People will explore this however they want, some people will buy themselves a campervan (and will also make sure that they have the right insurance for it – like the insurance found at Staveley Head Insurance), whilst others might prefer to figure out there own way around Alaska. People could just look at us and tell we were different; we were from California. Girdwood has several good restaurants, plenty of hiking options and is quite scenic. The truly best way to experience an Alaska road trip vacation in all its glory is to rent a car and spend at least two weeks driving around this spectacular state and doing all the things that one does while in Alaska in the summertime; camping, salmon fishing, hiking and hiding from the official state bird of Alaska; the mosquito. This route takes you through Denali National Park too. If you really don’t want to be covered in bug bites just get used to smelling like Deet all the time like everyone else in Alaska. If you’re planning to visit in the summer months, June, July, and August, I highly recommend making arrangements and booking accommodations and/or campsites well in advance as things do fill up quickly and accommodations in your budget range may sell out long before your arrival. The drive up the Dalton Highway was one of the most unique road trips I have ever done. Updated April 2020, The Ultimate Alaska Road Trip Itinerary was originally written in January 2020 Alaska’s big and a major bucketlister for many a traveler. Embark on a backcountry hiking trip through the Gates of the Arctic National Park. This pizza place is totally worth an Alaska road trip up crazy moose studded Alaskan highways! Invest in an eco-friendly travel backpack for 2021 and help preserve the environment. Entrance to Shanghai - Inner Ring Road - Trip to China part 43 - Full HD travel video - Duration: 3:16. La autopista de Alaska, que alguna vez fue un camino de tierra lleno de baches, es ahora una autopista moderna y bien mantenida. That means ferries, fishing vessels, and float planes. Alaska is the most beautiful place I have ever lived or visited, and I want to share a few tricks to plan an Alaska road trip. We have driven on the roads of Alaska for two and a half weeks and traversed over 5,000 miles. Travel Channel Insider's Tip: You can't road trip through Alaska without a copy of The Milepost. Another great option is Airbnb. I admit now looking back that perhaps throwing four good friends and two weeks’ worth of camping supplies into a compact Ford Focus might have been a strain on our friendship and we did more than a little bit of getting on each others nerves (And that was before we dropped the video camera into the river. As you leave the terminal and breathe in that clean Alaskan air you can almost smell the adventures sure to come. No sólo porque evidentemente el invierno en Alaska es muy duro, si no por lo que este clima acarrea en el día a día: Las carreteras en Alaska cierran desde las primeras nevadas hasta el deshielo. You absolutely must try a side of reindeer breakfast sausage with your sour dough pancakes. Wrangell St. Elias is the largest national park in the US, and as such, most of the park is only accessible by multi-day hikes and by small plane. To a lot of people June 21st is just another sweaty day in the beginning of summer. One thing about Alaska though, if you hike you need to cover up one hundred percent. Fairbanks goes out of its way to make sure if you are in the city for the midnight sun events you are going to have one hell of a good time. That’s a lot of words. Unless you take an Alaska road trip! It’s very easy and just two miles. Loading... Unsubscribe from Gui Nus? Oh 2002; Remember video cameras?) Here’s a gear checklist I swear by! Every day we were in the Talkeetna area in late June there were insane thunder, rain and hail storms in the afternoon! Check out my one week in Alaska Wrangell St. Elias & Prince William Sound Road Trip. Time to loop back to Anchorage. Experimente Alaska en el crepúsculo del invierno en un recorrido que incluye todos los aspectos más destacados de Anchorage. From Tok, take the Glenn Highway down to Glennallen and from there head south on the Richardson to Copper Center. