I have been planning to go to Alaska for a very long time, but every summer something or the other happens and I am unable to make the trip. This has been going on for the last 5 years
I was originally planning a three week family trip there for Summer 2014, but I lost my mom to a heart attack recently, so next year's plan is off (to say the least). The sequence of events are such that 2013 is going to be my bucket list year and I want to make it count. My mom loved nature and visiting the National Parks, so this is all the more important to me.
As a nature loving, (hobby) landscape photographer, going to Alaska has always been a dream/pilgrimage for me, so despite the short notice to make this trip happen this summer, I want to go for it. I am requesting your help in planning this trip. Please chime in if you can with any suggestions.
I am aware of multiple Alaska trip advice threads in the FM archives and am currently going through them. The top suggestions have been:
(a): Contact Charlie Shugart! [Pending; He definitely seems to know his away around Alaska]
(b): Order the Milepost [which I have done ]
(c): One trip is rarely sufficient to do justice to the beauty in the state. Plan for variable weather, keep expectations low!
Here are our needs:
1. 9 day trip length total (I know, way too short, but something is better than nothing)
2. Flying from TX to Alaska with my wife and 1 year old. Plan to rent a car and drive there. No cruise planned.
3. Would definitely like to see Denali National Park (2 days?)
4. Would prefer to see a few good places and enjoy them rather than driving like crazy trying to see too many spots in the trip.
5. I mainly shoot 95% landscapes and 5% environmental portraits of my family. I enjoy watching wildlife but don't photograph them with the same enthusiasm :-)!! I'll be passing up plenty of wildlife opportunities I guess!
( I'll be carrying a 5d MkII, 40D(Backup) 24-70mkII, 70-200 f/4L and some primes (21/2.8, 50/2, 100/2) and a GT2942 Tripod) .
6. Hotel stays ! A good, clean place will suffice, nothing fancy needed.
We'd love to camp and have done so previously but we'll not be able to do it this trip (this includes sleeping in the car!). Have to give it a some more time before we resume camping.
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My questions are:
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1) Top photo spots that you recommend ? (Doing some Googling as well as some archive searching ...)
2) Is end of July a decent time? I can push it to first week of August at the very latest.
Not possible beyond that
3) How bad are the mosquitoes at that time of year ?
4) Things to pay specific attention to, considering that we'll be traveling with our 1 year old
5) Cell phone coverage + SPOT GPS coverage? (I expect cell phone coverage to be sparse away from the big towns but how about the Spot GPS ?)
5) Any helpful advise/ other suggestions you may have?
Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!
Regards,
Abhijeeth
Jun 19, 2013 at 11:54 AM
Charlie Shugart Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Abhijeeth,
Thanks for your vote of confidence .
Yes, I worked twenty summers in Alaska and Yukon, and drove most of the paved roads as well as the Alaska Highway.
But that was 12+ years ago when I was last up north. Some things will have changed, for sure.
And I have zero experience traveling with a 1-year-old- except I know that if you feed them and keep them warm and tell them how much you love them- they can handle pretty much anything .
Finally- there are many others on FM who have spent time in Alaska (or live there- which I have not), and I hope some of them will chip in to help you.
There- I've covered my ass, so here are a few of my opinions and suggestions:
1. Fly to Fairbanks, pick up a rental car (normal sedan- you won't be doing any trail-blazing).
Although Fairbanks has some attractions of note (mainly the Riverboat Discovery trip IMO), consider driving from the airport directly to Denali National Park. Spend 2 nights there (advanced reservations!) Stay at the National Park Hotel if possible.
2a. Take the earliest shuttle bus to Wonder Lake- stay on the bus and make the return trip. It's
an all-day excursion. Probably needs reservations.
2b. If the weather is clear, go flight-seeing around Mt McKinley.
3. Drive to Anchorage, fill the gas tank, and head down the Seward Highway to Kenai Peninsula.
People who live there say "The best thing about Anchorage is that it's only 50 miles from Alaska."
(Note: from now on, make overnight reservations a day or two in advance.)
(Note: From now on, I'm going to mention only places to go and things to see and do. The timing is yours- be adaptable.)
