1. Why are all the nice hotels in the Denali area booked on Sat 8/27?
2. Do I have to worry about mosquitoes in the Denali area during this specific period?
3. Is Cooper Landing worth the trip?
4. Is renting an RV a good idea? Are the RV parks likely to fill up? If so, and I am in a remote area e.g. the Parks Hwy, can one just pull over and camp?
How was the trip?
1). Clamming at Clam Gulch(?) on the way to Homer. Rainy miserable day, and we all had a blast. Bought a license, steamer pot, butter, water, and shovels and pails. Spent about 4 hours clamming, then went to the top of the hill (campground), built a campfire, steamed the clams and ate them. This is still one of my kids favorite travel memories, and they have spent time in 6 continents!
2). The Alaska State Fair. This might be before your visit, I am not sure. Daughter entered her first 5K (age 7) and won her age division. She wore her medal proudly all day at the fair, where they ate reindeer and did all the typical fair stuff, Alaskan Style.
One more thing we did that seemed to make a big impression, but can get costly and time consuming for a family, we took an Alaskan Air Vacation (overnight) to Kotzebue and Nome, where they dipped their toes in the Bering Sea, toured sled dog yards, and ate dinner in daylight at 11pm.
Robin
Thanks for this. Yes, we are going to the Fair. Never thought of clamming but we will definitely try it.
When we did the trip back in July '04, we had
two kids (9 and 5 at the time) with us, and when we did the
land part (before cruise), we found many things to do.
1). Clamming at Clam Gulch(?) on the way to Homer. Rainy miserable day, and we all had a blast. Bought a license, steamer pot, butter, water, and shovels and pails. Spent about 4 hours clamming, then went to the top of the hill (campground), built a campfire, steamed the clams and ate them. This is still one of my kids favorite travel memories, and they have spent time in 6 continents!
2). The Alaska State Fair. This might be before your visit, I am not sure. Daughter entered her first 5K (age 7) and won her age division. She wore her medal proudly all day at the fair, where they ate reindeer and did all the typical fair stuff, Alaskan Style.
One more thing we did that seemed to make a big impression, but can get costly and time consuming for a family, we took an Alaskan Air Vacation (overnight) to Kotzebue and Nome, where they dipped their toes in the Bering Sea, toured sled dog yards, and ate dinner in daylight at 11pm.
Robin
Weather is extremely variable depending on location but August is often quite wet.
August, as lawchild said, is usually quite wet. You'll probably see more rain than not. (Of course, lawchild is from Juneau, where it's *always* wet and rainy--you need gills to breathe there...) The best weather in most of Alaska is late May through the middle of July; however, don't let that stop you: any trip here any time of the year will leave you with lasting memories!
For the gold panning/kid-friendly touristy stuff, I'd probably lean towards doing the open-jaw with Fairbanks. I've lived in Anchorage for more than a decade, and in the month I've been up here in Fairbanks, I've seen more things that would interest kids here than in Anchorage, such as Pioneer Park., the El Dorado Gold Mine, the Riverboat Discovery sternwheeler, and a few other kitschy-touristy stuff. (However, Anchorage does have a [smallish] zoo and a few things kids may find interesting at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.)
However, that time of year, you'll probably run into the Alaska State Fair in Palmer (just north of Anchorage), which would offer your girls a lot of fun in a uniquely Alaskan way. That might be fun to hit--do a search and see what the dates and activities there are. The zoo probably has some sort of smallish horseback riding; if you want some more serious semi-backcountry-type of horseback experience, I'm sure you'll be able to find several companies that offer that type of experience. I don't know of any offhand, but I know I've seen more horses in Alaska than I originally expected. (I'll keep my eyes peeled for brochures or information on horseback excursions around the Anchorage and Fairbanks areas.)
As far as wildlife goes, probably your best and most economical bet to almost guarantee seeing wildlife is to take the Denali National Park shuttle bus in for one of the 6-hour or 8-hour trips. When I did that, I saw two bears eight feet away from the bus' windows and countless caribou, birds, moose, beavers, etc. along the way. If you're more into wildlife around the sea (birds, sea otters, starfish, etc.), a trip to Seward (a couple hours south of Anchorage), where you can catch a harbor cruise and see whales and sea lions and dolphins and see the Alaska Sea Life Center (a non-profit research institution that offers up-close-and-personal views of the research in action), is a definite must. There are many more expensive places to see wildlife (Kodiak and their famous brown bears and the famous bear viewing platform at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park; however, you'll need to buy expensive plane tickets as there is no road access to these areas and much of the rest of the state), but I don't think you need to spend all that money on your first visit.
I think that most kids will enjoy pretty much anything you can do in Alaska (most of the stuff listed in the various posts over in the 10 Days thread), but it really depends on their interests and maturity level. My second cousin and I did our first trip through Alaska and down the Alaska Highway when we were 10, and we enjoyed every mile and every activity from the ferry ride to Valdez to the pioneer spirit of Dawson City, Canada--everything except for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had every lunch and every dinner for a month straight. However, my then-13-year-old cousin didn't enjoy a later trip up to Prudhoe Bay and down to Valdez at all because all he cared about was surfing in California. And my other then-12-year-old cousin couldn't stop asking "Are we there yet?" on yet another trip down the Alaska Highway. Your kids may get excited on the Kenai Fjords cruise, or they could get absolutely bored to tears at the state fair. I'd look up a few of Alaska's activities (start off at http://www.alaska.org, http://www.travelalaska.com, http://www.alaska.com, and http://www.alaskatravel.com to get some ideas for some activities. Post a few and we can help analyze them for you.
Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!
I am waterproof! But it's sunny and 62 today. Glorious! :D
I agree that you shouldn't let the weather stop you- I think Alaska is great anytime of year so long as you are properly equipped.
However, that time of year, you'll probably run into the Alaska State Fair in Palmer (just north of Anchorage), which would offer your girls a lot of fun in a uniquely Alaskan way. That might be fun to hit--do a search and see what the dates and activities there are.
I think the state fair is an excellent idea. You might think about taking the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks, but the schedule through Wasilla (the closest stop to Palmer) is a bit tricky for stopping at the fair.
As far as wildlife goes, probably your best and most economical bet to almost guarantee seeing wildlife is to take the Denali National Park shuttle bus in for one of the 6-hour or 8-hour trips.
I agree with jackal on this. I've just been to Katmai for 5 days--utterly amazing--and could give you some info if you're interested. It's a bit much to squeeze in on this trip, though. If it's moose you're after, they are everywhere!
Be VERY CAREFUL about renting motor home...we did it 2 years in a row and then bought a house!!
Alaska can be VERY ADDICTIVE.
We loved the RV experience...you never have to worry about not being able to find a place to camp...you can pay to park or just pull over at the many roadside areas and stay without any problems...We camped at a nice place just south of Denali...we enjoyed the Seward and Homer waterside camping the best...I think it was $10 per night...right on beach.
Enjoy youselves!!
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