14 Day Alaska Road Trip

Preliminary Itinerary

In huge thanks to all of the posts and people who helped me develop this itinerary, here is my trip report. We had an incredible experience. In 15 days, our family of four stayed at nine different places and went on at least 7 “excursions” including flightseeing and landing on a glacier, a bus tour of Denali, a tour of Independence gold mine, a visit to a Musk Ox Farm, hiking Matanuska glacier, ice kayaking in Valdez, deep sea fishing in Valdez, a 5 hour ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier and a wildlife marine cruise in Seward. 

We also enjoyed some really incredible hikes, including Savage River and Horseshoe Trail in Denali, Gold Cord Lake in Hatcher Pass, Portage Pass in Whittier and Tosina Trail in Seward.  

Had we taken a typical cruise ship vacation,  we would never have had a chance to see all the things we did, or do all that we could. Had we not tent-camped, most of our budget would have spent on accommodations. So, we were thrilled with the options that we selected. Not for everyone, but perfect for us! Day details below, since the report is so long :)

Short Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Anchorage late pick up rental, head to hotel and crash

Day 2: Depart Anchorage by 9am.  Drive to Telkeetna for Flightseeing tour check in by 12:45. Arrive late to Denali, set up camp.

Day 3: Morning options: Denali Visitor center, Sled dog demo at 9:20am, 10 am ranger-led hike, Horseshoe Lake trail hike. Afternoon: 2pm East Fork Transit bus - bring light dinner, jump out somewhere pretty, catch next bus back

Day 4: Morning and early afternoon options: 7am East For Transit tour (if available), Discovery hike, Mount Healy overlook hike (4 hours), anything missed on previous day.  Late afternoon: head to K’esurgi Ken Campground

Day 5: Morning options: Stop at Sock Eye burn for woodpeckers, Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine, Afternoon options: More Hatcher Pass, set up camp at Finger Lake campground, Idiatarod HQ, Musk Ox Farm or Reindeer Farm, as time permits

Day 6: Morning options: Anything missed previous day or Lion's Head trail hike (2 hour hike).  Afternoon: Matanuska Glacier at 2 pm Overnight: Tolsona Campground

Day 7: Morning options: Fishing or Mud Volcano hike at Tolsona, Wrangell-St Elias Visitor Center. Afternoon: 1pm Copper Canyon Discovery tour. Evening: Late night camp setup at Blueberry Lake Campground

Day 8: Day options: Thompson Pass, Valdez Glacier Lake, Crooked Creek Info Center, Homestead Trail Hike, Solomon Gulch Hatchery, Valdez Museum

Day 9: Columbia Glacier Kayak tour (10 hours)

Day 10: Morning: Fishing with Valdez Water Taxi Afternoon: Anything not already done in Valdez

Day 11: Morning: Ferry trip - pack up camp at 4am to catch Tuesday ferry (!!). Afternoon: Check in to Anchor Inn, Whittier Historic Walking Tour

Day 12: Morning Options: Portage Pass hike, Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, Beluga pointe, other stops, Afternoon options: Check in to Air B&B. Exit Glacier Hike, Tosina Creek Trail, Alaska Sea Life Center, Evening: Independence Day Fireworks at 11pm (!!)

Day 13: All Day options Options: Harding Ice Field Trek, July 4th celebrations, Alaska Sea Life Center or Tosina Creek Trail

Day 14: 8.5 hour Major Marine Glacier tour

Day 15: Head back to Anchorage for red eye home

Saturday June 22

Arrive in Anchorage 7pm (10pm home time) Springhill Suites.  

Get rental car, find hotel, crash

This was pretty much as expected. We arrived close to on time, and although it was as bright as noon outside, we all felt pretty exhausted. We swung by Moose's Tooth, as it was a recommended place to eat, but the line was long and we were too pooped to pop. So then we swung by a nearby sushi restaurant, but it was also a long wait. Dylan was pretty congested from the flight, and had an awful headache. At this point, we just wanted food and bed, so we drove through Wendy's and then ate in our hotel. The most expensive Wendy's meal we have ever had, but it was what we needed. We knew we had a long day the next morning, so we pulled the blackout curtains and went to bed.