Alaska Ideas

We went to Alaska in 2021, right after the pandemic. We flew into Anchorage, stayed a night and then rented a car and dove to Denali. We stopped at Talkeetna on the way (where we got our only glimpse of Denali). We stayed at a family run resort, called grizzly bear resort, right outside the national Park boundaries. Somewhat rustic, but very clean and comfortable and location was great. The rental car allowed us to go in and out of the park at our own pace. Most days we parked inside the park, And used their shuttle system to get around. All very easy to do. The scenery is spectacular. We did see the train come and go every day into the park, and were glad we were not taking it as it would have definitely put a crimp in our travel plans. At that time of year, the sun doesn’t set until very very late so you have so much more daylight in which to do things.

Did not make it to the Kenai peninsula but friends have loved going there.

My first trip to Alaska was quite a while ago, and things change, but I'm sure most of the experiences I had are still available.

I did a tour of the Kenai peninsula with a company that is no longer operating. But I would highly recommend going to Seward and taking an excursion into Kenai Fjords. We stayed overnight on Fox Island. It was magical. https://www.alaskacollection.com/lodging/kenai-fjords-wilderness-lodge/.

On the tour we also went to Homer, which was fun, and we took a boat from there to Seldovia. I enjoyed that, but I'd put it lower in the priority list.

After the tour, I took the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Talkeetna. There I got a flightseeing trip to Denali. We flew around the mountain and landed on a glacier. It was very much worth doing. After returning to Talkeetna, I took a van to Denali and stayed at a lodge outside the park.

I didn't enjoy the long bus ride into the park (13 hours round trip). I think there are better opportunities to see grizzlies than from a bus window.

In addition to the small plane ride from Talkeenta, I did a helicopter tour right from the town at the entrance to the National Park. This was very different from the plane ride because the helicopter can get much closer and lower than the airplane. I'm really glad I did both.

I returned to Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad. And stayed a few days before heading home.

The Alaska Railroad was a delight. I don't know if they still do this, but at the time they had high school students who are selected in a competition to serve as docents on the train. They point out interesting things along the way (and the train occasionally stops for wildlife sightings or photo ops). They'll also come chat with you, share their scrapbook, and tell stories about growing up in Alaska.

So I'd definitely recommend the train vs. driving.

There are other parts of Alaska you might want to branch out to, but I didn't get to anywhere else, so I can't comment. I know Katmai National Park is supposed to be one of the best places to see grizzlies.

Have been to Alaska twice some years apart. I have two thoughts.

The single best excursion we took in Alaska was a 6 hour cruise of Kenai Fjords National Park. It left from Seward and went father out than any other whale watching/ wildlife cruise that we did. From the ship the views of the mountains and glaciers was fantastic. Every day can be different, but we were able to see both Orcas and Humpbacks. A bunch of times we saw the humpbacks partially breach. I can probably find the specific company we used if it is of interest.

On an earlier trip we drove from Anchorage to Denali. We were glad that we drove. We stopped for lunch and probably stopped at 3 different scenic overlooks. Really enjoyed the drive.

Enjoy your trip.

Ok I will chime in. I just moved from Alaska after 24 years and have done almost everything.

Train vs driving-if you love train travel do the train, otherwise just be advised it goes very slow and you will not see wildlife from the train, don’t let their marketing pictures fool you.
Driving gives you more freedom and independence.
Best bear viewing is Katmai NP. You can fly over for the day from Homer. I have been twice staying the first time 2 nights, second time 3 nights. If you want to stay over you must enter and get a slot in the lottery (December 1st).
Homer is my favorite town in Alaska.
For glacier viewing my favorite experience is the Matanuska glacier. Glacier-tours.com will take you out onto the glacier for a very reasonable price.
You can also do a hike to Exit Glacier in Seward.
Ok, let me know if you have more questions!