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. About Alaska’s Highways The campsites at Sanctuary River or Wonder Lake are just so gorgeous. Talkeetna is the base town for mountaineers exploring Mt McKinley and you meet the most interesting people who are planning to climb a 20,310 foot mountain! Starting/Ending Location. This means long sleeve shirts, long pants (harem pants, for example), gloves and a mosquito net hat is a must. Home to Alyeska Ski Resort for those visiting in winter/spring months that may want to get in some turns. If you do go the freeze dried camp food route check out REI.com. The National Forest Service run. If you walk into the gas station, you may meet all of them. Take my advice; get the version that will give you cancer. Check out 2 Days In Anchorage and Free Things To Do In Anchorage for ideas on what to do in the city. Alaska was actually a Russian Colony until as late as 1867 when the U.S. purchased it for just over seven million dollars (I guess this explains the joke that Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house) Alaska is one of the only places in the United States that you really do hear native languages still spoken like Aleut and the Inuit languages. If you are lucky maybe you will get stuck in roadwork further to the north where the highway parallels the Susitna River and you have fantastic river views. (Which is no way to pick up hot Alaskan chicks) Pre-ordering these products ahead of time is smart as I mentioned just buying the simplest things in Alaska gets very expensive! Want to learn how to travel the world on $10 a day? This is one of the top places to visit in Alaska, with Denali National Park being one of the most well known destinations in the state. Alaska really feels like the last frontier and the insane beauty of this state; the pine and spruce trees and the taiga forests really do take your breath away. Alaska is absolutely massive, and car or RV is by far the easiest way to get around. Talkeetna is a small town, that once had a cat as a mayor, north of Wasilla. Some of the freeze dried flavours you can buy out there, like there Organic Curry in a Hurry, are actually pretty tasty these days, (Like the salmon flavour that I seasoned our campsite with at Savage River Camp Ground) It wasn’t the best food I ate while camping and hiking my way through Denali National Park but we had to save those pennies for things like plane rides to have snow ball fights on top of Glaciers. Plan your visit to Denali National Park with the Denali Travel Guide, Alpine Creek Lodge| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, Aurora Denali Lodge| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, Grande Denali Lodge| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, Read more about the Denali Road Lottery & learn how you can do it too. Required fields are marked *. The hiking in Alaska and in Denali National Park specifically is absolutely gorgeous. Your email address will not be published. We stood out on the streets of Anchorage. The bug situation in Alaska is like nothing I have ever seen in my life and buying good quality insect repellent is important unless you want to look like you are covered in Syphilis scars. I will never in my life forget the Alaskan adventures I had up north in 2002. This is the most common jumping-off point for an Alaska road trip as Anchorage has the most domestic and international connections. Once there, park the car and head on out to the ice, following the trail marked by orange cones. This is a tundra trail that follows the river. It’s not unheard of to sit in a road work delay for at least an hour. With countless adventures to be had into the Talkeetna Mountains, it’s got something just about anyone could enjoy. Tok, much like Delta Junction doesn’t have tons of things to do in itself, however, it’s a good jumping off point for further adventures. Llegar a Alaska conduciendo está en los principales puestos de la lista de muchos aventureros. Watch moose grazing by the waterfront, right outside of the Anchorage suburbs, as the ocean waves crash and the sun refuses to set, and you hope the moose decides to stay calm and not charge. A fun event in the Fairbanks area is witnessing the Yukon 800 River Boat Race. Close, Amber can usually be found on top of the nearest 14,000 peak mountain. Note that a 2-way ticket for the Whittier tunnel is $22 per car. That is one way to have an Alaska vacation. Eagle River Microtel| Booking.com | Hotels.com |. The afternoon that we checked into our campsite we heard from other campers in our area that there had been a Grizzly sighting in our exact campsite the night before. The Haul Road, also known