The wife and I are thinking about taking a week or so to see Alaska in September.

Except I have no idea where to go or what to do and I hear Alaska is a pretty big place.

Any ideas for a not so organized trip? I don't want to do an organized tour and make it all Disney but I'd like to have a short list of things to do when we get off the plane.
Does everyone start their trip in Anchorage or are there better start points?

Anchorage is the main jumping off point, but you could do Fairbanks or Juneau as well. My recommendation would be to fly in to Fairbanks and check interior Alaska off your list, take the train the next day to Denali. Spend two or three days in Denali. Take the bus into the park and GET OFF the thing and go see it. You would be amazed at how many people spend all day on those busses and only get off to pee. There is a ton to see within an hours walk of the road. They have a campground or there are hotels and a few B&Bs. Then hop the train again to Talkeetna. Go for a flight seeing tour if there is a budget for it, otherwise it is a cool town to check out. More campgrounds and hotels there. Back to the train for Anchorage. Rent a car in Anchorage and go check out the Kenai peninsula. Seward is beautiful. Take a wildlife cruise or a fishing charter. Homer is also a great spot, but I wouldn't skip Seward. Drive back to Anchorage and go home. Start planning your next trip. I have been here 8 years and I still haven't had time to see everything on my list. There are people that have lived here much longer that will say the same thing. No matter what you do or see it will take your breath away.

Some off the beaten path sites that are well worth the effort are Wrangell St. Elias NP, which is really just McCarthy and Kenecott if you are by land but so much more by air. Either is awesome.

Brooks Falls would make a nice day trip out of Homer or Kenai, not sure who flys there but I think our own Headoutaplane does (Beluga Air).

Noatak Preserve in the northwest. I think you can catch the caribou migration in September.

Take the train in Skagway.

WWII battle site on Attu Island... Maybe a bit too far.

The thing about September in Alaska, particularly in Interior, is that it can be summer at the start, and winter by the end of the month. Particularly in Denali. Each year is different of course, but if you can, I suggest timing it for earlier in the month. Also, more of the visitor services will still be in effect. For example, the park buses in Denali that Prosaria mentioned will be stopping for the season on September 16th this year. Kenai stuff may go slightly longer. Worth inquiring about shoulder-season deals.

-DP

A trip to Alaska is incomplete without a flight. I suggest skipping the canned flight-see tours and just rent a plane from Anchorage for a few hours. If you are a rated pilot with a couple people this is cheaper than a charter flight. Take a CFI along for some local knowledge and to avoid the rental checkout requirement. In just 1.5 hours RT from anchorage you can see spectacular glaciers.

Land and Sea Aviation at Merrill always has 172s available.

Renting a plane is a great idea. So is going early September.
We were supposed to be flying 81D up with her new engine but plans have changed. But I still want to see Alaska this year.
It looks like the 1st two weeks of September and flying into Anchorage.

Are there outfits that give mountain flying training for the day?

Seems like two weeks would be right so you're not running from place to place.

We also want to get a few days camping so we're planning to bring packs and gear. Plan for 50 degree nights or will it be colder than that?

This is like trying to see Europe in two weeks. Don't try to see everything, pick a few spots to really enjoy and plan others on your next trip.
Even with a month to plan, this feels short fused.

I would highly recommend Don Lee in Talkeetna for bush/mountain flying training. He is in Talkeetna, Alaska Floats and Skis.

You might consider renting a motorhome. In Alaska just about any gravel pit or pull off outside of the city is a wonderful place to camp. We just went up to Chena Hotsprings north of Fairbanks and camped right along side Chena River on a gravel bar without any other campers. Passed many many spots just like it along the way to and from the house. If you leave Anchorage and drive up the Glenn Highway you then can go to Valdez, Tok, Saint Elias/Wrangle Nat. Park,Fairbanks and eventually get to Fairbanks and on the way back go to Denali Nat.Park, Talkeetna and all places in between. Go south and hit the Kenai and see Seward, Homer etc. The options are endless but I would avoid the package tours myself as you won't get to experience the real Alaska IMO.

Bagarre wrote:Plan for 50 degree nights or will it be colder than that?

While it will vary widely depending where you are among the locations previously mentioned, I would plan for 50 degree days and nights that could be below freezing.

