RV trip 14 nights itinerary help

[JJPCheers]

We have owned both motorhomes and travel trailers in the past.  All the RV rentals places in Anchorage will not allow you to tow a car so we are thinking we will rent a truck and trailer trailer (though private owner) so we have a vehicle to get around.  Thought on this please.  Also this is the 2nd attempt at an itinerary.  Should we add/delete anything? Are we staying too long or not long enough in each place? Any driving distances from place to place too long? The only reason we are considering swinging over to Matanuska is because I read on a TA forum that the scenery is beautiful but haven't seen anyone else mention it.  Also considering staying 2 nights instead of 3 in Denali.

Day 1 fly into Anchorage, pick up RV, get groceries then drive to Matanuska Glacier.
Day 2 Glacier Hike and Zipline
Day 3 Drive to Denali National Park - ATV tour in the afternoon
Day 4 Shuttle, bus or hike
Day 5 Dog sled and more time in the park
Day 6 Drive from Denali to Talkeetna - activity in the afternoon
Day 7 Drive to Portage - activity in the afternoon
Day 8 Drive to Seward - possible afternoon fishing trip?
Day 9 Day cruise
Day 10 Kenai National Park
Day 11 Seward to Homer
Day 12 - Bear viewing in Katmai
Day 13 Homer to Cooper Landing
Day 14 Cooper Landing back to Anchorage

[MDKMDK]

Crowe wrote:
OK, I might be crazy but I LOVED Whittier! I have a "thing" for small, seaside towns with harbors, especially working harbors. Can't explain it.

Me neither. It just works for me.

[Crowe]

OK, I might be crazy but I LOVED Whittier! I have a "thing" for small, seaside towns with harbors, especially working harbors. Can't explain it.

[PA12DRVR]

Grit dog wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

"Cool scenery at the bay there"
"nothing to do in Whittier except have lunch at one of the couple local places"
"Tunnel is cool"

Those 3 items are all good enough reasons for me.
Each to his own.:C

Fo sho. JMO, on a 2 week tour, it wouldn't make the cut for me.

Whittier's cool...but a thriving business is done at a couple of local shops selling "POW: Prisoner Of Whittier" t-shirts and hoodies. Not entirely in jest and mostly sells to the year-round local types.

[PA12DRVR]

JJPCheers wrote:
Since we will be in a truck and travel trailer we will leave the TT at the campground and take the truck out daily to activities. Since we are in a truck can we get to Independence Mine from Willow on our most updated itinerary that I posted? (The latest one is heading South first then North.

Just as a caveat, I haven't driven the Hatcher Pass road since 2018....pretty sure they haven't really improved it though.

That road is very doable in a truck>...ideally 4WD, but not needed. Hopefully, the truck is not a low-clearance cruiser: that will cause dings on fenders, rails, etc. My most recent trips over the road have been in a 4WD 2500 Chevy Silverado (2009 version) and a 4WD 2013 Toyota Sequoia. I didn't like driving on the Sequoia's soft suspension, but that was just my bias...it handled it fine. I did use 4WD on both vehicles, but that was more to avoid spraying rocks (both vehicles were unloaded / light) than for any real need.

The Willow-Independence is the rough side....a rough gravel road. FWIW, Independence - Palmer (the dirt part) while still a gravel road is more like a county road or FM / RM road in the L48.

Also FWIW, the first time I drove the road (in it's current incarnation) there were a few spots where I pulled off to the side to walk around the next curve or over the crest of the hill just to see what the road did. There were also a few spots where I wouldn't pull off due to the narrow width at those points.

It will be dusty in any case; car will get muddy if it's raining, but the road won't turn into a "mud" road.

[JJPCheers]

Since we will be in a truck and travel trailer we will leave the TT at the campground and take the truck out daily to activities. Since we are in a truck can we get to Independence Mine from Willow on our most updated itinerary that I posted? (The latest one is heading South first then North.