as the Dalton Highway is one of the top ten things you just need to experience when on an Alaskan road trip. As Anchorage will be a starting point for many of you reading this post, Anchorage will be where you’ll pick up your rental car and most supplies. For those of you that are only in Alaska for a week, you may be bidding your goodbyes here, but if you’re continuing for two weeks or more, use this time to re-stock up before hitting the road to the north toward Denali and Fairbanks. You cannot actually drive in Denali National Park unless you have a disabled parking pass. Whatever they decide to though it still makes for a great trip – a trip that plenty of people (people like you) want to take. This can also be started from Fairbanks for those flying in there, or Tok for travelers arriving overland from Canada. China Road Trip - Été 2016 Gui Nus. Heading southwest out of Tok is the Glenn Highway, which will take you past Gakona and Glennallen where you can either head south to Valdez or southwest to Anchorage. Girdwood is a small town about 40 minutes south of Anchorage along the scenic Turnagain Arm. I’m not sure why Fairbanks is so into their break dancing, maybe it comes back to that whole eighties feel of Alaska? In Copper Center, I’d recommend making a stop at the Copper Center Visitor Center to learn what activities and trails to hike in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. I’ve talked to a lot of people in my life who tell me they have been to Alaska. Check out the hit the highlights road trip: Anchorage to Fairbanks. Each leg can be done in a week, but depending on interests and hikes can easily be spread over more time. If you’re planning to spend the night in Halibut Cover, click here for a list of accommodations and here for campgrounds. Coldfoot has the world’s northernmost truck stop. Looking for a stop on the way to Seward? Talkeetna makes a great base for adventures around Denali National & State Parks. The thing about camping in Alaska is you truly have to be prepared for a moose to charge through your camp ground or be ready to fight if a Grizzly bear charges you because he wants your freeze dried salmon dinner that you just slopped all over the campsite. Tok is at a crossroads if you will. Another good thing to preorder is good quality Deet. There is nothing along the Dalton Highway (Locals know it as the The Haul Road) except the Yukon River, the third largest river in the United States and a few very, very small towns like Coldfoot, one of the larger towns you will see on the Haul Road. The Fairbanks Travel Guide, Billie’s Backpacker Hostel| Booking.com |, Pike’s Waterfront Lodge| Booking.com | Hotels.com |. Learn how your comment data is processed. A solo Alaska road trip sounds like a crazy idea to many women, but not Lisa Marquardt. When she is not chasing marmots up mountains she can be found at the nearest camp stove top cooking up healthy and unique recipes for her website, Hungrymountaineer, Airbnb's Most Unique Properties Worldwide, A Wallet Friendly Guide to an Epic Alaska Road Trip. One thing I learned from our Alaska road trip, when planning a road trip to Alaska renting a car larger than what you think you will need is an excellent idea! Book a ticket on one of the park buses to experience true Alaskan wilderness! Check out the tiny town of Hope, Alaska, Looking for more ideas? An Alaskan road trip is full of unique experiences you can only find in Alaska. Read up more on my Disclaimer page. Even to this day it still surprises me every time I cross through the tunnel at how different the landscape is just on the other side. Imagine the most gorgeous pink and purple sunset that lasts for three hours. Developing your Alaska road trip itinerary is one of the most important things to help you maintain a schedule, see the things you want to see and not feel stressed out if things don’t quite go according to plan. They have some great freeze dried options these days and the online reviews are very helpful. Drive through this fantastic state on your Alaska road trip, Take a break from your Alaska road trip to Camp Amid the Grizzly Bears, Eat at Every Restaurant in Talkeetna You Can Find, Take a Break from an Alaska Road Trip; Fly. Glacier Hotel| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, Want more details? Published annually for more than 60 years, The Milepost is a mile-by-mile guide to the state. If you have gone as far as Fairbanks I