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Wanderlust For You

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ALASKA

10 Day Road Trip Itinerary

For this itinerary, we opted to rent a car to give us the freedom to explore inland Alaska. We flew into Anchorage and out of Fairbanks to maximize our time. Since we were traveling as a group of five, we primarily stayed in airbnbs, which worked out great. We had no problem finding grocery stores nearby to stock up on food. 

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We technically flew in the day before this itinerary started. We landed around 10:00 PM, so we just stayed in a hotel near the airport to catch up on sleep before hitting the road the following day.

Day One: Anchorage- Moose Pass

  • We drove about 2.5 hours from Anchorage to Seward, traveling through Moose Pass along the way.

    • The drive is very scenic, so take your time and pull off to take in the views.​

    • Some stops along the way:

      • Beluga Point Lookout

      • Turnagain arm/pass (pullout)

      • Turnagain arm bore tide (depending on the tide)

      • Lunch: Aleyska Mountain: We took the ski gondola up to the top of the mountain to hike a little, and we ate at the restaurant at the top.

      • Stop at a grocery store before checking in to your airbnb

    • We stayed at the Renfro's Lakeside Retreat Cabins, which was right on Emerald Green Kenai Lake.

      • We were stuck with an odd schedule because they were blowing out the road that our airbnb was off of, so we had to be back at our airbnb by a certain time each night. ​

      • If you have more flexibility, make sure to go to downtown Seward- lots of cute shops and restaurants!

Day Two: Seward- Kenai Fjord National Park

  • We debated booking this nature cruise but ultimately decided not to because we booked a sea kayaking excursion another day. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see whales on our sea kayaking excursion, so it may be worthwhile to book a nature cruise that goes farther out than what we did.

    • Cruise: 9:00 AM-4:00 PM ($215/ Person)​

  • Instead, we chose to hike Lost Lake Trail (13. 8 miles with 2,526 ft. of elevation)

    • It was somewhat rainy on this day and the clouds were low. If you have better weather, another option is the Mount Marathon hike.​

  • After our hike, we had dinner in town before heading back to our little cabin.​

Day Three: Seward- Kenai Fjord National Park

  • Exit Glacier Hike: This was a major highlight of our trip! 

    • 9:00 AM-4:30 PM ($159/ Person)​

    • We hiked up to exit glacier and then had the opportunity to hike on the glacier. This hike is fairly sstrenuous but well worth it! Make sure to pack plenty of water and waterproof gear. 

    • The tour company provided lunch and transportation to the trailhead.

  • Again, we grabbed a bite in town and then relaxed at our airbnb.​

Day Four: Seward- Kenai Fjord National Park

  • Full day kayaking tour: Fox Island: This tour included a short cruise to an island, where we were provided lunch, and then sea kayaking around the island. 

    • On this tour, we saw: sea otters, puffins, sea lions, bald eagles​

    • 7:30 AM-5:00 PM ($109/ Person)

    • In retrospect, I think doing the Kenai Fjord National Park kayaking excursion would have been even better, but you will notice that Alaska is quite expensive, and the excursions add up fast! This tour also sells out very quickly!

Day Five: Seward- Denali

  • While the majority of the day is spent driving, there is one stop along that way that is an absolute must- a flight seeing tour of Mount Denali.

    • Total drive time between Seward and Denali (6.5 hours)​

    • We stopped about halfway for our flight seeing tour with K2 Aviation

      • We booked our tour for 4:00 pm (3:30 pm check-in)​

      • We booked the "Denali Grand Tour," but again it would definitely be worth the extra money to book the "Top of the World Tour."

        • Note: I'm very prone to motion sickness and didn't have a problem on this tour as long as I didn't try to fixate on one particular object while we were moving​

    • After our tour, we grabbed a late l​​unch and continued our drive north to Denali.

      • We stayed in an airbnb in Healy, Alaska.​

Day Six: Denali National Park

  • While we were in Denali, you could only go as far as Mile 43 unless you were willing to hike or bike through the park. 

  • We did two hikes closer to the front of this park and visited the sled dog kennels.

    • Savage River Area: (at mile 15)

      • Savage Alpine Trail (4 mi, 1,414 ft)

      • Start at savage trail loop - a lot steeper going up, but better on the knees coming down 

      • This hike is point to point, so we took the bus out to the trailhead and hiked back to our car.

  • We were also able to watch a ton of wildlife right from the road. We saw 6 moose in one day!​​

Day Seven: Denali/ White Water Rafting

  • We did a short, two mile hike in the morning before heading to our white water rafting excursion.

  • White Water Rafting​

    • 3.5 hours: 3:00-6:30
      $125/per person

  • After rafting, we found a cute strip of shops and restaurants down the road from the meet-up point for white water rafting.

Day Eight: Denali National Park

  • We spent our last day completing a few more hikes and driving through the park on the sight-seeing bus. Again, we could only go as far as mile 43, but we saw a ton of wildlife on the bus- a definite must!​

  • Hike: Mount Healy Overlook Trail

    • 4.9 Miles (1,722 ft. elevation gain)​

  • Denali National Park Bus Tour​

    •  longest bus is 2.5 hours to East Fork Bridge area 

    • Bus Schedule

    • $33.50/ Person

Day Nine: Denali National Park- Fairbanks

  • Drive two hours from Healy to Fairbanks

    • We added Fairbanks to our itinerary so we didn't have to make the journey back to Anchorage.​

  • Fairbanks wasn't a favorite of ours, but there were still some very fun excursions!​

  • We spent the afternoon at the Running Reindeer Ranch. 

    • You get to go on a hike on the grounds with the reindeer who live at the ranch. ​

    • 2.5 hours- $89/ person

  • We also went to the Chena Hot Springs​​​

    • $20/ person​

    • Bring your own towel or pay $5 for a towel

  • The property has several other excursion offers as well.​

Day Ten: Fly Home

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For me, nothing beats the feeling of buying a new plane ticket! I always need at least two trips planned, and I love to research where I’m going. Now, I’m trying to return the favor! I’ve used a lot of travel blogs and photography to inspire my travels. It is my goal to inspire some of yours!

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© 2024 by Mary Colombo

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