Alaska (August 2008)

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Alaska Trip Report (Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks, Barrow, Copper River, McCarthy/Kennicott, Homer, Seward, Whittier, and Girdwood)

Summary: Below is a report from my trip to Alaska in August of 2008. My husband and I (late 30s) spent 10 days driving (and flying) throughout Alaska, with stops in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks, Barrow, Copper River, McCarthy/Kennicott, Homer, Seward, Whittier, and Girdwood. Activities included an ice falls trek, Mt. McKinley flightseeing/glacier landing, trip above the Arctic Circle to Barrow, historic mine tour, brown bear safari, glacier kayaking, and glacier dogsledding. The popular Inside Passage cruise was NOT part of our itinerary, but we would like to return to Alaska someday to see that area of the state. Regarding lodging, even though we felt we stayed in the best hotels possible in each location, the accomodations were 3 star at best (the Alyeska Resort was the exception). We were disappointed with the food; we expected to have lots of fresh seafood, and it just didn’t seem to be available (most seafood was breaded/deep-fried, despite eating in what we felt were “better” restaurants). We had fairly decent weather, despite it being one of the rainiest summers in Alaskan history. We had an equal number of sunny, cloudy, and rainy days. Fortunately, two of our rainy days happened when we had long drives planned, but one did happen on the day we went glacier kayaking, making the day less enjoyable than it could have been. With all that said, Alaska is beautiful, the people are friendly, it’s easy to navigate/drive, and the opportunities for unique activites are endless. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

August 6: Newark to Eagle River (Anchorage)

Flight: Newark to Anchorage (with a stop in Seattle) on Continental.

Link to My Review of the Eagle River Microtel

August 7: Eagle River (Anchorage) to Talkeetna, Including an Ice Falls Trek

Activity: MICA Guides Ice Falls Trek on the Matanuska Glacier: We chose the 3-hour tour, which may have been a bit too long/repetitive, but the alternate 1.5 hour tour would have been too short, I think. We paid $70 per person, plus a $15 per person glacier access fee (all paid right to MICA using a credit card). They outfitted us with helmets and crampons, which were easy to use and not at all clumsy. (There were times later in my trip that I wish I still had them with me.) The trek was very easy; nothing too taxing physically. Although we began at ground level and ended up a good deal above sea level, I never felt as though we were climbing at any significant rate. We saw lots of ice formations and crevasses that were very interesting. Our guide, Andreas, took lots of photos of us. We had some light rain/drizzle, but I wore a "Deadliest Catch" Red Ledge rain suit that worked tremendously. Sun glasses would be a must on a bright day because of the glare. I would recommend at least the 1.5 hour tour for an interesting peek at the glacier.

Link to My Review of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (Alaska Heritage Tours Group)

Link to My Review of the West Rib Cafe (Talkeetna)

August 8: Talkeetna to Fairbanks, Including a Glacier Landing Flight and a Drive Through Denali

Activity: Talkeetna Aero Taxi/Fly Denali: We chose the Circle Denali tour with a glacier landing. We used a five seater plane, so there were four passengers and the pilot sitting in a 2, 2, 1 configuration. We wore headsets to speak to each other while flying. The sightseeing was amazing, and the landing on Pica Glacier was a great experience. We had a perfectly sunny day, so we caught that rare glimpse of Denali along with many other surrounding mountains. I would highly recommend this tour.

Talkeetna Airport Info: Each airline seems to have its own building.

Link to My Review of the Nenana Grill (at the McKinley Chalet Resort near Denali)

