Three Week Best of Alaska Itinerary
Because Alaska is so big and the logistics of transport are challenging, it can take a solid three weeks to hit the highlights. To plan a shorter trip, choose one or two regions from the following itinerary.
Plan additional rest time into your trip as you think you’ll need it. Those rest days also come in handy as time cushions in case of weather delays. If you travel much in Alaska, it’s not a question of if you’ll encounter weather delays, but when, and for how long—and that goes double if you’re traveling in remote rural communities.
Southeast
Most Southeast Alaska communities are on islands or separated from the mainland by road-less mountains, so travel takes place almost exclusively by sea or air. Ferries work more like a long-distance bus line than a cruise, stopping at each community for just long enough to load and unload passengers, cargo, and cars. But they don’t always come at the same time of day. Sometimes they’ll even come or go from port in the wee hours of the night, and in some communities the ferry may visit only a couple of times a week.
That means that if you choose to disembark, you’re committed to staying for at least a couple of days until the next ferry comes through—or hopping on a plane for the next leg of your trip. With that in mind, the following itinerary features more air travel. Unlike ferries, the planes come and go at predictable times of day.
Day 1
Arrive by flight (or ferry) to Ketchikan, often the first port of call for seagoing visitors to Alaska. Ketchikan has the highest concentration of standing totem poles of any community in the state, so spend at least half a day exploring the many parks and museums that feature these works of art. Top the day off with a 2-hour flightseeing trip to stupendous Misty Fjords National Monument, or if you don’t like small planes, go fishing or take the only snorkeling tour in Alaska. Then end your day with a stroll along picturesque Creek Street, where the historic buildings stand on stilts over a creek that flows right through downtown Ketchikan. Turn in early for a good night’s sleep.
Day 2
If the timing works out for an early-morning ferry, take the 6-hour ferry ride to Wrangell. If there is no early ferry, catch the morning Alaska Airlines flight to Wrangell instead, then take an afternoon bear-viewing trip to the Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory. This special place mostly showcases black bears, but sometimes you’ll get to see brown bears fishing here too—or end up sharing the trail with them.
When you get back to Wrangell, take the time to visit the Chief Shakes Tribal House (which you can enter for a fee; prior arrangements required) and take the 1-mi-long (1.6-km) walk to Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site, where ancient petroglyphs are still out in the open. Get an early dinner (the few restaurants in Wrangell all close early) and turn in for an early night’s rest at your hotel.
Day 3
Take the morning flight to Juneau, the state’s capital and the air transit hub of Southeast Alaska. This should leave you time to drop luggage at your hotel and stop by the spectacular Walter Soboleff Center in downtown Juneau, then catch a shuttle bus—or rent a car—and visit the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier. Many visitors to Juneau also love riding the Goldbelt Tram, which carries you 1,800 ft (549 m) up Mount Roberts to walking trails, a small gift shop, and beautiful views over Juneau and the Gastineau Channel, the strait that separates Juneau from the neighboring island suburb of Douglas. The tram-way runs later into the evening than the shuttle buses to the glacier, so leave it for last.
Day 4
On your second day in Juneau, take a big adventure. For most people, this will be a one-day bear-viewing tour to nearby Admiralty Island, which has the densest population of brown bears in the world, as well as one of the longest bear-viewing seasons. If you’re intent on seeing these massive, shaggy, and beautiful apex predators, this is one of the best places to do it. If you’d rather see humpback whales—also known as the ballerinas of the seas—go whale-watching instead. Southeast is one of very few places in the world where you might get to see humpback whales bubble-net feeding: a cooperative behavior in which several whales work together to “round up” schools of fish in a net made of air bubbles, then lunge up through the middle of the net to gulp the fish down.
Day 5
Leave Juneau for an overnight trip to Skagway. Take the 5-hour ferry ride (a jet is not an option here, although you could book a small-plane shuttle) and spend an afternoon in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. There are lots of historical buildings and shops to explore, some lovely day hikes in the area, an interesting brothel tour in the Red Onion Saloon, and a dinner theater event, The Days of ’98 Show. Spending the night here will give you a little bit of a rest day, plus a chance to take a scenic train ride in the morning.
Day 6
Take a morning tour on the historic narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, then head back to Juneau on the ferry. If your ferry gets into Juneau early, you can squeeze in one more short day tour (try fishing, kayaking, or zip-lining), or spend the afternoon browsing the wonderful locally owned shops downtown. End your day by hopping an evening flight from Juneau to the gorgeous island community of Sitka.
Day 7
Spend the day exploring Sitka National Historical Park, which has many beautiful totem poles and a cultural center where you can meet and chat with Alaska Native artisans. There are also many historic Russian buildings scattered throughout town; they’re run as mini museums and are typically open during business hours. Spend the night here.
Day 8
Take a rest day or, if you’re still feeling energetic, book a whale-watching or fishing trip or explore some of Sitka’s wonderful hiking trails. Take the evening flight from Sitka to Anchorage.
Anchorage and Southcentral
Southcentral is the heart of Alaska’s rudimentary road system, which means it’s much easier to get around on your own schedule. That said, the distances between towns often come as a huge surprise to visitors—for example, it takes most people eight hours to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks. If you don’t want to rent a car, there is usually limited shuttle service between communities along the Kenai Peninsula, although that may force you to extend your itinerary by at least a couple of days to accommodate the shuttle schedules.
Day 9
Visit the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center and the Alaska Native Heritage Center; you can easily spend most of the day at these two sights. Top it off by renting a bike and pedaling the 11-mi (18-km) Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park, where you have very good chances of seeing a moose. Make sure you give them plenty of room—they’re very unpredictable. Then enjoy dinner in one of Anchorage’s excellent restaurants before you turn in for the night.
