Alaska Trip Report- Aug 2004

This is pretty much a quick go-through of our(me and Sneha's) Alaska trip. When I planned the trip I did not know anyone who had been to Alaska before. It was difficult to get good information. I've listed here, all the information that I had been looking for, but had trouble finding. Lists places to visit, things to do there, accommodation reviews. (I had to post some of the accommodation reviews .. so the content is designed as per the hostelz.com review guidelines.) In case you need details on anything, pls let me know : vivache@gmail.com.


We'd been to South West Alaska for two weeks (starting mid-Aug 2004). The tourist season is for three months in summer, June, July, August. The rest of the year is too cold or too dark(since the sun is out just for just a few hours.) Middle of Aug .. is towards the end of the tourism season .. so avoided the crowds. Most towns have 2000-3000 inhabitants .. and a small town over run with 20000 tourists .. can be a nightmare. Early June or late Aug is a very good time. Summer temperatures hover between 54-64 F. This was the hottest summer in Alaska .. and temperatures in a lot of places hit the 90's. The highest we encountered was 76 in Juneau.(usually about a million acres of forests burn every year .. this year the number was 5 million). A shirt or t-shirt is good for most places. You can add a sweater for evenings .. and a jacket when on a cruise. Ideally dress in layers. It rains only in Ketchikan. We encountered light showers at different places though.
Most people who work at the cruises, do tours etc .. are all from the lower 48 states. Since tourism is really seasonal, not many locals do these jobs. The best way to get there .. is look for a summer job !! (seriously )
We met a lot of people who had rented RV's. It costs upwards of 175$ .. but works well if you have 4 or more people.

Alaska Quick Facts: Alaska is the largest state in the US, about 2.3 times the size of Texas and about one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 states. Most of it is inaccessible. And other parts only accessible by boat or air. This really makes it expensive.
Wasn't that quick : )

12th-13th Aug We got into Anchorage at 10:30 in the night. The flight breaks at Seattle from San Jose, total flying time is about 4.5 hours. Rented a car at the airport .. bought some groceries and water .. and drove to Denali (Hway 3). The road is very good .. and you can drive at 70-80 mph. We slept en route .. in the car ... and reached the Park .. at about 7:45 am. We nearly crashed into a moose and later a porcupine .. while driving. Yes .. Lots of wildlife in Alaska.
Denali National Park(http://www.nps.gov/dena/) is about 240 miles from Anchorage. Denali is Athabascan for the Great One.. refers to Mount Mc Kinley .. the tallest peak in North America at 20320 feet, (second to Everest).
Park entrance fee: 5$ per person, 10$ per family. Denali .. allows people to drive in .. only for the first 15 miles. The road beyond that is gravel .. and you can either walk .. or get into the Bus. Buses run to the end of the Park(Kantishna) which has a BackCountry Lodge. If you don't plan to stay there .. your last point will be Wonder Lake which is Mile 85. Need to book in advance for the buses, else tickets are unavailable. Can do it online at : http://www.reservedenali.com/. Ticket costs range from 15-30$ depending on where you would like to stop. (There is a bus tour for 77$ .. but the drivers give you .. pretty much the same info .. as the bus ride.. and the bus ride is also flexible .. since you can get down .. at will). The bus is a pretty neat concept .. since you can concentrate on looking for wildlife. The bus drivers are very knowledgeable ..and fill you in with info about the Park. The bus stops at different places(Toklat River, Polychrome, Eielson Centre, Wonder Lake) along the 85 mile road and also stops any place you would like to get down .. or stops to pick up hikers.
We met folks who had hiked in Denali for 5 days !! You need a backcountry pass(think it's free) .. and can pitch your tent anywhere .. as long as it is not visible from the road. You get Bear Canisters at the Visitor Centre.
On a good day from Wonder Lake, you can have a clear view of Mt McKinley. We did !!
Wildlife that you can see along the way: bear(brown, black), Willow Ptarmigan(state bird), bald eagle, moose, caribou, dall sheep. (if lucky wolves, we didn't see any).

The park is very green Tundra. Considering that its pretty much under ice for 7-8 months, there is substantial greenery out there. We saw about 20 bears on day 2, one even walked across the front of the bus !! Make sure you take your binoculars along .. you can't do without them !! We were in Denali for 2 days . Ideally do the Wonder Lake ride on day 1 (11 hr roundtrip.. yeah . they really drive slow .. and stop for every animal !!) , so you have an idea .. of what all the park has to offer .. and can check those areas on Day 2.

