Alaska
Alaska, known as the Last Frontier, is a non-contiguous state of the United States of America. It borders Canada and is the most northwestern part of the USA. It is known for its unparalleled natural beauty and incredible outdoor activities. From icy fjords, calving glaciers, majestic wildlife, towering mountains, crystal lakes, fantastic hiking, fishing and outdoor activities you will be mesmerized by all this state has to offer.
Getting to Alaska
The two largest airports for land travel in Alaska are the Ted Stephens Anchorage Airport (ANC) and the Fairbanks Airport (FAI). I highly encourage you to look at both as options. When we went it was not only cheaper to fly in and out of Fairbanks but the rental car was half the price from Fairbanks.
Getting around
This itinerary is a driving tour so renting a car is a must. If you do not want to rent a car there are other ways to get around especially between Denali, Seward and Anchorage. To see the awe-inspiring glaciers you will need to do some boat tours and they are totally worth it. If you want to visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park check with your rental car agent as most don’t allow driving down that road which is why we did the Kennicott Shuttle in and out of the park. There are also National Parks and other areas that are only accessed via small planes. The southeastern part of Alaska is best visited via cruising. Though this is on my list of places to go I haven’t been yet.
Fourteen day itinerary
Day One- flight to Fairbanks
We were flying from the east coast in the USA. This involved a layover in Salt Lake City and then onward to Fairbanks. It is pretty far away so this day was just a day of travel. Our flight left Baltimore at 5:55 PM eastern time and landed in Fairbanks at 12:20 AM the next day. We immediately headed to pick up our rental car. Be aware that some car rental places close around 1 AM at the airport. We had looked at booking a place to catch some sleep before heading off on the road. Last minute we decided we will just book something when we arrive. Don’t make this mistake because you will be exhausted from your flight (especially if flying from the east coast USA) and a lot of the places we saved as potential that were cheaper were already reserved. You will need to find a place that has a 24-hour front desk or that is accommodating if you have a late-night arrival and seems that many flights do. We ended up at the Golden Inn, which was fine for a hot shower, a few hours of sleep and a grab and go breakfast with granola bars, fruit, and coffee. This place did have a free airport shuttle and Wi-Fi too.
DAY TWO-Fairbanks to Copper Center
The drive from Fairbanks to Copper Center is 260 miles and approximately 4 hours 36 minutes straight. On the way we stopped in the North Pole to check out Santa Claus house. Being on east coast time we arrived hours before they opened so we only could check out the outside, but we had the place to ourselves! The normal hours are 10 AM-6PM daily. After that we stopped at a small hike called Moose Overlook- it is about 1 mile and leads you up an overlook which has a nice view of the mountains in a distance. Very easy hike and great place to stretch the legs. Next, we headed down toward Copper Center. The scenery is so stunning and there are pull-offs to take pictures along the way. In Copper Center, you can stop at the visitor center for Wrangell- St. Elias National Park. On a clear day you can see the impressive mountains in the distance. You can use the restrooms and get your National Parks passport stamp here. We stayed at Klutina Kate’s B&B and would highly recommend it. It couldn’t be cuter, and the breakfast was fantastic! We ate at the Grizzly Pizza which was about 10 minutes south of Copper Center. Great pizza and adorable resident cat!
DAY THREE-Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Using the Kennicott shuttle, we went into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The McCarthy Road is a gravel road and many rental car places will not allow you drive it. Make sure to check your rental car policy. You can take the shuttle in and out in a day or stay inside the park. We stayed inside for this night which gave us more time to explore the root glacier and Kennecott Mines. I would strongly encourage that if you have the time. You also have the option of flying in and out or taking the shuttle one way and flight the other way which will cut down on the time of the shuttle. We spent the night at the Kennecott River Lodge. We chose this since near where the shuttle drops you off and picks you up. There are buses that run up to McCarthy and there are places to stay there as well. It was a great stay. Once we arrived, we headed up to the National Park and to Root Glacier. Here you can put on your own crampons and go out on the glacier. If you prefer taking a tour there are several walking tours on the glacier.
DAY FOUR-Wrangell- St. Elias National Park to Valdez
The morning we spent inside the park exploring the Kennecott Mines and did part of the Erie Mine Trail. We hopped on the return Kennicott shuttle at 4:30 PM and picked up our car in Copper Center and then headed down to Valdez. The drive down to Valdez was cloudy and rainy. We did stop at Horsetail Waterfall and Bridal Veil Falls. We did stop at them again on the way out of town as it was much sunnier then. We checked into the Glacier Hotel.
DAY Five-Valdez
Today was another rainy cloudy day. In town there are several things to do. I hiked the Dock Point Trail and checked out Valdez Glacier Lake which is a short drive down gravel road. In the afternoon, we checked out Valdez Brewing and ate at the Fat Mermaid for dinner. Check out all the things we did in Valdez.
DAY SIX-Valdez and Meares Glacier
Did the Meares Glacier Tour via Stan Stephens Company. The tour started at 9 AM and returned at 5 PM. It was fantastic with wildlife and gets up close to the Meares Glacier which is advancing! You can also check out the Columbia Glacier. I read so much about both glaciers and ultimately went with Meares Glacier but honestly think you would be thrilled to do either! Since it was so beautiful out checked out Valdez Brewing again but enjoyed the drink outside in the sun and then ate at the Potato for dinner.