Link to My Review of the Princess Fairbanks

Link to My Review of Pike’s Waterfront Lodge

August 9 Fairbanks to Barrow to Fairbanks: Traveling Above the Arctic Circle

Activity: Barrow Trip: We used Northern Alaska Tour Company to arrange our trip. It was less expensive than going directly through Alaska Air. We still flew on Alaska Air, and ended up on the same Tundra Tour that their guests booked. Our flight left Fairbanks around 7:30, arriving in Barrow around 10:15 (we had a 1-hour stop in Prudhoe Bay, but could not deplane). We were met at the Barrow Airport by Eli from Tundra Tours. He drove our group around in a big, white school bus (which was more comfortable than it first seemed that it would be). Our tour included stops at the Will Rogers/Wiley Post Memorial, where there’s also a directional signpost with mileage to other US/world cities (good for photos). There’s also a large circular Welcome to Barrow sign for additional photos, along with a (really) small welcome center with excellent photographs (available online). We stopped at the Inupiat sign with the snowy owl and looked out on the cliffs where the original sod houses were built. We had a few stops to see the Arctic Ocean and whaling boats. We visited the Inupiat Heritage Center, which is much more expansive than I had seen online. There is a great whaling exhibit and other artifacts, a stuffed bird display, and the main attraction, the live cultural presentation, where native people sing, dance, and do the blanket toss. We visited Point Barrow, a large supermarket, the whalebone arch, and the Top of the World sign. The last stop was the Polar Bear Club swim, where to be certified, you actually have to completely immerse yourself in the water. Even though we were there on what I felt to be a beautiful “summer” day, there’s no way you could have paid me to take that icy dip! Lunch was not included, but choices were Osaka Japanese (where we ate), Pepe’s North of the Border, and Arctic Pizza. Note that if you want the promised “I crossed the Arctic Circle” certificate, you MUST eat at Pepe’s. This was not specified in the tour description; it sounded as if everyone who went on the tour automatically got the certificate, but that’s not true. You had to buy something food-wise from Pepe’s to get the certificate. If you bought an entire meal, the certificate was nicer than if you just bought a dessert or something “to go”. That was the only real rip-off of the whole tour. While not an inexpensive trip, I would recommend it and am glad we decided to go. I’m also glad that we did not choose the overnight option: there would have been nothing additional to do or anywhere else to eat other than what we saw during the day.) We returned to Fairbanks at approximately 9:20 pm. (The plane originated and continued to Anchorage for people taking the trip from there.)

Fairbanks Airport Info: Smallish but well-appointed. At least two shops, bar, coffee shop, restaurant. Parking is reasonable. Some flights are boarded without jetways, and it may be necessary to descend/climb steps to get to the tarmac.

Barrow Airport Info: Very small and basic; no bar, restaurant, or shop. There is a soda machine and a snack machine. Some seating. You go through security right before boarding, not after checking in or before the waiting area. No jetways.

Link to My Review of Osaka Restaurant (Barrow)

Restaurant: Trackers Lounge (Fairbanks Princess)

Hotel: Fairbanks Princess again (one of our few 2-night stays)

August 10 Fairbanks to McCarthy/Kennicott (Driving Day)

Activity: Flew Wrangell Mountain Air from Chitina to McCarthy/Kennicott

Chitina Airport Info: No facilities whatsoever. There is a building which serves as a ticket office, but it wasn’t open when we flew to/from there. We just waited in our car until we saw our plane land. No security check-in.

McCarthy/Kennicott Airport Info: Outhouse/restrooms, and on a positive note, they were decently maintained. No building in which to wait. No security check-in.

Link to My Review of the Kennicott Glacier Lodge

Restaurant: Glacier View Grill (McCarthy): see review above

August 11 McCarthy/Kennicott to Copper River

Activity: Kennicott Mine Tour with St. Elias Guides: RECOMMENDED, see review above

Link to My Review of the Copper River Princess

Link to My Review of the Whistle Stop Bar and Grill (Copper River Princess)

August 12 Copper River to Homer via Anchorage (Driving Day)
 
Link to My Review of Orso (Anchorage)

Link to My Review of the Land’s End Hotel (Homer)

Link to My Review of Captain Pattie’s Fish House (Homer)

August 13 Homer to Seward, Including Bear Watching

Homer Airport Info: While we did not depart from the actual airport (but instead, a building on the opposite side of the runway), we did stop in to see it. There are tons of pamphlets/brochures on Homer, and counters for Era and Grant and car rentals. No bar, restaurant, or shop. No visible security to enter the building, so you must go through right before boarding.

Activity: Bear Viewing with Smokey Bay Air to the Alaska Homestead Lodge (AHL): The best excursion of our trip! (Not to mention the most expensive at nearly $600 per person for a full day). We left from a building opposite the Homer Airport around 8:00 am and returned at approximately 5:00 pm (times vary based on the tides, since you are landing on the beach in Lake Clark National Park). It was about a 30-40 minute flight each way (we took the long way there due to weather, but the short way back). We were in a “puddle-jumper” plane with just 5 people on the way out, and 6 people on the way back. We saw bears IMMEDIATELY upon landing at Lake Clark, and continued to see them for the next few hours. We chose Smokey Bay Air because they partnered with the Alaska Homestead Lodge, where we knew we could return for lunch and restroom breaks, etc. rather than being stranded with just the woods with what we brought with us (as the other more popular/more famous companies do). Our guide from AHL picked us up on the beach with an ATV pulling a wagon. While we were told that we could be with as many as 20 people on the ground, it was just my husband and I and one other couple (and 4 people would be the max to fit in the wagon, so even if there are 20 people, you would be in 5 wagons with 5 guides, I guess). Our guide was really sweet and knowledgeable, a young guy from Montana working his first summer in Alaska (but with bear experience from back home). We spotted lots of sows and cubs (so cute!) and had many opportunities to get out of the wagon and walk close to the bears to take photos, etc. (The bears are NOT scared by the sound of the ATVs, nor do they seem to be scared of people, as I had initially feared.) The bear viewing rivalled our East African safari experience last summer: not nearly the variety of animals, but we did see lots of bears, and I felt that we got even closer in the ATV and on foot than we did in the open Land Rovers in Africa. AHL is a nice place; they have a separate “game room” building where there’s a big-screen TV, dining table and kitchen where you are served lunch (or out on the deck in nice weather), two bathrooms (one with a shower), computer, gift cabinet, stuffed/mounted animals. This bear-viewing option really worked for us, and was well-worth the money.