Camping in Denali is the best option. Acco is pretty expensive .. in almost all the places in Alaska .. blame it on a short tourism season. We stayed at hostels all along ..and they were a pretty affordable, fun way of doing things !! Mountain Morning hostel(www.hostelalaska.com) is about 13 miles south of Denali. Charge 25$ per bunk .. also have cabins at 65$. They charge a dollar for the bedding. 50 cents for towels. Shared kitchen in the main building, 24 hr internet. The kitchen is fully equipped .. with all utensils, has 2 cooking ranges .. so ample room for everyone. Very clean. Hostel main building is closed from 9-4. The showers and bathrooms were very clean. You get to meet a lot of fellow travelers, and get information on places to see and miss !! This hostel was perfect!! A creek flows right next door. (We got locked out of the car .. and Andrew from the hostel used a coat hanger .. to get it open !! )

15th-16th Aug About 90 miles South of Denali .. is an area .. where you can get a good view of Mt Mc Kinley and Talkeetna river (called South Denali View .. or something like that). Chulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna are the rivers in the area. You can see a couple of them on the drive along the highway. To hit Talkeetna you need to detour about 14 miles. The town .. is really small and nice. Drive straight and turn left as the road ends. The trail to the river gets you there in 5 minutes. Flights to Mt McKinley .. start from here . You fly there in small bush planes. Costs about 175$ starting. We were there on a cloudy day ..and had to pass. (At 175$ .. I was glad it was cloudy .. :) )
Drive to Homer: AK3 .. becomes AK1 at Anchorage. Homer is about 5 hrs from Anchorage.. along 1 .. which is also called the Sterling Highway. As soon as you cross Anchorage, you see the Turnagain Arm .. great view of the sea from here. A few miles down the road .. take a left to the Portage glacier.. about 7 miles down the road. Need to take a ferry to see this .. costs about 25$.(The road also hits Whittier .. take the tunnel. Cruises go from Whittier to Valdez. Glaciers to be seen: Prince William Sound, Columbia Glacier, the world's fastest moving Glacier. Valdez is the place of the Exxon oil spill of 1989.) If you want to see a Glacier for free.. check the Byron Glacier .. it's on the right as you drive towards Portage. The trail is about a mile .. pretty rocky.. but a nice walk. You can walk on this Glacier !! .. and it's a very nice hike. http://www.planetboyd.com/T2K2Web/ByronGlacier.htm.
(Brief on Glaciers: Glaciers that spill into the sea are TideWater Glaciers, glaciers that become rivers are Valley Glaciers.)

The drive along the Sterling Highway is spectacular .. like Highway 1 .. but a lot more greener. We took about 9 hrs to get to Homer .. since we HAD to stop at all the places. The drive along the Russian River has STOP written everywhere. The river is green .. and meanders along the road. People come here to fish for sockeye and Red/silver Salmon. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/greatrivers/kenai/

Useful info: Take a boat into Kachemak Bay(60$ per head return trip). The hike to Grengwich Glacier(land locked Valley glacier) is really a good day hike. The scenery is very tropical. You can also camp here close to the beach!! We did about 10-12 miles of non-stressful hiking. To get across the Grengwich river .. there is a self-pulling cable car .. pretty tough and also awesome !! The halibut Derby was on while we were there.. saw 150 pounders.
Good Restaurant. Cafe Cups .. fed us some exceptional halibut .. the decor too is neat, lot of half broken plates, cups, glasses sticking through the walls.

As you get into Homer .. on Sterling Highway .. take a left on Kachemak Drive(just before you hit the spit) to get to the hostel, Seaside Farm !! Seaside Farm is very 60's .. minus the drugs:). The host Maasi is a very nice lady, quite knowledgeable about the surroundings. Lots of friendly folks around... of different ages .. from the 30's to the 50's-60's. The cabin we stayed in (65$ a night) .. had a loft and a twin bed. Very clean and comfortable. The kitchen .. was inside the cabin .. and had a propane stove. (cooks faster than electric ones). There was no running water .. but there was a 2 gallon(8 liter) plastic container inside .. so that took care of that. (But washing vessels in non-running water is a pain !! Also cooking vessels could have been better. Stainless steel ones are the best for hostels. The non-stick ones are usually scraped bad .. and unfit for use.) We had to use the bathroom in the main hostel ..and that wasn't really fun. Bathrooms need re-doing .. though they are usable. The farm is a real farm .. with horses .. cocks, hen etc. Also a patch where you can pick up strawberry. http://www.xyz.net/~seaside/ The Homer spit .. is about 5 mins by car. Overall .. a pretty decent place .. and you get to live on an actual farm. Would recommend.