4. Take the chairlift at Alyeska.
5. Drive to Portage Lake and take the boat trip on the lake.
6. Drive to Seward and stay 2 nights downtown- not on the periphery. It's a nifty old town and perfect for strolling. Stay at the Seward Hotel if possible.
7. Take the Kenai Fjords Tours all-day boat excursion to Northwest Glacier. They were the first excursion company in Seward, and they are the biggest and the best.
The trip to Northwest Glacier will probably be one of the very best sightseeing days of your life.
8. Drive to Homer. Lots to see along the way- including the Russian Church at Ninilchik. Stay 2 nights in Homer. Walk along the Spit. Have a brewski at the Salty Dawg. Have cod and chips at the smallest restaurant you can find on the Spit.
9. Take a boat trip to Bird Rock and Seldovia.
10. Drive back to Anchorage and return the car at the AP when you fly home.
If you have some extra time in Anchorage- go to the Log Cabin Visitor Center and get some ideas from the friendly folks there.
BTW- July is good. Take Deet and forget about mosquitoes- where you'll be going they're no worse than in Florida, Minnesota, or any other wet place.
Have a grand time (I know you will .
Charlie
Well, Charlie has given you good advice, but that sure is a lot traveling with a baby. Sure, Denali Park is a great place to start...and maybe even spend most of your time there? The dive across the Denali Highway is also a good one. This place is so large and with so many things to see that it becomes overwhelming. I've only lived here around 43 years, and I'm still discovering new places. Just let the wind take you where you please. But the 'skeeters are very bad this year! If you use that DEET repellent, be careful not to get any on your camera gear or other expensive stuff.
Certainly a good Alaskan bucket list, but with a 1 year old not a good idea.
I'd focus on one main area and just hang out there. Can you afford to stay in one of the posh Denali cabins for a couple days? That way you don't have to sit on long bus rides with your baby who might get a bit cramped. We used to go on trips and never stayed in one place for more than 2 nights, mix of camping/hotels, now with a 3 yo, we try to stay in one main area and have a great time. You'll spend less time traveling and more time seeing things and enjoying it with your family. If you plan on doing a lot of sunrise and sunset photography, that means your wife will be doing a lot of child care while you are off - be careful! Enjoy yourself, you can always go back if you had a good trip the first time.
Charlie, Jim & "dgdg", thanks a lot for your comments ! Very much appreciated! Will go home and look into the suggestions in a bit more detail.
[Charlie]: Well, I am going to look these up in detail and see if I can manage it. I'll probably take things easy (with the baby on board), but hey I have a nice set of options to choose from. Thank you!
[Jim] :wow, 43 years! I am a little envious ! I can identify with what you say - although not spanning that timeline! Valid point about traveling too much with a baby - I'll look at the driving distances and activites and probably take a call on how much/how little to do.
[dgdg]: Thanks. I am thinking of trying to stay at least 2 nights at one place as much as possible. trying to keeping overnight stays and next day checkouts to a minimum - it will be a hassle now.
I don't know how much the Denali cabins cost per night - but thanks I'll look it up and see if I can do that
Me & my wife [who also loves landscape photography BTW] used to chase a lot of sunrises and sunsets, but we have slowly backed off over the years. Sunrises are now next to impossible for us to pull off, unless we happen to stay at a great vantage point ! Sunset is possible but twilight and late night star trails/long exposures are difficult to do now
We usually take turns watching the baby & driving, but nevertheless I want to make sure the Mrs. gets decent rest as well. (I'd really feel guilty otherwise!) You raise a valid, excellent point!
PS:
I didn't mean/intend to exclude any other FM members who know Alaska well - sorry if my post came across that way! Am definitely open to all suggestions!
My wife and I had been to Alaska twice. One in 2004 and one in 2006. In 2004, we had clear view of Denali for 2 days. In 2006, we had planned to take K2 flight to circle Denali but it was rained out. We camped at Wonder lake. Lots of bugs but worth it. Nice moose in the lake in the morning and a good 5 minutes of Denali view the whole trip. You never know. Just need to enjoy whatever weather you get.
Some glacier in Mat-Su valley is accessible by car and offers interesting view.
