Hello Yongkie!

I also live in Anchorage, and will attempt to answer your question a little bit.

However, I'd highly recommend that you purchase a copy of The Milepost and keep it with you at all times! Often referred to as "The Bible" of Alaska's road system, The Milepost is an invaluable resource and can answer most of your questions.

It's very difficult to say which of the three towns you mentioned (Homer, Seward, Valdez) you should visit. All of them are coastal towns so they have much in common. I'd have to say the one thing that stands out immediately in my mind is that Valdez is the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Also, the drive through Thompson pass and Keystone Canyon down into Valdez is probably one of the prettiest in the state. Between Keystone Canyon and the Denali Highway, you'll have seen some incredible sights!

I don't know how limited your time will be, but it's worth noting that Valdez is much closer to the Denali Highway than either Homer or Seward. Those two towns are on the Kenai Peninsula and you have to drive down into and through Anchorage to get there. And, to be honest, the Kenai Peninsula has so much to offer that it almost rates its own trip.

However, if I were to make a suggestion to someone coming to Alaska for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I'd probably suggest the following itinerary. Please keep in mind that due to the nature of the Alaskan road system, there is often some "doubling back" because many of the highways go TO a specific location, not THROUGH it!

Driving into Alaska from Canada, I'd probably recommend that you travel up past Delta Junction to Fairbanks. Fairbanks has a lot of history connected to the gold rush, and still has a very frontier-like spirit. Ride the Discovery Riverboat, visit a gold mine and pan for gold! You can takes some side trips up the Chena Hot Springs or, if you're feeling really frisky, drive the Steese Highway up to Circle and see the mighty Yukon River. Got lots of time, spare tires, auxiliary fuel tanks and a whole lot of nerve? Drive up the Dalton Highway all the way to Prudoe Bay and see the beginning of the Pipeline!

If you don't have time for that, head down the Parks Highway after leaving Fairbanks and enter the Denali Highway at Cantwell. Take your time crossing the Denali Highway which will let you out at Paxson. Head down the Richardson Highway to Valdez and enjoy the trip through Keystone Canyon. There's a very nice RV park in Valdez. Head back up the Richardson Highway to Glenallen, then get on the Glenn Highway back toward Anchorage. However, after passing Palmer, get on the Parks Highway and head up toward Talkeetna. This will probably take a long day from Valdez. I suggest Talkeetna because some of the best views of Mt. McKinley in Alaska can be had from the Junction of the Parks Highway and the Talkeetna Spur Road. And, unless you really want an all-day bus ride that may or may not result in some wildlife viewing, you can get a free view of the mountain from there!

After leaving Talkeetna, decide if you have 3 or 4 more days at a minimum. If not, head back toward Wasilla, get back on the Glenn Highway, and head back toward Glenallen and the Canadian Border. If you have 3 or 4 more days; preferably another week, head to Anchorage and pick up the Seward Highway southbound.

Travel to Seward and take a Kenai Fjords National Park cruise. That will take you all day for the drive down, then the cruise will be the next day. After your cruise, you'll probably want to spend the night before hitting the road again, and there's a great seaside RV parking area right there in Seward. Heading back up the Seward Highway, travel back to the junction with the Sterling highway and head toward Homer. On the way, you'll pass through Soldatna, Clam Gulch, Anchor Point, and a few other interesting places. You can also take a side trip to to Kenai itself if you like. All the information you'll need about what there is to see and do will of course be found in your copy of The Milepost.

Homer is a neat little place, and if you're so inclined and the time of year is right, you can take charter trip out and do some halibut fishing. After you've seen Homer, you can head back out, but it will probably take 3 days to get back to the Canadian border if you travel at relatively moderate RV-type speeds.

For larger motorhomes, 55 MPH is about the best you can hope for most of the time and 45 is more often going to be the case. Plan on an average speed of 45 MPH on the paved highways, and about 35 MPH on the Denali Highway. While there are some good stretches of the various highways that have a 65MPH speed limit, the overall average for you will likely be lower...especially since you'll probably want to stop a lot and take pictures!

There's a LOT to see and do up here; it's a BIG state! I'd honestly recommend that you try to break it up into more than one trip. Two would be better, and I could make a case for 3 separate visits to the Great Land.

No matter what you decide, I hope you enjoy your trip! Doug 63

 

Yongkie

Doug63's post is spot on. Covers all of the best spots. My only comments would be:

1) Fairbanks is great for history and the like. It is not a "destination resort" for scenery, although a nice place to visit.

2) If you enjoy seeing industrial facilities, feel free to drive the Dalton all the way to Prudhoe; other than the pipeline (and the Arctic Ocean if you take a commercial tour from Deadhorse), there's not much in the way of spectacular scenery after you cross the Brooks range. Of course, I'm jaded .. I've worked in Prudhoe/Milne/Deadhorse before.

3) For my $0.02, Homer is the best of the 3 coastal towns if you want to go fishing and No. 2 for sightseeing; Valdez is No. 1 for sightseeing. Seward is No. 2 for fishing. None of these 3 should disappoint as far as sightseeing. Recommend that you take a cruise (if you have time) from whichever town you visit to see the glaciers, sea life, etc.

Last recommendation: If you're really pressed for time, flightseeing tours from Anch or Talkeetna can show you a great deal of the McKinley area.

Thanks for letting me ramble. Time to get to work. PA12DRVR

04/01/2005
You should allow a minimum one full day to see Denali and the only way to do it is on the bus. There is not much to see otherwise, except the sled dog demonstrations.

You should call ahead as far in advance as you can to make a bus reservation. I think if you call a few days or a week ahead you will have no problem. The busses run all day but should get on an early one (before 9:00) to give youself as much time as possible. I suggest going as far as the Eileson Visitor Center which is about 60 miles from the entrance. It will probably take about three hours to get there. Take a lunch with you and plan on eating at Eileson.

From Eileson you will have a good view of the mountain, if it is not covered by cloud. The bus will have a driver/guide that will provide narration, and will stop where possible to let you take photos and watch the wildlife. You can get off the bus at any point and hike if you want to, then catch a later bus. You can also stay as long as you want at Eileson.

The park web site has lots of information:

http://www.denali.national-park.com/ Hwybnb