@miatagirl I'm a little late to see this, but I moved to Jax from the Anchorage area. I highly suggest the land visit, having lived up there, I still never get tired of the views on the Turnagain Arm. The drive (or train ride) from Anchorage to Seward is spectacular. You can take a boat tour out of Seward to see whales and get up close to glaciers, or you can kayak or hike up to them. Exit glacier is easily accessible. You can take a train from Seward as far north as Fairbanks. They have glass dome roofs to enjoy the views. Homer and Denali are also must sees. Homer is a cool little fishing town, probably best to visit in summer. Just know that road traffic is greater in summer, due to fishing season, and there is only one road back north to Anchorage. Just avoid returning north to Anchorage on a Sunday night and it shouldn't be too bad. Denali NPS runs buses into the park in Summer and Fall and you'll see a ton of caribou and bear. You can see moose just driving around Anchorage. Beluga whales in turnagain if you're lucky. I have also seen humpback whales from the shore in Seward. A flight tour is also a good idea. You can get glacial flybys and incredible views. I have not done a Denali flight tour, but I'm sure that's great. You'll find flight tours out of Talkeetna. If you're a hiker at all, I can recommend some great hikes. Note that May and June are nice, but as early as July it can start to get rainy. August can be very rainy. September I've found to be pretty nice, maybe my favorite time of year. Fall starts in August and so there is peak color in September, and by the end of September there will likely be snow on the peaks and it's a beautiful contrast. As soon as the days get short enough to have nights again, you can catch auroras borealis, another big bucket list item for people. I think September is prime for that because it's not terribly cold yet and there is enough darkness to see them. My best aurora siting was in September. There are apps to track and predict when to see them. I can also recommend. The biggest requirement will be patience and an ability to stay up very late. Sometimes they hit at 2am, sometimes 9pm, sometimes they go all night. It's best to get away from the city lights as well. I can recommend some viewing spots. Fairbanks is prime viewing, although I've not been. You can sit in Chena hot springs and watch the aurora apparently. Fairbanks is in a location that has a much higher probability of seeing the aurora on any night.

Anyway... I have tons of info to share as you can see! haha! Have a great trip! Would love to hear what you end up planning. 🙂

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