Alaska. Traveling first time. Your suggestions please!

Hello everybody,

I and my friends (group of 6) are going to Alaska by the end of July.
We are going to spend about 10 days there. We have preliminary routes
but would like to accept suggestions.

First of all, we are going to fly to Anchorage, rent a minivan and then
drive and see three National Parks - Kenai/Chugach, Denali and
Wrangler/St Elias.

No camping. We are going to stay in motels/B&B in nearby areas, get up
early, do wilderness hiking/sightseeing during the day and come back.
We'd like to avoid known tourist attractions and see something unique
to Alaska.

I'd like to hear your suggestions about:

1. Where, in which places should we stay to have easy access to those
parks? It seems there is no much information lodging information
available over internet compare to other states/places. Are there good
lodging/B&B guides over the Net or on a paper?

2. Again, if we put aside tourist attractions, what must/should see are
on those parks? If you have any recommendations, please share.

3. How about weather for the end of July?

Thanks

"invisible" wrote in message
ups.com...

Hello everybody,

I and my friends (group of 6) are going to Alaska by the end of July.
We are going to spend about 10 days there. We have preliminary routes
but would like to accept suggestions.

First of all, we are going to fly to Anchorage, rent a minivan and then
drive and see three National Parks - Kenai/Chugach, Denali and
Wrangler/St Elias.

No camping. We are going to stay in motels/B&B in nearby areas, get up
early, do wilderness hiking/sightseeing during the day and come back.
We'd like to avoid known tourist attractions and see something unique
to Alaska.

I'd like to hear your suggestions about:

1. Where, in which places should we stay to have easy access to those
parks? It seems there is no much information lodging information
available over internet compare to other states/places. Are there good
lodging/B&B guides over the Net or on a paper?


Get a copy of The Milepost , its essential reading

http://www.themilepost.com/

For Denali NP you have to use a shuttle from the main entrance
on the Parks highway which is 12 miles South of Healy and
240 miles north of Anchorage. There's some lodging info at

http://www.travelalaska.com/Business... Title=Cabins

For a group like yours cabin rental may be a better option than
hotels. July is peak season and Denali is both popular and
remote so book now is my advice.

Keith



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Most areas that will have lodging to suit you will be a bit touristy
in Alaska. Basically, you either have really remote areas or somewhat
touristy areas. However, "touristy" in Alaska does not extend far, and
a short walk/drive will get you away from any touristy crush. Tourist
facilities tend to be clustered together throughout Alaska, so you
won't have a whole lot of options as far as towns to stay in (it's not
like in the Lower 48 where you can just drive to the next Interstate
exit to find a cheaper motel). Unless you are really against it, I
would suggest camping for at least some of the time as you will save a
lot of money and have a lot more options.

Outside of Denali NP a lot of tourist facilities have sprung up in the
past few years. Actually, it's gotten quite ugly. But at least you
have a number of lodgings from which to choose. Most are expensive, but
if you search the Web you may be able to find some decently priced
options.

For Kenai NP Seward is probably your best bet. There are some
motel-type places there, but they are stil likely to be expensive.

For Wrangell-St. Elias you have a few options. Glennallen considers
itself the "gateway" to the park, but it's difficult to get into the
park for day trips from there (apart from flying in). There are a few
B&Bs and hotels in Glennallen. Copper Center is a bit closer, and also
has a few lodging options. To really get into the park and experience
it, I suggest splurging and staying in either McCarthy or Kennicott. A
complete list of lodgings in the Copper Basin (Wrangell-St. Elias) area
can be found at http://www.traveltoalaska.com/lodging.html. This is a
really nice area to visit, and is just starting to get more popular
with tourists (I've lived in Glennallen for three summers, so I have a
bit of a soft spot for it).

Regarding vehicle rentals, most rental contracts will not allow you to
travel on gravel or dirt roads in Alaska. This means roads like the
Dalton Hwy (Haul Rd.), Denali Hwy., and the McCarthy road are off
limits. I'm not sure if they put GPS locators in the cars to track you
nowadays in Alaska, but last time I rented a car I drove it on plenty
of gravel roads and nobody complained. Also, to save on the Anchorage
car rental airport tax, arrange to pick up your car at one of the
rental locations just outside the airport grounds (less than a
five-minute cab ride away). If your rental cost is high enough, this
savings will be well worth a little bit of inconvenience. Several
rental agencies are located on Spenard Road, which is really close to
the airport (you could even walk to them in probably 15 minutes).