Seward has lots to offer. Watching and hearing glacier cracking and falling in to the ocean feels very prehistorical.
Our favorite place is Homer. It takes a bit longer (2 ~ 3 hours?) to get to as it is "the end of the road"...Reserve "Danny J" ferry for a day trip to Halibut Cove and have dinner at Saltry. It was one of the highlight of my Alaska memories. We did not get chance to go halibut fishing or fly to Kodiak for bear watching. Maybe next time.
BTW, the most difficult thing for me to adjust is the midnight sun. It's still bright close to midnight in summer and it was hard for me to sleep the first couple of days.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful Alaska trip...
All of these suggestions are great and look into them depending on your ability to drive that much with a 1 year old. I live in Anchorage and have a 2 year old so I have attempted all of those excursions with and without child. Honestly, at least for us, our vacations or drives have been much better when we take our time instead of just driving with our daughter. You mentioned that Alaska is too big to see in that short of time frame, couldn't agree with you more!
Not to say Charlie isn't right however with a 1 year old I would limit the time on the Seward boat tour. We have done all the tours that they have and if you are wanting to see sea life then just stick to the Resurection Bay tour, I think it is 3 hours not the full day or go to the Seward Sea Life center for what you didn't get to see (aquarium in downtown Seward).
Homer is a fantastic drive (you can see both Seward and Homer on the same trip since they are in the same direction however both cities and roads are very populated that time of year so you won't get the alone in the wilderness of Alaska experience), we are actually heading down there on Sunday and then over to Soldovia for a few days and I am hoping to catch some great tides and images.
There are some good drives that you can do in other directions also, look into the Denali Highway or the Richardson Highway. A good trip, however it would entail some driving is to go from Anchorage, about 45 minutes south you would take the turn off to head to Whittier. Jump on the ferry (get your boat and sea life out of the way) you end up in Valdez.
From there you drive up Thompson Pass (amazing view and great day hikes) to the Denali Highway. Stay in Tangle Lakes, they have cabins. That night and the next morning you can drive the Denali Highway from that area (Paxon to Cantwell approx. 4 hours to all day depending on how much you stop). You are then only a 30 minute drive from Denali Park entrance where you can stay. While wonder lake is amazing, you will most likely not enjoy the stop and go of the bus with a 1 year old. I know I would never think of it with my daughter and she is pretty flexible. You can take shorter bus tours however they are all going to be at least 6-8 hours (wonder lake is nearly 14 hours I think) and you will never be alone but if the mountain is not covered in clouds (about 70% of the time) then you will see the postcard picture opportunities.
Head south after Denali and stop in Talkeetna. From there you can take a flight seeing tour of Mount McKinley (Denali) and stay in the really neat, yet very small town of Talkeetna. Along the way there are pull off's to look at the mountain such as the South Viewpoint and if the weather is nice make sure to swing over to Byer's Lake and go on the hike around the lake, you won't regret the time taken if it is clear (just bring bug spray, they are nasty there!!)
Continue back to Anchorage from Talkeetna (about 2-3 hours).
If you are more into hiking (you said no camping so probably day trips) then there are plenty to do in all of those places.
My only suggestion is to take your time and plan another trip, with our daughter when we tried to plan too much (my last trip to Maui for example) we felt like we were going from one place to another and not enjoying what the location had to offer or the experiences our daughter was having for the first time...no picture is worth missing out on that.
Enjoy and good luck picking your route, you will find great landscape opportunities everywhere. If you have more specific questions feel free to PM me, happy to help as this forum has helped me tremendously when I am planning a trip!!
dgdg wrote:
Can you afford to stay in one of the posh Denali cabins for a couple days? That way you don't have to sit on long bus rides with your baby who might get a bit cramped.. ....
Were you referring to this ? Just trying to make sure, thanks !
jll6607 wrote:
My wife and I had been to Alaska twice. One in 2004 and one in 2006. In 2004, we had clear view of Denali for 2 days. In 2006, we had planned to take K2 flight to circle Denali but it was rained out. We camped at Wonder lake. Lots of bugs but worth it. Nice moose in the lake in the morning and a good 5 minutes of Denali view the whole trip. You never know. Just need to enjoy whatever weather you get.
