Now that five months have flown by since we departed Alaska, we have met up with my parents on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. It is the perfect time to reflect on our wonderful summer of 2017 adventure and talk about things we would have done differently had we known at the time. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn’t it? To anyone planning a trip to Alaska – these are eight of our suggestions for your itinerary.
1. We should have spent a few days in the Cooper Landing/Kenai/Soldotna area.
This area is very beautiful with abundant fishing, rafting, hiking, and biking opportunities. There are many cute little fishing lodges and it gets pretty busy during salmon season. We took a day trip to Kassilof and Kenai, but we could have filled 2-3 days with fun activities.
The main reason we skipped this area is due to the fact that we couldn’t find a campground with availability. It was right around the Fourth of July, which coincided with a salmon run, so we should have booked something way in advance. It was totally our fault for not knowing any better.
2. We should have camped on the Homer Spit.
There are a couple of RV resorts at the tip of the Homer Spit, a natural sandbar stretching some four miles into Kachemak Bay, by the End of the Road Park. Since we spent a week in Ninilchik, we made one day trip to Homer. As mentioned above, we could not find anything available during the July 4th holiday. Homer is a great jumping off point for multiple exciting day trips.
3. We should have chartered a halibut fishing trip.
It was cold and rainy so we opted not to go out on the water with a Homer fishing guide. We missed the opportunity of a lifetime in the halibut capital of the world. We could have caught two fish apiece during a half day charter. Most boats travel between 20 and 25 miles each way to their fantastic fishing spots, and provide all gear plus complimentary fish filleting.
4. We should have taken the ferry from Homer to Seldovia.
Once upon a time, this little town across Kachemak Bay was bigger than Homer, with a fish cannery, businesses and an extensive boardwalk. It was even known as the Boardwalk Town until the 1964 earthquake wiped out the boardwalk and nearly wiped out the town. Seldovia is known for its seaside charm, thanks to rebuilt boardwalks, a drowsy harbor, and streets that see more foot traffic than vehicles.
5. We should have stayed a few days near Glennallen and Lake Louise.
When Sally came to visit, we hiked on a glacier one day and booked a rafting trip the following day. At the time we were staying in Wasilla and drove a little over an hour toward Glennallen where the tour company was located. The scenery was nice, but it added a lot of commuting time.
Being just outside the boundary of Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Glennallen serves as a great base for visitors. Big game hunting abounds, as well as fishing, hiking, rafting and flightseeing. The Copper River has world class salmon fishing, with tours of the surrounding valley offered through assorted companies.
Lake Louise and the surrounding area are home to a great variety of wildlife and birds. It is the only known recorded freshwater nesting site for cormorants. The Lake Louise area is the summer home to trumpeter swans, loons and many other water fowl. Wildlife viewing opportunities include moose, wolf, bear, fox, sheep, lynx and the annual migration of the Nelchina caribou herd.
6. We should have booked a flight-seeing tour to see bears up close.
Many of the most famous shots of bears pouncing for salmon swimming up waterfalls were taken at Brooks River Falls, in Katmai National Park. The world’s largest salmon run floods this river and draws up to 15 bears at a time in early June. At the peak of the salmon run, you can see many large males compete for the best fishing spots. We could have booked a trip from Homer or Anchorage, or a similar trip to Frazer Lake while we were on Kodiak Island. At the time, we couldn’t justify $525 per person, but looking back it would have been worth it for the pictures and memories. There was also an ATV trip on Kodiak Island that we could have booked for river fishing and bear viewing. We totally dropped the ball!
7. We should have booked some kind of boat tour on the inside passage.
Several small cruise ships offer views of Glacier Bay National Park, whale watching in Frederick Sound, bears near Icy Strait and Chichagof Island and so much more. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and skiffs are available to see wildlife at eye level, with options for varying activity levels.
Another option is the Alaska Marine Highway which makes up a large part of Alaska’s highway system covering 3,500 miles of coastline and stretches from Bellingham, WA to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Chain. The RV’s were too big for the ferry, but we could have taken one truck on some of the routes if we had planned ahead and made reservations.
8. We should have hopped on the Alaska Railroad between a couple of cities.
The state’s Railroad has two classes of passenger service, full-service onboard dining, and tracks that just happen to wind through some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. They offer day trips and excursions as well as multi day trips from Fairbanks to Seward and all destinations in between. It would have been more enjoyable for Darin instead of driving everywhere.
It is easy to say “shoulda, woulda, coulda” but I’m only mentioning these eight things to help other people with planning their Alaska adventure. And who knows, we might fly up next time and do some of these things that are now on my bucket list!