@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. 🙂
@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. 🙂
What a great set of tips you provided. Thanks, @intrepidfrog! Hopefully your other post about being new in Jacksonville will provide as much value to you as you just provided to this post! 🙂
I guess I had better put Alaska on my tentative travel schedule since there are so many more things to see than I was able to when there a few years back.
@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. 🙂
Hi! I think @intrepidfrog gave an excellent summary of things to do in south-central Alaska. I don't really have anything additional to add at this point, but just wanted to relay that I was born and raised in the Anchorage area, and lived there (Anchorage, Eagle River, and Wasilla) from 1963 until 1990. My entire family is still living in that area, and I visit the state almost every year, so if you want any more specific information about places to visit, feel free to let me know!
We just got back from a land trip to Alaska, and I'd highly recommend it. We went to Seward and did a half-day boat trip out of Resurrection Bay, saw the Exit Glacier, and spent the morning with Seavey's sled dogs (multi-year winners of the Iditarod). We then drove to Soldotna where we spent three nights and did two half-day fishing trips, which were great for seeing wildlife. After one of the fishing trips, we drove to Homer and spent a few hours. We then drove up to Talkeetna and did a fly out around Mount Denali and landed on one of the glaciers in Little Switzerland. Very memorable trip, and I would recommend it to anyone.
I wanted to follow-up RE: my original post. We did in fact travel to Alaska in early July of this year. It was wonderful!
We planned 8 days on land using your advice, Trip Advisor and friends input. We used VRBO for most of our lodging needs and were very satisfied. Our first four days were in the Denali area. We enjoyed hiking and taking in lots of sights. We had hoped to see Denali but by day 3 things weren't looking good. Fortunately on day 4 the skies opened up and we took our pre-arranged flight to view the mountain - it was FABULOUS!!! While in Denali we saw Grizzly with her cubs, moose and lots of other animals. We spent time in Whittier and Seward areas as well. Exit Glacier, water excursion etc. We boarded a cruise ship in Seward and sailed for 8 days ending in Vancouver. While on the ship we arranged for two excursions. The Tracy Arm Fjord and White Summit Rail - both were great in their own unique ways!! In Vancouver we rented a car and drove to Seattle where we had a quick visit with family. We were gone a total of 17 days. We compared notes with friends of ours who had just completed an 8 day cruise with 3 days on land (via the cruise line). They were envious of all we had done and the much more reasonable cost of ours vs. the tour they purchased. Thank you to everyone for your input!!
I wanted to follow-up RE: my original post. We did in fact travel to Alaska in early July of this year. It was wonderful!
We planned 8 days on land using your advice, Trip Advisor and friends input. We used VRBO for most of our lodging needs and were very satisfied. Our first four days were in the Denali area. We enjoyed hiking and taking in lots of sights. We had hoped to see Denali but by day 3 things weren't looking good. Fortunately on day 4 the skies opened up and we took our pre-arranged flight to view the mountain - it was FABULOUS!!! While in Denali we saw Grizzly with her cubs, moose and lots of other animals. We spent time in Whittier and Seward areas as well. Exit Glacier, water excursion etc. We boarded a cruise ship in Seward and sailed for 8 days ending in Vancouver. While on the ship we arranged for two excursions. The Tracy Arm Fjord and White Summit Rail - both were great in their own unique ways!! In Vancouver we rented a car and drove to Seattle where we had a quick visit with family. We were gone a total of 17 days. We compared notes with friends of ours who had just completed an 8 day cruise with 3 days on land (via the cruise line). They were envious of all we had done and the much more reasonable cost of ours vs. the tour they purchased. Thank you to everyone for your input!!
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Thanks for all the great info! We are thinking we will do land on our own and then a cruise following. Appreciate any other tips you have!
@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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2 ReactionsWhat a great set of tips you provided. Thanks, @intrepidfrog! Hopefully your other post about being new in Jacksonville will provide as much value to you as you just provided to this post! 🙂
I guess I had better put Alaska on my tentative travel schedule since there are so many more things to see than I was able to when there a few years back.
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1 ReactionHi! I think @intrepidfrog gave an excellent summary of things to do in south-central Alaska. I don't really have anything additional to add at this point, but just wanted to relay that I was born and raised in the Anchorage area, and lived there (Anchorage, Eagle River, and Wasilla) from 1963 until 1990. My entire family is still living in that area, and I visit the state almost every year, so if you want any more specific information about places to visit, feel free to let me know!
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2 ReactionsWe just got back from a land trip to Alaska, and I'd highly recommend it. We went to Seward and did a half-day boat trip out of Resurrection Bay, saw the Exit Glacier, and spent the morning with Seavey's sled dogs (multi-year winners of the Iditarod). We then drove to Soldotna where we spent three nights and did two half-day fishing trips, which were great for seeing wildlife. After one of the fishing trips, we drove to Homer and spent a few hours. We then drove up to Talkeetna and did a fly out around Mount Denali and landed on one of the glaciers in Little Switzerland. Very memorable trip, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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1 ReactionI wanted to follow-up RE: my original post. We did in fact travel to Alaska in early July of this year. It was wonderful!
We planned 8 days on land using your advice, Trip Advisor and friends input. We used VRBO for most of our lodging needs and were very satisfied. Our first four days were in the Denali area. We enjoyed hiking and taking in lots of sights. We had hoped to see Denali but by day 3 things weren't looking good. Fortunately on day 4 the skies opened up and we took our pre-arranged flight to view the mountain - it was FABULOUS!!! While in Denali we saw Grizzly with her cubs, moose and lots of other animals. We spent time in Whittier and Seward areas as well. Exit Glacier, water excursion etc. We boarded a cruise ship in Seward and sailed for 8 days ending in Vancouver. While on the ship we arranged for two excursions. The Tracy Arm Fjord and White Summit Rail - both were great in their own unique ways!! In Vancouver we rented a car and drove to Seattle where we had a quick visit with family. We were gone a total of 17 days. We compared notes with friends of ours who had just completed an 8 day cruise with 3 days on land (via the cruise line). They were envious of all we had done and the much more reasonable cost of ours vs. the tour they purchased. Thank you to everyone for your input!!
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1 ReactionFantastic!! Glad to hear you had such a great time and I love the photos. Thanks for sharing. I'm jealous too! 🙂