Four July Days in Alaska
- Genea Morfeld Swan
- Oct 16, 2019
- 7 min read
When I first told my family I was going to work in the travel industry, my high school age son responded with “I am going to go to ALASKA.” I won’t lie, my blood ran cold. My son is very adventurous and what he REALLY meant was that he was going to adventure alone into the wilds of Alaska. I tried to temper that just a little by saying it was too far for a first trip. Could that wait a little bit, please? I really thought it was too far for ANY national trip and I would never go.
Finally, a few years later, the day came that my husband had to visit a client in Alaska. We were going to get to go on what I fondly call the ‘freeloader’ holiday: flying out on flight benefits and staying in a place that was already paid for (which often means just a trip to visit family.) It didn’t quite turn out that way: we paid for our stays ourselves but with the hubs already in Alaska, we needed one seat less on the plane. WIN.
A couple of days before we left CLT to LAX, our layover place, the loads went from 12 seats to 0 seats. So, I promised we would go to Hawaii instead, if there were no seats. My daughter prefers the beach over the cold so she was PUMPED and packed mostly for Hawaii of course.
But, by the time we reached LAX, the seats were showing again and Alaska was ON.
We caught the first flight of the day out of CLT — really, the only way to get out of a hub safely — and then caught an Uber to Muscle Beach in LAX. We had packed backpacks so we really didn’t need to worry about our bags. Apparently there IS somewhere to leave your bag near there but I never found it. Here’s the link for you: http://www.lax247lockerrentals.com/
The three of us ate some poke, watched some gymnastic street performers and got sunburned on the beach (ok the last one was just me, being the whitest member of the family).
We went back in through security — Dru and I had TSA precheck and poor Cole lost his precheck when he turned 18 so it was off to the line for him. No worries; I always work in buffer time. I'd rather be waiting at the gate than running late and have my seat go to the next non-rev on the list!
Carry picked us up at the adorable airport in Anchorage. We arrived in the middle of the night but it was July so the sun doesn’t really set — it mostly sits on the horizon then goes back up again. He had already rented a car. You are definitely going to need one! (Heck, a plane would be better. This place is HUGE.)
Most of our time was spent driving around trying to get to reasonable destinations that weren’t so far away we wouldn’t have any time to enjoy them.
Pro tip: Shoes are never worn indoors in Alaska. Like Asia, shoes are removed at the door prior to entering.
As far as 'hotel' stays, we winged the entire four nights. We got to our destinations and googled “hotels near me." Hotels for the most part were just rooms in people's homes they were renting out as B&Bs. Much was booked up — we ran into quite a few people that had saved for years to get to Alaska! (Some people got salty when they realized we had just ‘popped over’ without pre-planning anything. Cole thought their irritation was funny. lol)
Alyeska Aerial Tram, Girdwood
Price: $32
At the recommendation of a friend, we drove to Girdwood (less than an hour but we stopped for views along the way) and took the Alyeska Resort aerial tramway to see the glacier bowl. Climate change has greatly reduced glaciers in Alaska but the view is still breathtaking and worth the trip! I believe you can book in advance, but we just waited in a brief line and bought our tickets. You can also hike to the top. It is definitely chilly and windy at the top so bring a light jacket, no matter what the weather.
There is a bar/restaurant and observation area at the top. You can actually hike much further than the tramway goes and walk on the glacier itself and the mountain ridge. We got some pretty nice pics up there! (I personally am terrified of tramways/funiculars/gondolas - whatever you want to call them - but I don't want to miss all the fun so I usually huddle in a corner during the ride.)
After Girdwood we drove to Seward. I can not even express how gorgeous the drive is. We got to Seward and had some struggles trying to find a place to stay as all seemed booked up.
Pro tip: Locals directed us to city hall where B&Bs and local hotels post daily availability on the door. That led us to the quaint Stoney Creek Inn.
Stoney Creek Inn.
