RV trip 14 nights itinerary help

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.