Some glacier in Mat-Su valley is accessible by car and offers interesting view.
Seward has lots to offer. Watching and hearing glacier cracking and falling in to the ocean feels very prehistorical.
Our favorite place is Homer. It takes a bit longer (2 ~ 3 hours?) to get to as it is "the end of the road"...Reserve "Danny J" ferry for a day trip to Halibut Cove and have dinner at Saltry. It was one of the highlight of my Alaska memories. We did not get chance to go halibut fishing or fly to Kodiak for bear watching. Maybe next time.
BTW, the most difficult thing for me to adjust is the midnight sun. It's still bright close to midnight in summer and it was hard for me to sleep the first couple of days.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful Alaska trip... ...Show more →
Thank you for the suggestions !!! I really am hoping to take a flight tour of the mountain, weather permitting. Let's see.... Agree with you about glaciers : it does transport you back in time
Valid point about the midnight sun (hey, today is summer solstice!): I can sleep and so can my wife, but concerned about our little one. She'll want to play as long as the sun is out !!!
MDBarrett wrote:
All of these suggestions are great and look into them depending on your ability to drive that much with a 1 year old. I live in Anchorage and have a 2 year old so I have attempted all of those excursions with and without child. Honestly, at least for us, our vacations or drives have been much better when we take our time instead of just driving with our daughter. You mentioned that Alaska is too big to see in that short of time frame, couldn't agree with you more!
Not to say Charlie isn't right however with a 1 year old I would limit the time on the Seward boat tour. We have done all the tours that they have and if you are wanting to see sea life then just stick to the Resurection Bay tour, I think it is 3 hours not the full day or go to the Seward Sea Life center for what you didn't get to see (aquarium in downtown Seward).
Homer is a fantastic drive (you can see both Seward and Homer on the same trip since they are in the same direction however both cities and roads are very populated that time of year so you won't get the alone in the wilderness of Alaska experience), we are actually heading down there on Sunday and then over to Soldovia for a few days and I am hoping to catch some great tides and images.
There are some good drives that you can do in other directions also, look into the Denali Highway or the Richardson Highway. A good trip, however it would entail some driving is to go from Anchorage, about 45 minutes south you would take the turn off to head to Whittier. Jump on the ferry (get your boat and sea life out of the way) you end up in Valdez.
From there you drive up Thompson Pass (amazing view and great day hikes) to the Denali Highway. Stay in Tangle Lakes, they have cabins. That night and the next morning you can drive the Denali Highway from that area (Paxon to Cantwell approx. 4 hours to all day depending on how much you stop). You are then only a 30 minute drive from Denali Park entrance where you can stay. While wonder lake is amazing, you will most likely not enjoy the stop and go of the bus with a 1 year old. I know I would never think of it with my daughter and she is pretty flexible. You can take shorter bus tours however they are all going to be at least 6-8 hours (wonder lake is nearly 14 hours I think) and you will never be alone but if the mountain is not covered in clouds (about 70% of the time) then you will see the postcard picture opportunities.
Head south after Denali and stop in Talkeetna. From there you can take a flight seeing tour of Mount McKinley (Denali) and stay in the really neat, yet very small town of Talkeetna. Along the way there are pull off's to look at the mountain such as the South Viewpoint and if the weather is nice make sure to swing over to Byer's Lake and go on the hike around the lake, you won't regret the time taken if it is clear (just bring bug spray, they are nasty there!!)
Continue back to Anchorage from Talkeetna (about 2-3 hours).
If you are more into hiking (you said no camping so probably day trips) then there are plenty to do in all of those places.
My only suggestion is to take your time and plan another trip, with our daughter when we tried to plan too much (my last trip to Maui for example) we felt like we were going from one place to another and not enjoying what the location had to offer or the experiences our daughter was having for the first time...no picture is worth missing out on that.
Enjoy and good luck picking your route, you will find great landscape opportunities everywhere. If you have more specific questions feel free to PM me, happy to help as this forum has helped me tremendously when I am planning a trip!!
Thank you so much Mike! I'll re-read your post in bit more detail tonight, look it up and ask you if I have more questions! Appreciate your comments and links !
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