highly recommend that you continue up the Dalton Highway until at least the Arctic Circle, the Earth’s northernmost circle of latitude. Another trusty source of information is the Alaska Milepost, I highly recommend purchasing one before your Alaska road trip! What are the best day trips in Alaska? I don’t mean to make Alaska sound terrifying, because it wasn’t (Except for in the middle of the night when I reeked of salmon) The adventure was just so real and so exciting. In 2002 we paid eight dollars for a package of Oreo cookies. Does this sound like your kind of Alaskan adventure? Alaska’s big and a major bucketlister for many a traveler. I cannot begin to comprehend what a box of cheap processed cookies cost in 2017 in Fairbanks! But the train is very expensive, and it would be difficult to get around without a car after you arrive at each destination. See more and plan the perfect trip with the Anchorage Travel Guide, Distance: 20 Miles to Eagle River 22 Miles more to Eklutna, Time: 25 Minutes to Eagle River 35 Minutes to Eklutna, Place to stop: Arctic Valley, Eklutna Graveyard. Camping in Denali National Park is an experience you simply cannot miss. (And there were no mosquitoes on top of the glacier… Yea!). I think that I have sorted out pretty much our highlight but would love to get any advice from locals :-) We`re looking for shorter drives per day to be able to enjoy longer stops. As soon as you depart your flight at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport you can see that Alaska is just so vastly different and amazing from the lower forty eight. How to Plan a Road Trip in Alaska Twice the size of Texas, Alaska had an estimated population of 686,000 in 2008, a little less than the population of El Paso, Texas. Seward is the Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park and a port city for southcentral Alaska. We snapped a few photos (From far away) and continued back down highway one towards the glacier. The Chinook King Salmon is Alaska’s state fish and everyone who throws out a line in Alaska hopes to catch the big one. Car tripping Alaska takes longer, but it allows you to see things you would miss when traveling by air. Alaska feels permanently stuck in the eighties and it is the quaintest flashback to a simpler time and place. If you stand on the roof of your rental car, you will get a much higher quality photo. I mean that is if you love to fish the way that I love to fish. There aren’t a lot of accommodation options in Whittier, however there are campgrounds. Check out this awesome post to inspire you! Make the most of your time in Homer with the Homer Travel Guide, Beluga Lake Lodge|Booking.com|Hotels.com|. Some posts on the Adventures of Nicole contain affiliate links to various products & services, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you click or book via some of these links. What is the Haul Road, you may ask? McCarthy is the main jumping off point into Wrangell St. Elias National Park. ), but the awesome things about Fairbanks is that there’s plenty of other things to check out in town or just outside if you come for the aurora and the weather (and solar flares) don’t behave for you. Fresh off the plane from Southern California, we were doing a little day trip south near Alyeska on our way to the Whittier Glacier when I saw my first Alaska moose at sunset. In the summer you can only see the mountain twenty percent of the time. Don’t miss Portage & Byron Glaciers that sit very close to the opening of the Anchorage side of the Whittier Tunnel. Just a warning though when booking a rental car, most rental car companies do not allow you to take cars on dirt roads so you can either do what we did and not tell them (And hope and pray an eighteen-wheeler passing you going eighty miles an hour does not flip up a rock and break your windshield) or you can go with a more expensive rental car company. You can also subscribe without commenting. Moose, glaciers, grizzly bears, bald eagles, mosquitoes as big as bald eagles… Alaska has it all to offer and the sun never sets on adventures here in the land of the midnight sun! Driving distances in Alaska can be long, and don’t be surprised if you get caught up in construction, especially in the summer. It’s worth the detour to indulge at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Alaska! This is a steep trail that gives you a great view of the Nenana River down below as well as the Alaskan