DAY Seven- Valdez to Anchorage
Waking up to sunny Valdez, we headed back to the Valdez Glacier Lake and then out of town stopped again in the Keystone Canyon at Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls. We also stopped at Worthington Glacier. After that, we fueled up in Glennallen and proceeded down Route 1 toward Anchorage. On the way, you should stop at the pull off to view Matanuska Glacier. We saw some moose along the road and the vistas are incredible. In Anchorage, we checked out Anchorage Brewery and ate at Mandala for some authentic Indian Nepalese food. We stayed at the Bird Creek Motel which was slightly out of town but on the way to Seward.
DAY eight- Anchorage to Seward and Fjords Boat Tour
We drove down to Seward which has some amazing vistas along the way. Make sure to allow some time for pull offs. The drive from Anchorage to Seward is about 126 miles and takes about 2.5 hours. We did the 11:30 AM Fjords Boat Tour which stopped at the Holgate Glacier. They recommend you arrive a little early to check in. You have to take a shuttle from the parking area to the docks if just coming in for the day and not staying in Seward. Since we weren’t checking in until later we did this. The glacier boat tour is an absolute must. Along the way we saw humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, puffins, bald eagles, mountain goats and more. We ate dinner at Seward Brewing.
DAY nine- Seward
We explored the town and the exit glacier part of the national park. Seward is a great walking town and has an excellent waterfront park, harbor area with shops and vistas, hiking, kayaking and more. The Kenai Fjords National Park not only includes the glaciers and boat tours but includes Exit Glacier which is about a 10 minute drive out of town. During the summer there is a nature center where rangers can give you maps and answer questions and there is a small bookstore. During the summer there are ranger-led programs as well. The Glacier Overlook Trail is well maintained. The Glacier loop portion is about 1 mile and you can add 0.6 miles to the Overlook Trail. If you are looking for more strenuous hike you can do the 8 mile round trip Harding Icefield Trail.
DAY ten-seward
Seward has so much to offer. If you have an extra day here you can do another Fjords Boat Tour or visit the Alaska SeaLife Center which is a zoo and wildlife rehabilitation and research center. You can stroll along the Seward Waterfront Park or check out some shops in the little downtown area. There are a bunch of awesome murals around Seward done by local artists. If you want to splurge you can take a scenic flight of the area as well.
DAY eleven-seward to healy with stops in Talkeetna
This day was a long-haul day and unlucky for us mostly in the rain. Talkeetna is a great little town that is the home of many flights over Denali. We figured we would splurge if the weather was going to be nice. Many things on their websites say to book in advance to confirm a spot and that they won’t go if the weather is bad. I am a weather checking fanatic so when I saw it was going to be gloomy, we just decided to forgo it. The town is a little way off the road but closer to the main road is the Denali Brewing Company where we stopped for a drink and lunch before proceeding up to Healy. We got to Denali just in time to grab a map and get some information at the visitor center before checking into our accommodations. We ate dinner at Black Diamond Grill.
DAY twelve-Denali National Park Wilderness Tour.
There are two types of tour buses in Denali. One that is guided with information and goes to the Stony Overlook at mile 62 and turns around and the other that goes to the Eielson Visitor Center but doesn’t have a guide. Today we did a guided tour. Bring your National Passport Book because there is a stop along the way to get a stamp. We saw some great wildlife and got some history but unfortunately Denali was shrouded in clouds.
DAY thirteen-Denali National Park Eielson Transit Bus
Today I took the Transit bus on my own. It brings you all the way to the Eielson Visitor Center and you have about 30 minutes before that bus turns around or you can stay longer to explore and hike and catch another bus back. You can get a stamp at the visitor center and there is a small trail just around there. There are some longer trails but the weather wasn’t that great so I just jumped back on the bus after exploring for 30 minutes. I imagine on clear day with views of Denali it would be well worth taking the next bus back. It takes the same road so some of the stops are identical but wildlife roaming free could be different. Today I got to see grizzly, caribou and an elusive wolf! Still unfortunately Denali was covered in clouds. In the afternoon, the skies cleared, and we returned to the Horseshoe Lake hike which was very nice. We ate at 49th State Brewing.
DAY fourteen-Denali National Park to Fairbanks
We went one last time into Denali to check to see if we could see the mountains as it was predicted to be more clear- alas still no Denali range to be seen. We went to check out the sled dogs and then headed out of town back up to Fairbanks. Our flight out of Fairbanks wasn’t until 11:30 PM so we would have a bunch of time to enjoy the day. We checked out the musk ox and reindeer at the Large Animal Research Station, walked around Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, and explored Pioneer Park. We also checked out some of the local breweries. We went to HooDoo Brewing Company and Black Spruce Brewing Company but there are several others with fantastic ratings. We ate at a local diner before heading to the airport for our flight. Read more about things to do in Fairbanks.
Plan your trip
If you haven’t made it to Alaska yet, consider this your inspiration to go. It is beyond beautiful and you will not be disappointed. We loved our two weeks there and I can say without a doubt we will be back. We only scratched the surface of all the incredible things this state has to offer!
