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Many people ask us about travel to Alaska and what to do here. Much of the planning revolves around the amount of time you have to take your trip.
There are many ways to come to our beautiful state. If time is short you can fly round trip. A second option is to take an Inland Waterway cruise with one of the major cruise lines ending in Anchorage, take the cruise line's land tour, and fly back. One problem with this option is that you are on buses and have little time to see and do additional things - like fish!. Of course, with this option you do not have to do your own planning or make your own reservations.
Most cruise lines will let you leave the tour in Anchorage and take the package return flight at a later date (the reverse trip is to fly to Anchorage, do your own touring and catch the cruise line bus to board the ship in Seward for the return trip through the Inland Passage). The buses leave from the Anchorage airport so it is convenient to drop off your rental car and catch the bus to the ship. With this option, you can plan an extended stay in Alaska seeing the sights and doing it at your own pace. We at Salmon HAUS routinely help you plan your trip, with recommendations for B&B's, one day cruises along the various bays and inlets, train trips, etc.
A little known option is to take the Inland Waterway cruise using the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System; 1-800-642-0066. Since Southeast Alaska (Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, etc.) is not accessible except by air or ship, Alaska instituted the ferry system to carry passengers, autos, motorhomes, and trucks to all the small communities of Southeast. You can schedule your trip to get off and on the ferry to visit any of the cities at your leisure with no change in fare for the stops. There are cabins for overnight sails or you may opt to use the sleeping lounge where the reclining chairs are similar to first/business class seats on the airlines. Should you decide to use the ferry system, cabins must be reserved well ahead, usually 6 months, for the busiest season of July and August.
Going without your car presents no problem. You can rent one for the portion of your trip through Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali Park (Mt. McKinley) and the Kenai Peninsula. In Southeast cities, everything is located within walking or taxi distance. If you decide to take your car, you may board the ferry in Bellingham, Washington or drive to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and board there. A straight through trip to either Skagway or Haines, Alaska, takes 4 days from Bellingham.
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Most people plan to take a day in Ketchikan, one or two days in Sitka, and enough time in Juneau to fly over to Gustavus to take the one day cruise through Glacier Bay which is a spectacular sight. You may disembark in either Skagway or Haines and resume your drive through Alaska and Canada from there. Without a car, there are bus trips from Haines and Skagway to Anchorage or you can fly. The best auto trip planner is the Milepost a mile by mile description of everything along the various routes into and through Alaska.
For your return trip, the Alcan Highway is a beautiful drive. Again, the Milepost should be your guide. The Alaska portion is paved. A good part of the Canadian portion is now paved. Any gravel is graded often. Often there are horror stories concerning damage your vehicle may suffer. We have driven the highway several times and have yet to have more than a small star crack in the windshield, which was easily repaired. Of course, if you drive the Alcan like a freeway and at freeway speeds, you may have difficulty. One of the main reasons to drive the Alcan is to see the beauty of Canada and Alaska. Unfortunately, there is always some area of construction - usually no more than 50 miles!
Whether you cruise one way and drive/fly back, your trip will be a memorable one. We would be happy to help you with your plans, especially on the Kenai Peninsula with Salmon HAUS as your home base for the many activities in our area.
This was taken on the 26 Glacier Trip in June - helping you get ready for the next holiday season!.
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