5 days in Alaska-I need Suggestions?

Question

Ok, i have a free Ticket from Alaska Airlines, and I decided to book it Septermbe 17th - 21st. I decided againest Juneau and other places and use Anchorage as my starting point
Here is what i was thinking- I am traveling solo as well

Arrive in Anchorage 5pm sunday
Day 1 - Drive to Homer arrive at night
Day 2 - Homer
Day 3 - Seward (Optional) Been there but missed Exit Glacier is it worth it
or head up to Matanuska Glacier
Day 4 - Denali
Day 5 - Denali- drive back to anchroge

Days 4/5 could be subsituted for Wrangell St Elias National Park but it seems kind of remote

I have driven Alaska in Winter so I am fine with all the driving in late summer

Does this sound like a responable interniary or am I out of my mind

Any help would be appreaited

Answer 1

Only slightly out of your mind (said with a smile by someone who just drove with a kindergartener from Kenai to the Arctic Ocean and back).

I'd point out that you won't get your luggage and rental car until 6 pm. Anchorage - Soldotna is 3 hours in summer (maybe a touch quicker since the motorhomes will have left by then), another 1.5 hours to Homer. So 10:30 pm you're in Homer, way after dark. But you'll see the great views going north again.

I was at Exit Glacier last week. It is cool (literally) to walk right up to a glacier and it is easy to do there (about 1 mile hike, 8 mile drive from the Seward Highway). I'd suggest that instead of a longer side trip in Mat-Su. If you haven't seen the Sea Life Center in Seward or taken a tour boat into Resurrection Bay / Kenai Fjords NP, do that. Very accessible and interesting.

Seward-Denali is another long haul. 120 miles to Anchorage and then another 250 to Denali.

Wrangell/St Elias is far off in a different direction. Save that for another trip and spend more time at your destinations this time.

That's probably too late to take the park bus in Denali (check). There's not much right around the park entrance. You really want to get 50 miles in on the park road to see the critters and possibly, the mountain.

Some of rafting companies on the Nenana outside of Denali might still be running then. That's a different, colder kind of white water rafting than most people have done.

Answer 2

Denali ends bus service on Sep 14. There is some stuff to do around entrance area (dog kennels, visitor center), but the bus tour is really the highlight.

Wrangell St Elias is very remote, but the weather won't turn there as quickly so you could make it to McCarthy and see the abandoned mining town. The is also glacier hiking in that area. From what I've heard the last 120 miles into McCarthy are on a dirt road so you could opt to get a flight in/out from Chitna.

Answer 3

sell the ticket