Please help! Alaska itinerary for RV newbie.
RV newbie here, planning a family trip of 6 (kids aged 12 to 14) to Alaska in August. Below is our tentative itinerary. It has a couple of long drive days, but appreciate feedback if this seems reason...
Forum Discussion
So, a few comments, take them as opinion and FWIW:
- You mentioned budget; to me that means prioritize:
- I suppose it is interesting to see Musk Ox, but going to the Musk Ox farm, one will see those animals behind a fence.....not worth the time in my view;
- Ziplining can be done almost anywhere in the U.S...skip the zipline and save the $$ for something else unless the teens absolutely need the distraction
- Girdwood is a great break from Anchorage, but unless you've planned an evening wherein you dine at the Seven Glaciers (atop the mountain) it's not worth stopping other than for gas and a meal
- For the typical sightseeing activities (and/or fishing) Seward and Homer are about equal (IMNSHO).....the shorter time to get to Seward should tip the balance toward Seward if given the choice
- At the Wildlife center in Portage, one can see bears, moose, elk, etc.....it is not anything close to wilderness and it's just Northern animals in a zoo. Worth the time and $$, but don't expect it to be more than it is.
- This whole post is of course, opinion, but real opinion follows:
- I'd skip the Anchorage Museum: Only part of it is devoted to "Alaska" stuff and, while that is pretty interesting, it's not worth a day in Anchorage on your short itinerary
- I'd also skip the Native Heritage center....lots of reasons, but again, not worth a day's delay in my view; you might find it interesting if you'll be staying in Anchorage anyway.
- Recognize it's heresy on this forum, but unless you're going to actually take a multi-day trip away from the roads, I've always thought that camping in Denali was overrated....stay in Talkeetna and take a flightseeing trip instead: more spectacular scenery, less issues with crowds, and if there isn't wildlife in Valley 1, just pop over to Valley 2.
- With a short time frame, I think I'd split time between Seward and Talkeetna and save time and $$ to do either boat rides or flightseeing from those locations
- Your time is too short in general, but, if it was me, I wouldn't skip the day in Seattle. Take a ferry trip or a sightseeeing tour in Puget Sound or Lake Washington as a "warm up" for Alaska; enjoy downtown Seattle; visit the Filson store; visit the harbor; Seattle in the summer is a great place to spend a day.
- FWIW, if you do get into Los Anchorage at 2:00 a.m. and your RV rental is accomodating, it will take about 2/3 the time to drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. as it would take between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 pm....depending only slightly on the day.
- You mentioned budget; to me that means prioritize:
- I suppose it is interesting to see Musk Ox, but going to the Musk Ox farm, one will see those animals behind a fence.....not worth the time in my view;
- Ziplining can be done almost anywhere in the U.S...skip the zipline and save the $$ for something else unless the teens absolutely need the distraction
- Girdwood is a great break from Anchorage, but unless you've planned an evening wherein you dine at the Seven Glaciers (atop the mountain) it's not worth stopping other than for gas and a meal
- For the typical sightseeing activities (and/or fishing) Seward and Homer are about equal (IMNSHO).....the shorter time to get to Seward should tip the balance toward Seward if given the choice
- At the Wildlife center in Portage, one can see bears, moose, elk, etc.....it is not anything close to wilderness and it's just Northern animals in a zoo. Worth the time and $$, but don't expect it to be more than it is.
- This whole post is of course, opinion, but real opinion follows:
- I'd skip the Anchorage Museum: Only part of it is devoted to "Alaska" stuff and, while that is pretty interesting, it's not worth a day in Anchorage on your short itinerary
- I'd also skip the Native Heritage center....lots of reasons, but again, not worth a day's delay in my view; you might find it interesting if you'll be staying in Anchorage anyway.
- Recognize it's heresy on this forum, but unless you're going to actually take a multi-day trip away from the roads, I've always thought that camping in Denali was overrated....stay in Talkeetna and take a flightseeing trip instead: more spectacular scenery, less issues with crowds, and if there isn't wildlife in Valley 1, just pop over to Valley 2.
- With a short time frame, I think I'd split time between Seward and Talkeetna and save time and $$ to do either boat rides or flightseeing from those locations
- Your time is too short in general, but, if it was me, I wouldn't skip the day in Seattle. Take a ferry trip or a sightseeeing tour in Puget Sound or Lake Washington as a "warm up" for Alaska; enjoy downtown Seattle; visit the Filson store; visit the harbor; Seattle in the summer is a great place to spend a day.
- FWIW, if you do get into Los Anchorage at 2:00 a.m. and your RV rental is accomodating, it will take about 2/3 the time to drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. as it would take between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 pm....depending only slightly on the day.