For more links and suggestions on things to see and do in Alaska, see
my Web site at: http://www.brianwasson.com/trips/alaska/?rusa

On 4 May 2005 02:55:07 -0700 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"invisible" wrote:

I and my friends (group of 6) are going to Alaska by the end of July.
We are going to spend about 10 days there. We have preliminary routes
but would like to accept suggestions.

try posting to alt.culture.alaska

On 4 May 2005 02:55:07 -0700 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"invisible" wrote:

First of all, we are going to fly to Anchorage, rent a minivan and then
drive and see three National Parks - Kenai/Chugach, Denali and
Wrangler/St Elias.

your order probably should be denali, wrangell/st elias then
kenai (perhaps via ferry from valdez to seward).
No camping. We are going to stay in motels/B&B in nearby areas, get up
early, do wilderness hiking/sightseeing during the day and come back.
We'd like to avoid known tourist attractions and see something unique
to Alaska.

i hope you are prepared to spend a *lot* of money! you will find
prices during the summer season on the order of $200-$250 for a
double room, $100 perhaps in some b&b's if you can find them
outside of urban areas. chances are many of them are almost
fully booked for the season already. remote lodges and
roadhouses with meals included in the daily rate can be even
pricier.

if you will be staying in motels, you will not avoid "known
tourist attractions". there simply aren't motels anywhere else.
you can drive for up to 150 miles (250 km) on some highways
without seeing any kind of services other than a few campgrounds
and picnic tables.

you might want to compare high hotel rates with the cost of
renting a camper or motor home against the cost of staying in
motels, since you can park motor homes in remote campgrounds and
still have many comforts that you would get with a hotel room.

I'd like to hear your suggestions about:

1. Where, in which places should we stay to have easy access to those
parks? It seems there is no much information lodging information
available over internet compare to other states/places. Are there good
lodging/B&B guides over the Net or on a paper?

buy a copy of "the milepost". http://www.themilepost.com but
remember all the lodging listed there are paid listings.

2. Again, if we put aside tourist attractions, what must/should see are
on those parks? If you have any recommendations, please share.

the parks ARE the tourist attractions. any place that can be
easily reached from the road system will not be uncrowded. you
cannot drive into denali --- everyone must take the park busses.

3. How about weather for the end of July?

variable. bring good WATERPROOF raingear and boots and lots of
layers. synthetic wicking long underwear and fleece can be
useful in higher altitudes, glacial areas, or cold coastal rains.
bring warm gloves for glacial or alpine hikes. summertime snow
line in the mountains is about 2000 meters, but rain and drizzle
at altitude can be close to freezing. hypothermia kills more
people than bears every year.

"Dennis P. Harris" wrote in message
...
On 4 May 2005 02:55:07 -0700 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"invisible" wrote:

First of all, we are going to fly to Anchorage, rent a minivan and then
drive and see three National Parks - Kenai/Chugach, Denali and
Wrangler/St Elias.

your order probably should be denali, wrangell/st elias then
kenai (perhaps via ferry from valdez to seward).
No camping. We are going to stay in motels/B&B in nearby areas, get up
early, do wilderness hiking/sightseeing during the day and come back.
We'd like to avoid known tourist attractions and see something unique
to Alaska.

i hope you are prepared to spend a *lot* of money! you will find
prices during the summer season on the order of $200-$250 for a
double room, $100 perhaps in some b&b's if you can find them
outside of urban areas. chances are many of them are almost
fully booked for the season already. remote lodges and
roadhouses with meals included in the daily rate can be even
pricier.


While you can pay those prices, and probably will around Denali
but there are cheaper options. I am heading for Alaska this summer and have
already booked my rooms

Here are typical prices
Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn $135 per night
Best Western Fairbanks $169.99 per night
Westmark Skagway $119 per night

I do agree the OP needs to be making reservations now

Keith



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Dennis P. Harris wrote:
On 4 May 2005 02:55:07 -0700 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"invisible" wrote:


I and my friends (group of 6) are going to Alaska by the end of July.
We are going to spend about 10 days there. We have preliminary routes
but would like to accept suggestions.


try posting to alt.culture.alaska


alt.culture.alaska are not the ones to ask. They are a nasty bunch.
You are better off with a copy of Milepost.

Arlene