I recently responded to a request for a road trip suggestion and I thought I should post my response for all to view:
“My first suggestion would be to back up your trip dates to June and July (if you can). I personally think the best months to be in Alaska are May, June and July. Usually August begins the “rainy season”, however, the past few years have been very different. We have had crazy weather the past few years. No snow for three winters, then it dumped a foot of snow yesterday on us? Summers have been crazy hot. We have had temps in June up to 101 degrees in Southcentral Alaska. Who knows when the winds will shift again? But generally, the end of May through beginning of August have the nicest summer days. All that said, I personally do LOVE the fall in Alaska. It’s when he mosquitos (our state bird) die off, it gets dark at night once again and the cool, brisk evenings are best spent around a campfire.
There are really only two directions to drive from Anchorage, North or South. North takes you to Denali and Fairbanks. The drive South via the (Seward Hwy #1) splits to Seward (via Hwy #9) and Homer (Kenai Peninsula). If fishing is your thing, then heading South is the way to go. Seward is about a 2 hour drive from Anchorage if you made no stops (and there was no construction, which is unlikely). Seward is the gateway to the Kenai Fjords. Spectacular boat rides out into the Fjords are not to be missed. They are spendy, but worth the $$$. Camping in downtown Seward is available. It is oceanfront, but parking lot style with few hook ups. From the camping spots in Seward, you can walk the whole town. Another place to RV camp is at Lowell Point. There are two private campgrounds just past Lowell Point; Millers Landing and the Silver Derby Campground. I like these because they are more primitive and more natural camping areas, but it is out side of town and requires that you drive (or bike) into the town of Seward to see the sites. It’s fine if you are towing a car behind or traveling with bikes, but if your RV is your only mode of transportation, it’s not very practical. These are the websites: http://www.millerslandingak.com/campgrounds.htm and http://thesilverderbycampground.com
To get to Homer, you head towards Seward and at about halfway, you would vere off to the right, towards Kenai/Soldotna (still via Hwy #1, but then called the Sterling Hwy). From this cutoff, it’s about another 3 hours to Homer. Heading towards Homer, you will pass through Soldotna (among other things). This is the fishing mecca of the Kenai peninsula. On the way you will pass the famous Russian River where anglers combat fish for salmon. Lots more fishing in Soldotna, Deep Creek, and Ninilchik on the way to Homer. Homer itself is a picturesque spit of land that provides access to Kachemak Bay. Homer is the fishing capital and gateway to many exclusive wildlife viewing tours in the National and State Parks including Katmai, Lake Clark, McNeil River and Kachemak Bay. Most these wildlife viewing areas can only be reached by boat or float plane, so they are spendy. That said, the absolute BEST thing I have ever done in my 30 years here in Alaska, was take a trip to Katmai National Part to see the bears. The trip is absolutely amazing! This is where you can see the salmon jumping into the mouths of enormous brown bears who are fishing the river. It’s just like the photos you see. Here is the website: http://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm If you don’t believe me, check out the Brooks Falls webcam there during the summer months: http://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls.htm
North of Anchorage is Denali National Park. This is also not to be missed. Everyone knows about Denali, so let me tell you about some other things along the way. About 30-40 miles outside of Anchorage to the North, the road will split between the North route to Denali/Fairbanks (via the Parks Hwy #3) and the East route towards Glen Allen/Valdez (via the Glenn Hwy #1). What I recommend is the you go one way and return the other. An example would be to first head North to Denali. Along the way make stops Big lake, overnight at South Rolly campground (see my separate review), continue to drive North stopping at Talkeetna for lunch (or a flight seeing trip), a brief stop at the Denali Princess lodge on a clear day affords beautiful views of the mountain, then overnight again at Byers Lake campground (one of my favorites). The next day, continue towards Denali making stops along the way to view the mountain, hurricane gulch, etc. When you come to Cantwell, you will be at the intersection of the Parks Hwy and the Old Denali Hwy.
Here you can make a choice to continue about half an hour to Denali and stay at one of the Denali park campgrounds or turn off onto the Old Denali hwy and stay at the very primative Brushkana campground (only 21 campsites).
