Princess Lodge is another a nice place to stop and have a meal, or to just rest up after a long drive.

If you are interested in a little Alaskan history, there are some very nice Russian Orthodox churches and other structures in Kenai and Ninilchik, which are on your way to Homer.

If you are planning on a wildlife cruise out of Whittier, I highly recommend the 26 Glacier Cruise from Phillips Cruises, specifically the catamaran called the "Klondike". It is much faster and far more stable than single-hulled vessels. Which means you will get to the locations before the other cruises, and be able to stay longer at those locations. The entire cruise takes about 4 or 5 hours and begins early in the morning around 7:00 AM.

Last edited by Glitch; 07-10-2011 at 10:53 AM..
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Old 07-10-2011, 02:31 PM
 
326 posts, read 872,990 times
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If you have the time, riding the bus through Denali NP is very worthwhile. Otherwise, just drive your car to the Savage River checkpoint and back. You'll still get a feel for some of what makes Denali special. There are a number of places to hike off the park road, so take your time and explore.

In Girdwood, the Winner Creek Trail is top notch. You access it from the Alyeska hotel.

If it isn't raining - which you can't count on - I think the Portage Valley area is one of the coolest places in the state. There are a lot of easy trails and the scenery is beautiful. The visitor center is worth a stop if you like that kind of thing.

Outside Seward, the Harding Icefield Trail is exceptional. If you don't have time - or want something easier - you can go just a little way up the trail and get a different view of Exit Glacier.

Whittier is okay if you want to take a boat tour there instead of in Seward. Otherwise it is expendable.
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Old 07-11-2011, 10:30 AM
 
Location: Ashburn, VA
989 posts, read 2,858,951 times
Reputation: 655
In Seward, I would highly recommend a cruise! We took a 7.5 hour cruise through Major Marine (with a discount coupon from Alaska Toursaver) and it was AWESOME!

In the Portage Valley, if you're camping, definitely stay at Williwaw campground. It was so beautiful we stayed there twice! We loved the Portage valley area. We enjoyed the Portage glacier cruise also.

We drove to Whittier- in on one tunnel opening and out when the tunnel opened the other direction. Definitely not worth it in my opinion. We were planning on sticking around to try and find somewhere to eat there but the RV parking is really far from the main part of the town on the worst parking lot we saw in Alaska (and, yes, we drove the Denali Hwy).

We went "gold panning" at the Crow Creek Mine in Girdwood. It was kitschy and fun.

On the way to Homer, find the road in the Anchor Point area to be the farthest west on any road system in North America- cute little photo op with beautiful views of the volcanos across the inlet.

If it's salmon running time, get a day pass at the Russian River campground and hike the fishing path- we saw 6 black bears when we were there. Always be bear aware!

Homer was very pretty but we found it to be very expensive. We were going to eat dinner there (come on- Halibut capital of the world!) but just couldn't justify the restaurant prices, so we had PB&J's in the RV...

We camped at Tangle Lakes campground on the Denali Hwy. Beautiful lake and we saw a moose there.

Denali Hwy was beautiful but it took over 5 hrs in an RV. Wouldn't recommend if you're going to be in an RV.

We loved the 11 hour Wonder Lake shuttle bus trip into Denali NP. Didn't see as many animals as I thought we would but the mountain was out so that was great. And 11 hours really seemed to fly by.
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Old 07-11-2011, 10:39 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
2,795 posts, read 5,627,726 times
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I'd suggest a visit to the Trip Advisor forums for suggestions. Alaska Forum, Travel Discussion for Alaska - TripAdvisor
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Old 07-11-2011, 12:50 PM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,190,644 times
Reputation: 13901
Stop in Talkeetna and take a Mahay's Riverboat Tour to Hell's Canyon...









Denali Highway takes forever to drive through, but totally worth it.















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Old 07-11-2011, 01:09 PM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
2,795 posts, read 5,627,726 times
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I like the Alaska Wildlife Coservation Center at Portage. I like the glacier cruises out of Whittier.
In Kodiak, rent a car and head out the road to Pasagshak. Black Sand Beach & Fossil Beach are awesome.
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