[Grit_dog]

PA12DRVR wrote:
A final couple of thoughts:

- Hatcher Pass goes from the "Palmer Side" to the "Willow side": Independence Mine State Park (or State Historical Site or something like that) is road accessible from the Palmer Side ONLY if traveling in an RV. The road runs Palmer - Willow but from the Independence Mine area to Willow, it is at best a car road and works better in a 4WD SUV or pickup. If one is visiting Independence Mine with only an RV as a vehicle, there will be some backtracking to go to Wasilla / Palmer, up to Independence Mine, then back to Wasilla / Palmer before returning to Willow

- Full disclosure: I've never been on the ATV tours around Knik. I fly over it all the time and in the summer regularly land the ol PA-12 on riverbars on the Knik River. That being said, an ATV tour of the Knik (based on reports from friends, seeing the trails from the air, and seeing the groups on the trails) seems to be about the best mix of accessibility, location, and activities available. Scenic country, even when raining.

- If eating in the Noisy Goose: a) right now road work has the roads torn up. If not finished by next year, be very alert for the "Noisy Goose Access here" signs. They're not at the intuitive spots; b) when in the Noisy Goose (unless it changes in 2019 / 2020, I haven't been there since 2018), take the time to look at the various photos scattered about...just a touch of the "Alaska that was" outside of the usual tourist channels.

Soory for the bad intel on Hatchers, I didn't know RVs weren't supposed to go all the way through. Neither did a bunch of other people either.
Knik Glacier on a ATV is a great experience. We went up to the glacier on our own machines and it was quite the adventure. Definitely a higher $ per experience decision though.

[Grit_dog]

MDKMDK wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

"Cool scenery at the bay there"
"nothing to do in Whittier except have lunch at one of the couple local places"
"Tunnel is cool"

Those 3 items are all good enough reasons for me.
Each to his own.:C

Fo sho. JMO, on a 2 week tour, it wouldn't make the cut for me.

[MDKMDK]

PA12DRVR wrote:
A final couple of thoughts:

- Hatcher Pass goes from the "Palmer Side" to the "Willow side": Independence Mine State Park (or State Historical Site or something like that) is road accessible from the Palmer Side ONLY if traveling in an RV. The road runs Palmer - Willow but from the Independence Mine area to Willow, it is at best a car road and works better in a 4WD SUV or pickup. If one is visiting Independence Mine with only an RV as a vehicle, there will be some backtracking to go to Wasilla / Palmer, up to Independence Mine, then back to Wasilla / Palmer before returning to Willow

- Full disclosure: I've never been on the ATV tours around Knik. I fly over it all the time and in the summer regularly land the ol PA-12 on riverbars on the Knik River. That being said, an ATV tour of the Knik (based on reports from friends, seeing the trails from the air, and seeing the groups on the trails) seems to be about the best mix of accessibility, location, and activities available. Scenic country, even when raining.

- If eating in the Noisy Goose: a) right now road work has the roads torn up. If not finished by next year, be very alert for the "Noisy Goose Access here" signs. They're not at the intuitive spots; b) when in the Noisy Goose (unless it changes in 2019 / 2020, I haven't been there since 2018), take the time to look at the various photos scattered about...just a touch of the "Alaska that was" outside of the usual tourist channels.

We drove right by it on our way back in 2016, not knowing it was a decent eatery with nostalgia. Dang!:S
We were too busy looking at the fair grounds on the other side of the road.

[PA12DRVR]

A final couple of thoughts:

- Hatcher Pass goes from the "Palmer Side" to the "Willow side": Independence Mine State Park (or State Historical Site or something like that) is road accessible from the Palmer Side ONLY if traveling in an RV. The road runs Palmer - Willow but from the Independence Mine area to Willow, it is at best a car road and works better in a 4WD SUV or pickup. If one is visiting Independence Mine with only an RV as a vehicle, there will be some backtracking to go to Wasilla / Palmer, up to Independence Mine, then back to Wasilla / Palmer before returning to Willow

- Full disclosure: I've never been on the ATV tours around Knik. I fly over it all the time and in the summer regularly land the ol PA-12 on riverbars on the Knik River. That being said, an ATV tour of the Knik (based on reports from friends, seeing the trails from the air, and seeing the groups on the trails) seems to be about the best mix of accessibility, location, and activities available. Scenic country, even when raining.