Link to My Review of Trail Lake Lodge Restaurant (Moose Pass between Anchorage and Seward)

Link to My Review of the Holiday Inn Express (Seward)
 
August 14 Seward and Whittier

Activity: We were supposed to kayak today, but the trip was postponed until tomorrow due to rough seas. So we switched our plans for August 14 and 15, and drove to Whittier instead. Whittier was disappointing, and we felt it was a waste of our time. There’s not much to do/see in Seward, either, in my opinion. It’s a cute town, but it’s not a must-see. It is a convenient place to take a wildlife cruise or kayaking tour, though, so if that interests, you, then add Seward (or Whittier) to your itinerary. The Whittier tunnel is a snooze.

Restaurant: Inn at Whittier: We ate here in the bar area of the restaurant. We did not stay here, but it is the ONLY place to stay in Whittier (I don’t mean that literally; just that the other lodging that we saw was horrible). I can’t say the food was great, but again, it seemed to be the only option in Whittier. We debated upon staying in Whittier rather than just visiting, which would have been a mistake. Not much to see or do here, other than to take a day cruise. Parking in Whittier was difficult, and we were there on a rainy day when it wasn’t very busy. Not a pretty city at all. I would skip this city altogether, if at all possible, but the Inn itself looked fairly nice.

Link to My Review of Ray’s Waterfront (Seward)

August 15 Seward to Anchorage, Including Glacier Kayaking

Activity: Glacier Kayaking with Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking Company: RECOMMENDED. We were scheduled to do this on the previous (full) day in Seward, but the trip was postponed due to bad weather. The day we did go was very rainy and cold, and the weather was just plain nasty. We saw a little wildlife, but not as much as we had hoped or expected. We enjoyed the kayaking, but the weather was a real downer. Would love to do this again under sunny skies. I chose Sunny Cove because they had a boat with a head (restroom), unlike lots of other companies, and it seemed like too long a day not to have a bathroom break. It was a fairly comfortable ride in the cabin, a little crowded, though, because no one could be out on the deck because of the rain.

Link to My Review of the Alyeska Resort (Girdwood, outside Anchorage)
 
Restaurant: Link to my review

August 16 Anchorage to Newark (with a stop in Seattle) on Continental, including Glacier Dog Sledding

Activity: Chugach Express Dog Sledding with Alpine Air Alaska Helicopters (Girdwood): RECOMMENDED.This company was more expensive than some others, but we dogsledded on actual ice/snow with an Iditarod team at their "summer camp", rather than on sand/ground. We traveled to the camp by helicopter. Appropriate attire was provided. We were the only participants, so we got a really private tour of the camp, spent time with the dogs (there was no litter of puppies, though; I was hoping for that), and then mushed with the dogs. Very exhilarating! We had dogsledded years before in Vermont, and it was nothing like that. Really professional and exciting!

Restaurant: Flying Machine/Fancy Moose (at Millennium Alaskan Hotel near the Anchorage airport): It was great to sit on the deck adjacent to the seaplane landing lake and enjoy some great weather and fresh air before heading to the airport for our evening flight. Food was nothing to rave about, but proximity to the airport and the outdoor seating area were appreciated.


Alaska Airports
  • Barrow: Very small and basic; no bar, restaurant, or shop. There is a soda machine and a snack machine. Some seating. You go through security right before boarding, not after checking in or before the waiting area. No jetways.
  • Fairbanks: Smallish but well-appointed. At least two shops, bar, coffee shop, restaurant. Parking is reasonable. Some flights are boarded without jetways, and it may be necessary to descend/climb steps to get to the tarmac.
  • Talkeetna: Each airline seems to have its own building.
  • Chitina: No facilities whatsoever. There is a building which serves as a ticket office, but it wasn’t open when we flew to/from there. We just waited in our car until we saw our plane land. No security check-in.
  • McCarthy: Outhouse/restrooms, and positively, they weren’t the worst I’ve ever seen. No building in which to wait. No security check-in.
  • Homer: While we did not depart from the actual airport (but instead, a building on the opposite side of the runway), we did stop in to see it. There are tons of pamphlets/brochures on Homer, and counters for Era and Grant and car rentals. No bar, restaurant, or shop. No visible security to enter the building, so you must go through right before boarding.
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