1) The benefits of staying in Denali Park are fairly obvious. There are ample sites disbursed amongst several campgrounds. However, my favorite Denali park campground is Teklanika. By staying at Teklanika, you are allowed to drive your own vehicle 30 miles into the park. There is a 3 night minimum when reserving online at http://www.reservedenali.com/stay/campgrounds/teklanika.aspx. Once you drive in, you may not drive out. Instead, you will purchase a pass for the “camper bus” which will take you up the mountain at your leisure and allow you to get on and off along the way to hike or find other adventures. By doing so, you can take many short walks that may yield extraordinary wildlife viewing opportunities (up close and personal). There are also benefits of NOT staying at Teklanika campground. The Riley Creek and Savage River campgrounds are also located within the park, but close to the park entrance. They do not have minimum stay requirements and allow you to drive in and out of the park during your stay. This allows you to roam the town of Healy, Alaska where there are many tourist attractions, including dinner shows and gift shops.
2) At Cantwell junction, you have another choice. You can choose to drive the well graveled Old Denali Highway (#8) to the very primitive Brushkana campground. This is a VERY small campground which gets little use. There is no need for a reservation here. It will seem like it is just in the middle of nowhere, but that’s the point. You will be on the road less traveled and with that comes fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities without the crowds of park visitors. This is very rustic camping and there are small lakes all around for fishing. It can be very hot in this area. I’d recommend spending one night here just for the rural experience. Then you can always get to the park early the next morning as it is not far away. Spend a night or two in the park afterwards and experience the best of both worlds.
After Denali you can choose to drive to Fairbanks (if you have the time), or head back to the Old Denali Hwy (#8) and travel that gravel road to Paxson. Fairbanks is about a four hour drive North of Denali. I won’t talk much about Fairbanks right now as that is a whole other blog topic. Whether you choose to go on to Fairbanks or not, my recommendation is the same. You should return (from either Denali or Fairbanks) via the Richardson Hwy. So, from Fairbanks you would return via the Richardson/Alaska Hwy (#2) to Delta Juction and then turn onto the Richardson Hwy (#4). Please note that from Fairbanks to Delta Juction, Hwy #2 can be referred to either the Alaska Hwy or the Richardson Hwy. The important thing is that you follow the signs for Hwy #2 to Delta Junction. This drive will take you to the North Pole (Santa Claus’ House), Eielson Air Force Base, Salcha and ultimately to Delta Juction. After Delta Junction, you may continue on towards either Valdez (#4) or Tok (#2). You want to be on the Richardson Hwy (#4) towards Valdez. It’s at Delta Junction that #2 officially becomes what we refer to as the AlCan hwy (which leads to the Yukon and eventually Canada). The Richardson Hwy (#4) travels due South towards Valdez and/or Glenn Allen. (I hope I haven’t completely confused you). While driving the Richardson Hwy, you will have several opportunities to view the Trans- Alaska Pipeline.
If you choose to skip Fairbanks, then from Denali you would travel the Old Denali Hwy (#8) to Paxson and then turn South onto the Richardson Hwy (#4). I find that the Richardson Hwy, often overlooked, is beautiful and offers quiet and secluded camping opportunities not found along the more congested Parks Hwy. As you make your way South, you will come to another decision point… To Valdez or not to Valdez. I will address the road to Valdez in another blog post. Your choice will ultimately depend on how much time you have. If you have extra days to spend, the Wrangell Mountains on the way to Valdez are spectacular. The Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in the US. At 13.2 million acres, it’s the same size as Yellowstone Nat. Park, Yosemite Nat. Park, and Switzerland combined! Do your research on the road to Valdez. Stops in Chitna, the road to McCarthy and the Kennicott Glacier (although remote) are very rewarding. If you do not have time for the excursion towards Valdez, then you will return to Anchorage via the Glenn Hwy (#1) at the intersection near Gulkana/Glennallen. From there you will pass through the tiny town of Glennallen, continue to Sheep Mountain, then to Chickaloon, Palmer and ultimately back to Anchorage. Along the way, my recommended stops are at Sheep Mountain, Gunsight Mountain, Matanuska Glacier (see separate blog review) and an excursion off the main hwy on the road to Hatcher’s Pass. Also note, that in late August the Alaska State Fair is held in Palmer right on hwy #1 and is well worth the stop. The stops I mentioned are only a few of many attractions along the way.
The route I have suggested above is what I would consider to be the ultimate Alaska road trip. If time permits, there are several other excursions off this main track that are well worth the visit. Several of these are already mentioned in previous blogs entries and I will add more over time.”
RVing Alaska 