- If eating in the Noisy Goose: a) right now road work has the roads torn up. If not finished by next year, be very alert for the "Noisy Goose Access here" signs. They're not at the intuitive spots; b) when in the Noisy Goose (unless it changes in 2019 / 2020, I haven't been there since 2018), take the time to look at the various photos scattered about...just a touch of the "Alaska that was" outside of the usual tourist channels.

[Crowe]

Day 1 - July 10 – Fly into Anchorage - get truck – Embassy Suites by Hilton

Excellent hotel choice. We just stayed there in August. Head's up there will be some street noise as it is a city hotel-the CPAP machine will probably drown it out. Hotel breakfast is pretty good but if you want a waffle don't take one from the ready-made pile-have it cooked to order. I still consider your itinerary a lot ambitious but enjoy!

With the caveat that I've been up close and personal with bears as much as I want and that I don't understand the general fascination with bear viewing, Katmai (that area in general) is THE place to go for bear viewing.

You answered your own question. YOU have been up close and personal with bears-not everyone has been that lucky. They are magnificent, beautiful but intimidating creatures that most of us will only see by doing the bear-viewing outings. I have seen black bears, brown bears, grizzlies and Kodiaks, some via bear-viewing platforms, some just in my travels in the outdoors. All of been rewarding and exciting. If all goes well my bucket list item of seeing North American polar bears in the wild will be fulfilled next year. No viewing platform, just a boat.

Have been to Katmai-you'll love it.

[MDKMDK]

PA12DRVR wrote:
As I follow it the current itinerary is:

Day 1 fly into Anchorage, pick up RV, get groceries then drive to Matanuska Glacier. – Glacier hike and zipline –micaguides.com
Day 2 Drive to Talkeetna – shopping/lunch
Day 3 Drive to Denali National Park – Denali Grizzy Bear Campgound- need reservations- ATV tour in the afternoon
Day 4 Shuttle, bus or hike
Day 5 Drive from Denali to Wasilla or Willow- snowhookadvenures.com (dog sledding)
Day 6 Drive to Portage/Girwood – 26 glaciers boat tour
Day 7 Drive to Seward - possible afternoon fishing trip?
Day 8 Day cruise Kenai National Park
Day 9 Seward to Homer
Day 10 Alaskabearviewing.com in Katmai
Day 11 Fishing trip/walk around town
Day 12 Homer to Cooper Landing (Kanai Princess RV Park-need reservation and hike to Russian River falls to see salmon spawning upsteam and fishing with a license)
Day 13 Cooper Landing back to Anchorage

Thoughts from someone that drives to all of these places (full disclosure, I usually zip right by Cooper Landing) on a regular basis:
- If the OP is at all physically active, I highly recommend that Matanuska Glacier hike: MICA (whom I've used enough to have a family discount :@) offers a 3-hour trip that's fairly basic but it's a hike on a glacier and particularly if the weather's good, great mountain scenery
- it's an honest 2 hours from my house in South Anchorage to the MICA turn-off. I always plan 3 hours and if I have 4, I'll stop and see the sights along the way. ....and that's in a car. It might be a tight trip to pickup the RV, get groceries, drive to MICA...and get there early enough to do the Glacier Hike and the zipline (both are in different locations)
- I'd figure 4 hours in an RV to drive from Matanuska to Talkeetna, possibly more (much more!) depending on Wasilla-area traffic and construction on the Parks Highway
- Denali to Willow/Wasilla is a fairly easy drive..but planning the drive and an activity for the same day puts some stress on time. Not sure (for this day or others) that it's a good idea to book a significant drive AND an activity on the same day. Summer traffic and construction makes the driving time for many segments a **** shoot.
-The 26 Glacier Cruise is out of Whittier, which is essentially at the Portage Turnoff but there's the tunnel factor which sets the critical path for timing. They recommend making the 10:30 tunnel opening for the 12:30 boat departure....it can be done by making the 11:30 tunnel opening, but I don't recommend that
- Whittier - Seward: 2 hours or so. You'll exit the Whittier Tunnel (coming out) about 6:15 p.m. or so, depending if there's a train that interferes. I'd consider going to Seward that night.
- The Kenai Fjords tour is great.
- Depending, somewhat, on the time of year, a fishing trip from Homer is likely an all-day event.
- Keep your eyes open in Homer: you might see the cast from "Alaska the Last Frontier" if they happen to drive (on the well-maintained all-season road) the 10-15 miles into town where they can buy groceries, supplies, etc just in time to hide those supplies from view while the show is being filmed.
- Seward to Homer is a significant drive: If memory serves, 38 + 60 + 75 = 170-ish miles? When calculating trips through Alaska where there are small towns, rough roads, or tourist traffic, netting 50 miles per hour is a great target.
- I don't get the attraction of Cooper Landing unless one is taking a drift boat on the Kenai or getting dropped off to fish reds. That being said, staying in Cooper Landing (assuming time works out) beats staying at an RV park in Los Anchorage.

