Tell me about cruising to Alaska

Slight change of topic...

Has anyone planned a land-only tour of Alaska recently? I'm thinking of doing one next summer with my kids, and it is pretty daunting. I have compiled several things I would like to see and do, and it looks manageable, but there is just so much, and things are just so spread out...

We have been to Alaska over 15 times in the past 20 years (our son & his family live there) & we have traveled much of the state. A lot depends upon how much time you have to travel about. What are your "must-sees" and "must dos"? What are you interested in doing while there? Hiking? Fishing? Boat tours?

Everyone wants to go to Denali ... and understandably so! If you're planning on going there, I suggest taking one of the shuttle buses into the park and not a tour ... shuttle buses are not really on a tight schedule like the tours are (shuttle buses stop for backpackers/hikers & let people off at various places to hike/backpack) ... shuttle buses run to various points in the park and then turn around & head back to the visitor center ... for a really LONG trip you'd go to Wonder Lake (just about the end of the road ... Kantishna is beyond that but is a private in holding with lodging).

We love the Kenai ... Homer was fun (halibut fishing, hiking, boat tour), Seward is fun (hiking, boat tour), Valdez is pretty cool, especially the road in/out of there (and you will understand why avalanches often isolate the town in winter).

Anchorage is pretty much like any other large city except that it's surrounded by beautiful mountains ... but the least expensive place to fly into.

Fairbanks is interesting, some touristy stuff to be found there of course. Venture out of town to Chena Hot Springs for something different (about 60 miles one way from F'banks at the end of Chena Hot Springs road, of course). Chances are good that you'll see some wildlife along the way to the Hot Springs. There are some age limitations for the actual hot springs but they do have an indoor pool & hot tubs. You could arrange for a tour up the Dalton Hwy from F'banks, maybe going just as far as the Yukon River - most rental car companies won't let you drive their cars on the Dalton or the Denali Hwy, so be aware of that.

There's an Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks ... lots of helpful staff and information at both places. Be aware that the Anchorage one is in a Federal building & you have to go though metal detectors, etc., to get in there (I believe it's a courthouse so that's why) ... the F'banks APLIC is in the Morris Visitor Center "downtown" and is easy to find, park, & get in and out of (my DIL is the lead park ranger there).

Skagway & Haines are on the road system so you can drive to them ... but it's about a 12 hour drive to Skagway from F'banks and you pass in/out of Canada. We have not been to Haines yet. We've been to Skagway & I backpacked the Chilkoot Trail with my son there. The White Pass & Yukon RR is there and is a pretty neat ride.

Talkeetna is a must see stop ... and you can take plane rides to see Denali up close, land on a glacier, etc.

We have cruised once ... gave us a chance to see that part of Alaska ... visited Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway on that trip. Kayaked in Ketchikan, walked around Juneau (it's all hills so be prepared!) & found some really cool out of the way things to see. We are considering using the ferry system to visit Sitka and maybe a couple other towns along the way.

Our son & family have taken the ferry to Cordova a few times ... they like it there.

We have not been to Wrangell-St. Elias yet either. On our list for sure. The road in/out of there is rough as it follows an old RR bed ... lots of stories of tire punctures from old RR spikes, etc. If you're adventurous you can take a flightseeing tour of the area or even schedule a back country trip through Wrangell Air (they'll drop you off at some remote location, pick you back up a few days later).

The Richardson Hwy is scenic but amenities are few and far between along the way. However getting to Summit Lake in the summer to find it covered in snow & ice is quite spectacular!

Enjoy your adventure!!!
 
Our family just completed hosted HAL land and sea excursion. We flew into Anchorage, Train to denali for 3 days; bus to Fairbanks for a day; flew from FB to Dawson City; bus to parts of Yukon and finally train into Skagway where we boarded the Volendam and cruised Glacier Bay, port stop at Ketchikan and inside passage to Vancouver. You will need passports for Canada but our group encountered no issues.

Had an 8 hour excursion into Denali park and saw spectacular views and wildlife life such as mama bear and her cubs; fox and her kits, and eagles. When we went hiking encountered moose and beaver. Whitewater rafting; pontoon float boating down Yukon River; museums; and spectacular views were some of our high points.

Good luck on your planning.
 
We have been to Alaska over 15 times in the past 20 years (our son & his family live there) & we have traveled much of the state. A lot depends upon how much time you have to travel about. What are your "must-sees" and "must dos"? What are you interested in doing while there? Hiking? Fishing? Boat tours?

Everyone wants to go to Denali ... and understandably so! If you're planning on going there, I suggest taking one of the shuttle buses into the park and not a tour ... shuttle buses are not really on a tight schedule like the tours are (shuttle buses stop for backpackers/hikers & let people off at various places to hike/backpack) ... shuttle buses run to various points in the park and then turn around & head back to the visitor center ... for a really LONG trip you'd go to Wonder Lake (just about the end of the road ... Kantishna is beyond that but is a private in holding with lodging).

We love the Kenai ... Homer was fun (halibut fishing, hiking, boat tour), Seward is fun (hiking, boat tour), Valdez is pretty cool, especially the road in/out of there (and you will understand why avalanches often isolate the town in winter).

Anchorage is pretty much like any other large city except that it's surrounded by beautiful mountains ... but the least expensive place to fly into.

Fairbanks is interesting, some touristy stuff to be found there of course. Venture out of town to Chena Hot Springs for something different (about 60 miles one way from F'banks at the end of Chena Hot Springs road, of course). Chances are good that you'll see some wildlife along the way to the Hot Springs. There are some age limitations for the actual hot springs but they do have an indoor pool & hot tubs. You could arrange for a tour up the Dalton Hwy from F'banks, maybe going just as far as the Yukon River - most rental car companies won't let you drive their cars on the Dalton or the Denali Hwy, so be aware of that.

There's an Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks ... lots of helpful staff and information at both places. Be aware that the Anchorage one is in a Federal building & you have to go though metal detectors, etc., to get in there (I believe it's a courthouse so that's why) ... the F'banks APLIC is in the Morris Visitor Center "downtown" and is easy to find, park, & get in and out of (my DIL is the lead park ranger there).

Skagway & Haines are on the road system so you can drive to them ... but it's about a 12 hour drive to Skagway from F'banks and you pass in/out of Canada. We have not been to Haines yet. We've been to Skagway & I backpacked the Chilkoot Trail with my son there. The White Pass & Yukon RR is there and is a pretty neat ride.

Talkeetna is a must see stop ... and you can take plane rides to see Denali up close, land on a glacier, etc.

We have cruised once ... gave us a chance to see that part of Alaska ... visited Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway on that trip. Kayaked in Ketchikan, walked around Juneau (it's all hills so be prepared!) & found some really cool out of the way things to see. We are considering using the ferry system to visit Sitka and maybe a couple other towns along the way.

Our son & family have taken the ferry to Cordova a few times ... they like it there.

We have not been to Wrangell-St. Elias yet either. On our list for sure. The road in/out of there is rough as it follows an old RR bed ... lots of stories of tire punctures from old RR spikes, etc. If you're adventurous you can take a flightseeing tour of the area or even schedule a back country trip through Wrangell Air (they'll drop you off at some remote location, pick you back up a few days later).

The Richardson Hwy is scenic but amenities are few and far between along the way. However getting to Summit Lake in the summer to find it covered in snow & ice is quite spectacular!

Enjoy your adventure!!!
Thanks @adkkev! I'm still in the early stages of my planning, but if it is okay with you, I may PM you in the near future.
 

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