Day 10
Get up early to rent a car, if you haven’t already, and make the scenic 5- to 6-hour drive (depending on traffic and photo and rest stops) to Homer for some of the state’s best food, fishing, and art—all in one place. Once you get to Homer, check into your hotel and spend the afternoon exploring the Homer Spit, a narrow 4-mi (6.4-km) peninsula containing some of the state’s best art galleries, gift shops, and restaurants. Don’t forget to stop by the iconic Salty Dawg Saloon to pin your signed dollar bill to the wall.
Day 11
Start your second day in Homer at the small but spectacular Pratt Museum, then take a stroll along Bishop’s Beach, one of Alaska’s rare sand beaches (most beaches here are rocky). Spend the rest of the day on a fishing or sea kayaking trip. Don’t miss the chance to take the evening Danny J ferry to Halibut Cove (this is a small private ferry, not an Alaska Marine Highway System ferry), where you can have dinner in the world-famous Saltry Restaurant before heading back to Homer for another night.
Day 12
Get up early for the 4.5-hour drive to Seward. Once there, take a half-day sightseeing, whale-watching, and wildlife-viewing cruise through beautiful Kenai Fjords National Park. If you’re here in very early spring, this is one of your best chances for seeing migrating gray whales—but, as always, nothing is guaranteed. The captain will usually point out the ruins of old World War II coastal emplacements, although you can’t get very close to them from the water. Stay in Seward for the night.
Day 13
You have two missions today: One, stop by the Alaska SeaLife Center and take a behind-the-scenes tour so you can get up close and personal with the animals. This education, conservation, and rehabilitation center serves all manner of aquatic wildlife, from octopi to sea lions and seabirds. Two, take a half-day tour to Caines Head State Recreation Area. You’ll paddle kayaks out to the beach, then take a moderate hike to explore the old World War II-era Fort McGilvray. Finally, make the 3-hour drive north to Anchorage and spend the night there.
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Interior Alaska
Interior Alaska is a mix of easy road access (primarily to Fairbanks, Alaska’s second-largest city) and remote communities that can only be reached by air. Gold-mining history, the wonderful day tours out of Fairbanks, and the sheer experience of exploring a remote part of the state tend to be the biggest draws here, although in the last few years Fairbanks has really come into its own as a hip, happening place, with an ever-increasing body of food, art, and music for city-minded visitors to enjoy.
Day 14
There’s no rush today, as long as you make the 2.5-hour drive north from Anchorage to the charming little town of Talkeetna in time to spend the afternoon exploring locally owned shops along Main Street. Go ahead and spend the night so you can enjoy the way Talkeetna turns back to its quaint, quirky self once the tourist buses leave. There’s often great live music at the Fairview Inn.
Day 15
Drive another 2.5 hours north to Denali National Park and Preserve and spend the day exploring the park’s three visitor centers, touring the park’s working sled dog kennels, and either day hiking or taking a short day tour in the park. Your tour options include horseback riding, ATV tours, flightseeing, white-water rafting, and ranger-guided hikes. Turn in early at your hotel or campground near the park entrance—tomorrow will be a long day!
Day 16
Take a shuttle bus ride into the park. Normally you can choose between shuttle buses that drive the entire length of the 92-mi (148-km) road or just part of it, but the road is currently closed at Mile 43 due to ongoing road repairs. Happily, even a partial trip along the road offers great odds of wildlife and landscape photo ops; make sure you have your binoculars and camera ready. Once the adventure is over, fill out the day with a short hike of your choosing, then turn in for a good night’s sleep and another early start the next day.
Day 17
Make the 2.5-hour drive north to Fairbanks and check out a few of its best attractions. Stop by Gold Daughters to try your hand at Fairbanks’s most authentic gold-panning experience, then visit the Pipeline Viewing Station, which is just across the highway, for an up-close view of one of the state’s most impressive engineering accomplishments. Then spend 2.5 hours on an astonishingly fun nature walk among a herd of reindeer at Running Reindeer Ranch before you cap off the evening at the hilarious Golden Heart Revue dinner show in the Alaska-themed Pioneer Park.
Day 18
Choose between a relaxing day trip to Chena Hot Springs Resort (about 60 mi/97 km east of Fairbanks) or exploring a remote stretch of Interior Alaska. Your options include riding along in a small plane that delivers mail to remote villages, or booking a fly-drive adventure up the Dalton Highway, a.k.a. the Haul Road, north of the Arctic Circle. Settle into your Fairbanks hotel as early as possible; you’ll make another long drive tomorrow.
Day 19
In the morning, stop by downtown Fairbanks and do a little shopping, then visit the gleefully kitschy Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska (about 20 minutes outside of Fairbanks) as you start your 6-hour drive southeast to Valdez. This small community of 4,000 has seen many of Alaska’s most historic moments, from the gold rush to the Great Earthquake of 1964 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Leave plenty of time for the drive so you can stop to take in Worthington Glacier, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horsetail Falls on the way into town.
Back to Southcentral
Day 20
Take a boat tour from Valdez to the massive Columbia Glacier, one of the largest and most active tidewater glaciers in the world. If you’d rather, you can book a kayaking tour to paddle through the glacier’s massive ice field, but you won’t get as close to the glacier’s face.
Day 21
Stop by the Valdez Museum; it’s easy to spend the whole morning here and at the Museum Annex on Hazelet Avenue. Make sure to ask about the scale models of Old Town Valdez. You’ll pass a marked turnoff for the Old Town Valdez townsite on your way back out of town. It’s a solid 6-hour drive back to Anchorage (or Fairbanks) to catch your flight back home tomorrow.
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