Price: Around $170-200 a night for our family of four (we shared a room with two beds)
The best part of this little inn is the hot tub right off the delightful (fast moving!) creek that runs through the property. It was freezing but of course we had to try it out. The owner warned us to make noise to scare off bears. No, he wasn’t joking.
The curtains didn’t QUITE darken the sun at night so I hung a scarf to help with the process. We honestly didn’t have a lot of places to choose from (and everything is super far apart in Alaska!) so we were excited to have found this cute little place.
While in Seward, we wanted to get out on the water so we took a 4.5 hour cruise. Rookie mistake: DO NOT purchase more than one cup for ‘hot cocoa’ at the ticket booth/gift shop. I bought FOUR plastic cups for $32 and the "hot cocoa" was just packets of powder you made yourself — and the water didn’t even come out hot. I’d skip that part.
The cruise itself is TOTALLY worth it. We saw whales in the distance, puffins and a sundry of other wildlife. Pro tip: Don’t forget your wind proof jacket, sunglasses and something to cover your ears. We went in JULY and that wind was biting but the sun still bright! I bought a cotton head band in one of the local stores and it was very helpful.
Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier and Wildlife Half Day Cruise
Price: Around $100
We stopped in Talkeetna town for our dinner on our way to Denali National Park. Dinner times were definitely off because of the ever-present sun. We easily could eat at 9 p.m. and feel like it was 6 p.m. We spent the night at a place in Talkeetna but I don't feel comfortable recommending it for various reason. (Photo with the rainbow below was taken at midnight!)
Denali National Park
Price $15 for up to 7 days
If you want to actually go IN to the park and get close to Denali, you are going to have to plan ahead.
Pro tip: A bus ride is required and they may be sold out last minute.
You are also going to need more time than we had — an entire day or more. We did not purchase a bus ride (they were sold out so plan ahead if you can!) and instead hiked the trails close to the visitor center. There are not a lot of actual trails in the bigger park — it is considered "wild" — so if you are traveling with small people or are short on time, hiking close to the visitor center is a solid option. We actually saw a momma moose and her baby on these (not remote) trails! I never get tired of looking at these pictures and they don't even do the park justice.
On our drive back to Anchorage, the sky cleared and we got a rare view of the top of Denali!! Due to weather, the top of Denali is very rarely seen.
Pro tip: If you are driving, make sure have a full tank of gas. Gas stations can be a hundred miles or more apart!
We stopped to eat at the Creekside Cafe outside the park. Great waitress, good food! And the CREEK that ran behind it was UNBELIEVABLE. We killed an Alaska size cinnamon roll.
We found a bed and breakfast about an hour north of Anchorage (in Palmer) on our way back. I wish we could have stayed here the entire time!!
Snow Goose Pond B&B
Price: Around $200 a night, includes breakfast
Our hosts at Snow Goose were wonderful people. We felt very welcome and at home here. They even opened up an extra space they don’t usually rent out so the kids didn’t have to stay in the same room with us. Absolutely the best hospitality and most lovely bed and breakfast I have stayed in to date.
Pro tip: Don’t miss this place if you go to Alaska!
Once we returned to Anchorage to catch our flight back, we had a day to kill. We opted to bike the 20 miles of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail http://www.anchoragecoastaltrail.com/ complete with a picnic we packed ourselves (you can get a saddle bag for your bike). This bike ride is mostly flat with gorgeous coastal views. It was 72 degrees in July, no humidity, and I felt like I had died and gone to my weather-heaven. I never wanted our trip to end.
Price for bike rentals: $25 for three hours.
Pro tip: pack water and a picnic so you don’t have to rush back. You won’t want to.
After our day biking the coast, we were a little sweaty and musty waiting for our flight in Anchorage airport on the way out. But there were plenty of outlets and places to lounge.
Finally, we took a selfie with the airport moose .... and I can't wait to go back.
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