17th Aug Drove to Seward. Was raining in the morning for an hour. Weather still good .. mid 60's. About 170 miles .. get onto 9 south from 1. Good roads .. great drive. The Resurrection Bay, Glacier cruise .. is a 6 hour thing .. that costs about 110$ including lunch which was excellent. (you get a 10$ coupon from the Information Centre , just as you hit town.Kenai Fjords, Renowned, Major .. are the major tour operators. ) Aialik Glacier is about 1.2 miles wide .. you see a lot of active calving(Calving: Bits of the Glacier .. breaking and falling into the sea) .. at regular intervals. The ride is nice.. smooth seas. Wildlife enroute .. puffins, kittiwakes, pigeon guillemots, bald eagles, orcas(killer whales, actually the largest dolphin . We saw a school of about 20 of them , also a couple of humpback, stellar sea lions(many, many ). Seward .. is a nice little town.
We had a great dinner at the Harbor Dinner Club. Surprisingly, sea food is expensive in Alaska. Expect to pay 20$ per head.

The Salmon derby was underway . Saw some huge salmon and also cod. Alaska Sea Life Centre .. is a smaller version of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's nice .. but not worth the 14$ entrance fee. You can't spend more than 2 hrs here. We got free tickets from a friendly cruise agent .. so we were fine. Before you hit town take a right for Exit Glacier. A 9 mile drive takes you to the Park Entrance.(Kenai : http://www.nps.gov/kefj/).

Exit Glacier .. is a 15 minute walk .. and wheelchair accessible. The hike at Harding's ice field is a damn good day hike. Reasonably strenuous .. Good views all over. Harding Ice Field feeds about thirty active glaciers. It is one of four remaining ice fields in the United States. It is about 30 miles wide and 50 miles long and 300 square miles. The hike is about 7.8 miles .. 3000 feet. . Took us about 5 hrs round trip. It takes between 4 to 7 hrs depending on speed, fitness. We met a couple of Russians .. who did the climb with just a water bottle .. and no food. We were admiring them for their fitness and stamina .. until they told us .. that they had been stupid to do the hike without food .. and were very hungry. They ate all our biscuits !! Yep .. take a good lunch !! We saw a bear and 2 cubs ambling along. And another one 10 feet ahead of us on the trail. Also mountain sheep.

We stayed at the Snow River Hostel. It's about 16 miles ... North of Seward. We had a car .. so the commute was no problem. Else I guess .. you'll have to hitchhike. The view from the hostel is great .. it overlooks a hill. Also .. a small creek flows nearby. We lived in the cabin. At 40$ a night .. it was a steal. Very clean .. spacious ... with tea, coffee, chocolate !! Books to read as well !! The kitchen and the bathrooms are at the main hostel. (there is an outdoor commode next to the cabin) The bathroom .. was exceptionally clean .. The kitchen is fully equipped .. very clean .. has all utensils, basics. (Also has a massive antique heater.. that actually works). The dining area holds a large table .. that can seat 8. The bunks are upstairs .. of the main hostel. Bunks are at 15$ a night. The hostel is run by John Lennon :) and Edna. Edna .. is a school teacher at the local school for special children. She gave us some good information about things to see. No Website. Address: 22634 Seward Highway Telephone: +1 (907) 440-1907

We drove back to Anchorage on 19th Aug, to take the flight to Gustavus. To kill time, we stopped at the Anchorage Wildlife Refuge, 11 miles South of Anchorage. They house animals .. that have been injured .. and cannot make it in the wild. The 5$ entrance fee gets you Musk ox(they have skulls that are 3 inches thick !!), bison, deer, eagles, owl,a baby lynx, bears, boars and more. We flew into Gustavus to check the Glacier Bay(GB) National Park. Flight from Anc to Juneau(30 mins) and another 15 minute flight to Gustavus. Was raining when we got in.. but the skies cleared the next day.

20th/21st Aug The GB Cruise is expensive .. about 170$. You get to see 3-4 glaciers. The biggest we saw was the Johns Hopkins Glacier. You can really feel the chill here .. with so many Glaciers around.
We met a lot of folks who had been kayaking for 4-8 days !! We did kayak .. in the ocean .. but for half a day. It was fun. Kayakers .. get to see porpoise, seals .. even whales .. a few feet away from them. Since we were beginners, we were more than happy to see the shore !! The water is very calm .. and kayaking is fun. But for first timers .. it takes a little time to get into the groove. The kayaking company charged us 45$ for a double kayak ..and provided all equipment(boots, raingear.. free of cost.) It really gets hot with all the gear .. so wear light clothes. http://www.glacierbayseakayaks.com/kayaking.html.