Range. Here’s how I made my Alaska road trip a phenomenal success and budget friendly too! Anchorage has numerous grocery, department, and gear stores such as Fred Meyer, REI, Walmart, and more. Pretty much any outdoor activity you do in Alaska, from hiking to fishing to kayaking you need to be prepared to cover your skin one hundred percent. Denali National Park is the best area of Alaska to go for a hike. There are a few essentials you need for a week to a few weeks out in the Alaskan wilderness. Hi there you all! I love delicious food, I’m the biggest foodie you may ever meet but when flying into a location with stupid expensive groceries sometimes you have to compromise. You’ll also notice I have broken the Alaska road trip itinerary into 3 one-week legs (4, if you include the Dalton Highway). It will be especially important if you have specific places you need to be at specific times. © 2020, The Broke Backpacker. I suggest taking a break from driving and the fantastic views of the Alaska road trip to spend a day fishing the rivers of Alaska. See our suggested Alaska Itinerary: 7 days through the top attractions in Alaska. After picking up your rental car in Anchorage (And I hope to God it is slightly larger than a 2002 Ford Focus) hit the road for the great outdoors to the north of the city of Anchorage. Welcome to Alaska! Venturing to Alaska with a sleeping bag, a tent, some freeze dried meals and sleeping amongst the Grizzlies sounded crazy and daring. Passage par Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Monument … It’s been many, many years since I have been to Alaska and they still, all these years later have some of the best pizza I have ever had in my life. Start shopping plans over at battleface, my go-to travel insurance choice, or over at World Nomads. Sour dough hot cakes originated in Alaska during the gold rush years and you will never be able to eat a plain old pancake again after experiencing the decadent Alaskan sour dough pancake. Most rental companies will not allow their vehicles to go on gravel roads or charge an extra fee of $500 or more. Check out our favorite Fairbanks hostels. Visiting Virgin Creek Falls In Girdwood, Alaska, Juneau Travel Guide + 19 Things To Do In Juneau, Homer Travel Guide + 14 Things To Do In Homer, Girdwood Travel Guide + 5 Things To Do In Girdwood, Alaska, Anchorage Travel Guide + 20 Things To Do In Anchorage, Fairbanks Travel Guide + 12 Things To Do In Fairbanks, Seward Travel Guide + 9 Things To Do In Seward, The Best Places To See The Northern Lights in Alaska, 10 Off The Beaten Path Destinations For 2020, The Surreality of the Underbelly: The Mendenhall Cave, Inside a Glacier, Free places to Ski & Snowboard Near Anchorage, Eating My Way Across The Alaska State Fair, Click Here For $20 off your first booking with Airbnb, Wander around the beaches, shop,s and campgrounds on the Homer Spit, Take a water taxi across the Bay to Halibut Cove, Take a hike up Flattop for panoramic views of Anchorage, Hike around the Eagle River Valley at the Eagle River Nature Center, Walk up Mt Baldy for panoramic views of the Knik Arm, Trek up or cross country ski around April Bowl, Hike K’sugi Ridge over in Denali State Park, Check out the Alfred Starr Cultural Center and Museum, Get outside the city (if you’re there in fall, winter, or spring), and, Take the kids to have fun at Pioneer Park, Rika’s Roadhouse & Big Delta State Historical Park, Charter an air taxi to check out the Wrangell St. Elias backcountry, or to stay in one of the public access cabins, Walk out onto Kennicott Glacier & Root Glacier, Take a glacier cruise to Colombia Glacier & Mears Glacier, Go seakayaking to explore the fjords around Valdez, Whitewater raft the Lowe River through Keystone Canyon. I’m actually from Eagle River, and from a tourist’s perspective there isn’t much of anything to see in Eagle River, unless you want to get out into nature. Believe me when I say if you do Alaska via cruise ship you will get nowhere near the Dalton Highway. With Alaska’s vast size and limited amount of developed land, you probably aren’t surprised to learn that just about any road trip you take in the great 49th state is going to require a lengthy trek. AnchorageEagle River & EklutnaHatcher PassTalkeetnaCantwell, Denali & HealyNenanaFairbanks, FairbanksDelta JunctionTokWrangell-St. EliasValdezMatanuska GlacierAnchorage. The Dalton Highway is a crazy road trip that will take you from Fairbanks