Some non-specific points:

- With the caveat that I've been up close and personal with bears as much as I want and that I don't understand the general fascination with bear viewing, Katmai (that area in general) is THE place to go for bear viewing. The last time I looked for commercial flights (vs. going along with my buddy) I recall pricing from $800 - $1600 (from Anchorage, it will be cheaper, I think from Homer). Go with as expensive a trip as you can...they just work out better.
- If the Katmai thing is important, that will drive the time of year you should schedule your trip....and along those lines, do the research and find the best trip you can afford and build your itinerary around that. By the way, NOW is not too soon to be booking for next summer, particularly if there's any interest in staying overnight in one of the high-end lodges at Katmai.

- As the previous comments have said, this is a do-able but ambitious itinerary. My concern would be the number of days that are scheduled for a drive AND an activity in the same day. It might be worth considering a reduced set of activities to be put on the list for the next trip....jus' sayin'.

Thanks for sharing your expertise and opinions. They matter.:)

[zb39]

Looks like a great trip. we went in 03, drove up and back from PA in 5 weeks. Spent 13 days in state.
We moved as fast as you are planning. It's what you do when your not retired.

[JJPCheers]

This is the final itinerary included with all campgrounds with hookups (hubby needs CPAP at night) and activities. Hope the driving time in between each place is not too long. Don't mind one day having a 5 hour drive.

Day 1 - July 10 – Fly into Anchorage - get truck – Embassy Suites by Hilton
Day 2 -July 11- Drive to Sterling 2 ½ hours to pick RV – Fish with the hosts – Drive to Homer 2 hours – Alaskan Heritage RV Park
Day 3 -July 12 – Get groceries – walk around town
Day 4 - July 13 – Alaskanbearviewing.com to Katmai
Day 5 -July 14 – Drive to Seward – Seward Waterfront RV Park – afternoon activity
Day 6 – July 15 – Bear glacier kayaking adventure tour with jet boat transport
Day 7 – July 16 – Drive to Portage – Portage Valley Cabins and RV Park – Alaska wildlife conservation center
Day 8 – July 17- Drive to Willow – Willow Creek Resort Campground – snowhookadventures.com
Day 9 – July 18 – Willow – Independence mine, Hatcher Pass
Day 10 – July 19 – Drive to Denali National Park – Denali Grizzly Bear Campground – Denaliatv.com wilderness adventure 1pm, 3pm, 5pm or 7pm or Raftdenali.com – Upper Nenana scenic wilderness run 2pm or 6pm
Day 11 – July 20 – Shuttle into Denali National Park or Denali highway jeep excursion
Day 12 – July 21 –Drive to Talkeetna – Talkeetna Camper Park – shop/lunch
Day 13 – July 22 – Drive to Palmer – Big Bear RV Park – Glacier Hike and Zipline – micaguides.com
Day 14– July 23 – Palmer – musk ox farm, palmer visitor info center, Alaska back country adventure ATV tours to knix glacier(youralaskavation.com) or Alaskaglacierexperience.net, noisy goose café, reindeer farm
Day 15 – July 24– Drive to Cooper Landing – Keani Princess RV Park – Russian River Falls
Day 16- July 25- Drop Off RV in Sterling – Drive to Airport in Anchorage

[PA12DRVR]

As I follow it the current itinerary is:

