Maddie wrote:
Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

Maddie,

I cannot imagine doing AK on an organized trip. I have been to Alaska
17 times over the past 9 years, going in almost every single month just
to experience it at different times. I do have friends there, so that
helps.

I don't know what the cost of the organized tour is, but Alaska is
expensive to rent a car or travel by trains but may be worth the
trade-off. Depending on your age and interests, there are many things
that I would recommend on doing this unorganized. This last year we
spent five days at Valdez, fishing, camping and sea kayaking and it was
one of my best trips. I have never been to Wrangell, but on looking it
up, many of the same things are available there as in Valdez. If you
want to be on the water, I wouldn't go as late as September because I
have seen snow in August in Denali and it is much more fun to be out
kayaking, camping, and fishing in the 70s than when it is 30. I try to
spend several weeks in Denali/Healy every summer because that is my
home base.

Good luck on your trip and if you decide not to go organized I will
provide names of some boat owners and hotels that may give you more
bang for your buck than just looking on the internet.

Janice

PS: Everyone talks about the mosquitos, and they can be bad, but in
all my summers there, they never stopped me from doing anything. You
are less likely to find them so pesky from late July through August.