to the north coast of Alaska, up a dirt road, that passes beyond the Arctic Circle. Kenai Airport Hotel| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, King’s Haven Lodge| Booking.com | Agoda.com |, Southern Bluff B&B| Booking.com | Hotels.com |, Read more details on my One Week Kenai Peninsula Road Trip itinerary. Check out the Broke Backpacker’s Bible…. I personally use World Nomads. For many travelers that aren’t on a high budget, an Alaska road trip is the best way to see the 49th state without forking over your life savings. Millions of people have done an Alaskan cruise and explored Juneau and Ketchikan after departing the big boat with thousands of other tourists my parents age. It sounded like the most fun vacation adventure I would ever have in my life. In all my travels, I’ve never been in a place as exceptionally gorgeous as Alaska. Exploring Ruth Glacier just a little bit was the closest we got on our trip to the summit of Mt McKinley and it is a really unique memory of our two weeks in Alaska. I’m sure they had a lovely time gambling in the casino and stuffing themselves at the buffet but to me cruising to Alaska is not a true Alaska adventure. If you plan to hike at all I recommend buying bear mace to have on the trail with you just in case. Since AK is such a destination of the overland community, our experiences may be helpful to folks. One of the main draws for people to Fairbanks is the chance to see the northern lights dance in the sky, which means for a chilly winter visit (but spring and fall usually yield some aurora activity too! (You many hear these in the northern areas of Alaska depending how far you decide to drive up the Haul Road). Our Alaska road trip itineraries are going to assume that you will begin your journey in the continental United States (Lower 48) in the northwestern half of the country (Montana, Idaho, Washington areas). An adventure filled Alaskan road trip with a side of camping and fishing for massive Alaskan salmon takes you back to a simpler time and place before iPhones, Snapchat and Instagram. So read on to learn how to take on an Alaska road trip written by someone born, raised and still currently living in Alaska. Afterward, drive through the Atigun Pass, the highest highway pass in Alaska, with an elevation of 4,739 feet, and continue traveling along the foothills of Brooks Range, frozen tundra, and Ivishak River. Visitar Alaska en invierno es una oportunidad mágica ideal para los viajeros que desean evitar las multitudes del verano. In Seldovia, you can try the Sea Parrot Inn, or click here for more info on camping in Seldovia ($10/night for tents and $15/night for RVs). While this is more of a boat, plane and road trip, here is an outline to get you started on your ultimate Alaskan road trip. Alaska’s golden heart city, with plenty of things to do whether you’re visiting under the midnight sun of midsummer, or you’re braving the cold in the dead of winter. Although take the time to fish for Alaskan salmon and fly to the top of a glacier. None of this highway is paved as it follows the Trans-Alaska Pipeline up to Deadhorse. I have a bit of a cheat for you. this post to see a list of cheap accommodations, Take a glacier cruise from Whittier to explore Prince William Sound, Visit Spencer Glacier On The Whistle Stop Train, Take a Kenai Fjords National Park glacier cruise, One Week Kenai Peninsula Road Trip itinerary, Go flightseeing and bear viewing over in Lake Clark National Park, backcountry safari down the Stampede Trail, Riverboat Discovery Tour down the Chena River, Take a road trip tour from Fairbanks to Delta Junction, one week in Alaska Wrangell St. Elias & Prince William Sound Road Trip, Anchorage To Fairbanks Road Trip: One Week In Alaska, Kayaker’s Cove: My Favorite Escape From Seward, The Best Way To Explore Kenai Fjords National Park: Major Marine Tours, What to Pack for Alaska, Written by a Local, Denali National Park Travel Guide + 14 Things To Do In Denali, The Rabbit Lakes Hike In Anchorage, Alaska, The Reed Lakes Hike In Hatcher Pass, Alaska. As you drive further up Highway One and connect to The George Park’s Highway and really begin to put Anchorage and the city of Wasilla behind you, Alaska just opens up into the most gorgeous and green taiga forest thick with pine and spruce trees. Also, don’t forget to consider travel insurance before you go, check out the cheapest backpacker travel insurance in this helpful article.