Day 1 fly into Anchorage, pick up RV, get groceries then drive to Matanuska Glacier. – Glacier hike and zipline –micaguides.com
Day 2 Drive to Talkeetna – shopping/lunch
Day 3 Drive to Denali National Park – Denali Grizzy Bear Campgound- need reservations- ATV tour in the afternoon
Day 4 Shuttle, bus or hike
Day 5 Drive from Denali to Wasilla or Willow- snowhookadvenures.com (dog sledding)
Day 6 Drive to Portage/Girwood – 26 glaciers boat tour
Day 7 Drive to Seward - possible afternoon fishing trip?
Day 8 Day cruise Kenai National Park
Day 9 Seward to Homer
Day 10 Alaskabearviewing.com in Katmai
Day 11 Fishing trip/walk around town
Day 12 Homer to Cooper Landing (Kanai Princess RV Park-need reservation and hike to Russian River falls to see salmon spawning upsteam and fishing with a license)
Day 13 Cooper Landing back to Anchorage

Thoughts from someone that drives to all of these places (full disclosure, I usually zip right by Cooper Landing) on a regular basis:
- If the OP is at all physically active, I highly recommend that Matanuska Glacier hike: MICA (whom I've used enough to have a family discount :@) offers a 3-hour trip that's fairly basic but it's a hike on a glacier and particularly if the weather's good, great mountain scenery
- it's an honest 2 hours from my house in South Anchorage to the MICA turn-off. I always plan 3 hours and if I have 4, I'll stop and see the sights along the way. ....and that's in a car. It might be a tight trip to pickup the RV, get groceries, drive to MICA...and get there early enough to do the Glacier Hike and the zipline (both are in different locations)
- I'd figure 4 hours in an RV to drive from Matanuska to Talkeetna, possibly more (much more!) depending on Wasilla-area traffic and construction on the Parks Highway
- Denali to Willow/Wasilla is a fairly easy drive..but planning the drive and an activity for the same day puts some stress on time. Not sure (for this day or others) that it's a good idea to book a significant drive AND an activity on the same day. Summer traffic and construction makes the driving time for many segments a **** shoot.
-The 26 Glacier Cruise is out of Whittier, which is essentially at the Portage Turnoff but there's the tunnel factor which sets the critical path for timing. They recommend making the 10:30 tunnel opening for the 12:30 boat departure....it can be done by making the 11:30 tunnel opening, but I don't recommend that
- Whittier - Seward: 2 hours or so. You'll exit the Whittier Tunnel (coming out) about 6:15 p.m. or so, depending if there's a train that interferes. I'd consider going to Seward that night.
- The Kenai Fjords tour is great.
- Depending, somewhat, on the time of year, a fishing trip from Homer is likely an all-day event.
- Keep your eyes open in Homer: you might see the cast from "Alaska the Last Frontier" if they happen to drive (on the well-maintained all-season road) the 10-15 miles into town where they can buy groceries, supplies, etc just in time to hide those supplies from view while the show is being filmed.
- Seward to Homer is a significant drive: If memory serves, 38 + 60 + 75 = 170-ish miles? When calculating trips through Alaska where there are small towns, rough roads, or tourist traffic, netting 50 miles per hour is a great target.
- I don't get the attraction of Cooper Landing unless one is taking a drift boat on the Kenai or getting dropped off to fish reds. That being said, staying in Cooper Landing (assuming time works out) beats staying at an RV park in Los Anchorage.

Some non-specific points:

- With the caveat that I've been up close and personal with bears as much as I want and that I don't understand the general fascination with bear viewing, Katmai (that area in general) is THE place to go for bear viewing. The last time I looked for commercial flights (vs. going along with my buddy) I recall pricing from $800 - $1600 (from Anchorage, it will be cheaper, I think from Homer). Go with as expensive a trip as you can...they just work out better.
- If the Katmai thing is important, that will drive the time of year you should schedule your trip....and along those lines, do the research and find the best trip you can afford and build your itinerary around that. By the way, NOW is not too soon to be booking for next summer, particularly if there's any interest in staying overnight in one of the high-end lodges at Katmai.

- As the previous comments have said, this is a do-able but ambitious itinerary. My concern would be the number of days that are scheduled for a drive AND an activity in the same day. It might be worth considering a reduced set of activities to be put on the list for the next trip....jus' sayin'.