We stayed at a delightful guesthouse run by Aimee.. http://www.islandnet.com/aimee/. Was earlier a Smoked Salmon factory !! Very well done rooms. We stayed in the studio. 80$ a night. The two bedroom upstairs is about 110$ .. and is even better. Great furniture .. books.. very well laid out. SmokeHouse Gallery, dealing with local artists, is on the Ground Floor. Also provides free bicycles(Huffy's). We rode around town. (The other acco alternative here is the GB Lodge ... which is about 200$. There are other lodges and Guest Houses as well.)

Gustavus is a very small town.. 300 people. Just became a city .. which means you now have to pay 2% tax. Grocery store nearby. TLC is the local taxi.. charges 5.25$ from airport .. 10.25 to Bartlett Cove .. from where the cruise starts.
Buds Rent-a-car is about 66$. Worthwhile if more than 2 people.
We also .. took a Sledge ride.. pulled by McKinsey River huskies !!

Gustavus .. is a phenomenal place. thought it's expensive to get in here .. add the cruise cost etc.. this was the best place we liked in terms of Actual Alaskan look'n feel. Small town .. great views.. nice folks. (yeah .. also has a 9 hole golf course !!)

22nd Aug Plane back to Juneau. This is a very touristy town .. mostly Cruise Ship country. Not very Alaskan. We rented a car .. but Mendenhall Glacier .. is the only thing worth seeing here. There are many buses that go there. Eagle beach is another good spot. You need a boat to get to Tracy Terror.. which is a cheaper alternative to GBay .. and some folks think it's even better. We didn't check it out .. so can't confirm that !!

http://www.juneauhostel.org/ Juneau International Hostel. On Harris and 6th Street. Pretty much close to downtown .. maybe 15 minutes walk. At 10$ .. this is fantastic .. very clean, great bathrooms, damn friendly staff. I had to be their Manager one night .. and got a refund for my night's stay (plus wielded a lot of power :) over hostelites )!! Marta.. the host .. was pretty well traveled in India .. and we talked a bit about that. No shoes inside. Curfew 12:00 pm. But if there's someone around .. they let you in. Free Internet access. Have to do a chore .. but really minor stuff. Great place .. at a really cheap price !! Strongly recommended.

Other useful info: Salmon at the Thane Ore House .. all you can eat .. is about 23$.. Twisted Fish is another popular place .. downtown.
24th Aug We took the cruise to Ketchikan aboard the MS Matanuska. Cabin for two is about 280$. Else deduct 80$ .. and you can pitch a tent on the solarium .. that's the roof of the ship. You need duct tape to hold the tent. It's really fun up there. The cruise takes about 19 hours. A ranger on board has informative sessions at regular intervals. Food on board is very reasonably priced. Stops in-between at Petersburg(little Norway), Wrangell (you can check the petroglyphs here .. a 10 minute walk from the ferry .. take a left on the road .. walk up till you see a sign on the left .. towards the beach.)
25-26th Aug Ketchikan again .. is like Juneau... aimed at the cruise ship clientele. We went on a day hike up Deer Mountain. The Blue Bus takes you all the way to Fair St. Take a right and walk for half a mile .. and you hit the trailhead. The climb is 6 miles roundtrip .. 3000 ft. Quite simple .. 4 hr hike. Great views of the city .. and the other side of the bay. Also can see the Blue Lake. (The other hike .. which we didn't go for is the Ward Lake.)

Also check out the Saxman Totem Park. The largest totem pole park !! Has a Gift Shop. Everything is expensive. Even 10X8" prints start at 30-40$. Crazy Wolf in the downtown .. is a good place to shop for prints. Also check the Totem Heritage Centre. We saw master craftsman Israel Shotridge working on a 25" totem. It takes about 5 months to complete a totem of that size. Ketchikan is littered with totems .. and that makes the town interesting. The bus service is damn good. The walk in downtown .. and also on Creek Street is nice.

We stayed at EagleView Hostel, on 5th and Jefferson. The road is very steep .. and with a heavy backpack .. is a tough climb. Great view from the living room. Pvt room $60, bunks $25. Very nice place. (We missed the Misty Fjords Monument.)

27th Aug Home
.. The End !! (wake up .. it's over !! :) )

Listing of all hostels: http://www.hostelz.com/cities.php/__Alaska_Hostels Alaska Marine Ferry: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Check Alaska coupons: http://www.blogger.com/www.toursaver.com 99$. Gives you discounts on cruises, hotels, activities etc. We did not use this.

In short: This is pristine untouched country. Amazing wildlife .. and everything is just a few feet off. The natural scenery really blows you away .. . The whole trip cost us about 4400$ (two people). The last leg at Juneau and Ketchikan is eminently missable .. unless you really like collecting trinklets:). Leave that and the cost somes down to say 3000-3300$.