Zim wrote:

Bagarre wrote:Plan for 50 degree nights or will it be colder than that?

While it will vary widely depending where you are among the locations previously mentioned, I would plan for 50 degree days and nights that could be below freezing.

^^^Yes

SkyLarkin wrote:You might consider renting a motorhome. In Alaska just about any gravel pit or pull off outside of the city is a wonderful place to camp. We just went up to Chena Hotsprings north of Fairbanks and camped right along side Chena River on a gravel bar without any other campers. Passed many many spots just like it along the way to and from the house. If you leave Anchorage and drive up the Glenn Highway you then can go to Valdez, Tok, Saint Elias/Wrangle Nat. Park,Fairbanks and eventually get to Fairbanks and on the way back go to Denali Nat.Park, Talkeetna and all places in between. Go south and hit the Kenai and see Seward, Homer etc. The options are endless but I would avoid the package tours myself as you won't get to experience the real Alaska IMO.

As a former resident and still sometimes visitor I would endorse the comments above. Somebody said to fly into Fairbanks then leave for Anchorage the next day so you can check off Alaska's interior. Though I mean no disrespect I'm afraid this person has either never been to Alaska's interior or is simply a city dweller who would be better off in Phoenix or New York City. Or something.

If you've got time I suggest you visit for a month starting in the last two weeks of August and ending in the first two weeks of September.

[quote] Somebody said to fly into Fairbanks then leave for Anchorage the next day so you can check off Alaska's interior. Though I mean no disrespect I'm afraid this person has either never been to Alaska's interior or is simply a city dweller who would be better off in Phoenix or New York City. Or something. /quote]

Or maybe the suggestion came from somebody who spent a number of years living in Fairbanks and quite enjoyed it.

alaskaoe wrote:
Or maybe the suggestion came from somebody who spent a number of years living in Fairbanks and quite enjoyed it.

Indeed, I still own a house there! I love the interior, and it should not be missed but rather than suggest the guy quadruple the length of his trip to wander around up there I mentioned flying in and spending a day in the most accessible part.

I don't think I would fair well in NYC, or even Sparks. I still get claustrophobic in Anchorage sometimes, and it has less than a tenth the population density of Sparks.

Prosaria wrote:I don't think I would fair well in NYC, or even Sparks. I still get claustrophobic in Anchorage sometimes, and it has less than a tenth the population density of Sparks.

x2

I lived in Anchorage for 3 years, courtesy Uncle's Air Force, arriving in May 1970 and departing in May 1973. In those 3 years, we traipsed around by car and motorhome just about everywhere that was accessible by road (I didn't learn to fly until the last 6 months we were there). There is much, much more to see than can be seen in only 2 weeks. But by memory only, here are some of the "must sees" within a reasonable drive from Anchorage (to go to other major areas of the state, you'll need to fly), and you'd need much more time than 2 weeks to see all of them:

North:
Denali (by train or by car)
Talkeetna
Matanuska/Susitna Valley
South (Kenai Peninsula):
Seward
Homer
East (Prince William Sound):
Whittier
Valdez
Cordova

Here's Travel Alaska's website: https://www.travelalaska.com/ Lots of good stuff on trip planning there. Again by memory, August is an acceptable month, but it can get pretty cold by the end of the month. Winter traditionally occurs the first weekend of September.

Have fun!

Cary

A good friend of mine that has been up there a few times on vacation (DenaliPilot, Shane says hi) said I should consider a longer cruise for my first trip for the simplicity of everything provided and then plan to go back once you get a feel for things.

Which doesnt sound like a bad idea, considering how disorganized I can be and this is rather short fused at next month.

Bagarre wrote:A good friend of mine that has been up there a few times on vacation (DenaliPilot, Shane says hi) said I should consider a longer cruise for my first trip for the simplicity of everything provided and then plan to go back once you get a feel for things.

Which doesnt sound like a bad idea, considering how disorganized I can be and this is rather short fused at next month.

Trouble with cruises is that you end up doing it their way, going to their places, spending your money and your time where they point you. Not for me, but others like that. Certainly the longer you can spend, the less pressure and stress. But like so many great places, you can't see it all anyway.

Cary

The one I'm looking at is only 3 days on a ship.
The rest is trains, planes and automobiles to: Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway (2days), Whitehorse, Dawson City(2days), Fairbanks, Denali National Park (3days), Anchorage (2 days)

That takes care of transportation, hotels and general food stuffs and leaves tons of free time to explore on our own.
I think for our first time going up, it will take a LOT of stress out of getting around and finding a place to stay.

There is more to do than you will ever accomplish on a vacation. A lot of great suggestions (especially visiting Alaska Floats and Skis in Talkeetna). That's how it all started for me. Now my family and I live here.

I've lived in Ketchikan (Southeast AK) and now in Seward (south central). Both are cruise ship stops. The inside passage is real nice but, if you are planning on cruising choose one that stops in Seward. At least then you could tour the Kenai peninsula, the MATSU Valley and interior parts of AK if you want to instead of watching from a ship and visiting coastal bergs with no access to the road system like all of the inside passage cruises. I'm not quite sure how these tour packages work, but I see buses and the AK railroad picking folks up and running various groups to kayaking, biking, rafting, trout/salmon fishing, hiking, horseback riding, 4 wheeling, chartered halibut fishing, dog sledding, zip lining, rock climbing, sailing, kenai fjords boat tours, flight seeing, whale watching and wildlife viewing. I probably missed a few things, but they do these things all over the state (the accessible parts) and shuttle people back to the airport or back to another ship to continue cruising.

Bagarre,
I made my first trip to Alaska the end of June into July this year on the trip you described (Holland-America).
Ship (3 days) from Vancouver inner passage to Juneau (whale watching excursion there best ever been on) to Skagway (2 days, side trip to Haines Eagle preserve), then White Pass & Yukon narrow gage railroad to Frazier BC, bus to Whitehorse YT (side trip to Muktuk dog sled camp). Bus to Dawson City YT (2 nights) flight to Fairbanks (1night). Bus to Denali National Park (3 days). Train from Denali to Anchorage (2 days) and we stayed an extra 3 days in Anchorage and did a Seward excursion, glaciers and local things in Anchorage, Alaska Aviation Museum, Lake Hood.
The people in the Yukon and Alaska were great hosts and very passionate about being there. The bus drivers were very knowledgeable on history of everywhere we traveled. Good previous comments on Denali, our package included a 9 hr bus trip into the park, about 60 miles. The driver was an archeologist with non-stop commentary of everything about the park and wildlife but I would need to get out and hike to have done the photography I wanted to do, could have easily spent a week there alone. They do have shuttle buses that will drop you off any place you want on the park road and when ready you can get the next shuttle that comes by.
It was a wonderful trip and it gave me a feel for what’s there but 2 ½ weeks just barely hit the high points. I’m ready to go back. Made lots of notes on airports and places I would like to check out on future trips.

BigEd wrote:Bagarre,
I made my first trip to Alaska the end of June into July this year on the trip you described (Holland-America).
Ship (3 days) from Vancouver inner passage to Juneau (whale watching excursion there best ever been on) to Skagway (2 days, side trip to Haines Eagle preserve), then White Pass & Yukon narrow gage railroad to Frazier BC, bus to Whitehorse YT (side trip to Muktuk dog sled camp). Bus to Dawson City YT (2 nights) flight to Fairbanks (1night). Bus to Denali National Park (3 days). Train from Denali to Anchorage (2 days) and we stayed an extra 3 days in Anchorage and did a Seward excursion, glaciers and local things in Anchorage, Alaska Aviation Museum, Lake Hood.
The people in the Yukon and Alaska were great hosts and very passionate about being there. The bus drivers were very knowledgeable on history of everywhere we traveled. Good previous comments on Denali, our package included a 9 hr bus trip into the park, about 60 miles. The driver was an archeologist with non-stop commentary of everything about the park and wildlife but I would need to get out and hike to have done the photography I wanted to do, could have easily spent a week there alone. They do have shuttle buses that will drop you off any place you want on the park road and when ready you can get the next shuttle that comes by.
It was a wonderful trip and it gave me a feel for what’s there but 2 ½ weeks just barely hit the high points. I’m ready to go back. Made lots of notes on airports and places I would like to check out on future trips.

That's the exact trip we're doing!