I'm looking into taking a week long trip with my 5 year old daughter in the last week of June to Alaska. However, we don't have an unlimited budget and I would like to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible. We are really big into wildlife viewing.

The things I would like to experience are:
1. Denali National Park
2. Anchorage
3. A bunch of wildlife viewing (like bears and fish)

I would like to get a car to travel within the state. I have no idea how driving conditions are.

Right now, airfare is about $400-500/person RT which is a little more than I want to pay right now.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

We're in the midst of planning a similar trip, for mid-july. I was able to get frequent flyer seats on United although their website showed none available (I'll admit, I do fly a lot). A similar call to Delta was fruitless. Cars were pretty expensive, but with a 20% off coupon for a weekly rental I was able to get a mid-size car from Enterprise for under $340/week. It seemed that renting at the airport added more than 20% to any rental rate, and when looking them up on Orbitz, it almost doubled the rate.

Travel guides I picked up showed some relatively inexpensive spots both North and South of the Denali entrance, and I'm still trying to find a way to see bears for less than a few hundred $$ per person. If I come across anything exciting prior to our trip I'll post or PM. Look forward to your paving the way for us! FYI - It does appear that BYO is legal in the state!

I'd PM kpak.

I've been to Anchorage 5 or 6 times and the city itself is not all that exciting. Dinner at Glacier Brewhouse was surprisingly good and I REALLY like the sourdough french toast at the Captain Cook for breakfast. Gwennie's was really really good for breakfast, and I actually ate two meals. Whatever you do, avoid the Top of the World restaurant in the Hilton. The food was mediocre and wildly overpriced, although the bears in the lobby are cool.

The one thing I would really love to do is drive north on the Dalton Highway, although that may not be the best idea if you're bringing your kid with you. I have some good friends that did it and they were absolutely amazed at how beautiful it was. Here's a link that will probably convince you it's a horrible idea :-) http://www.bellsalaska.com/myalaska/daltonhw.html
http://www.bhoffcomp.com/alaska/d20_roads01.htm

I was in Alaska last September. I agree that Anchorage is not all that exciting, though Kinkaid Park (out by the airport) has more than its fair share of Moose! We walked there 2 days & saw at least 10 moose. And the Moose's Tooth Brewery and Pizza in Anchorage is downright great!

June is likely to be buggy. We had no bugs in September. That was a big plus. Airfare is almost never cheap to AK.

I would recommend going down towards Seward. You can visit Exit Glacier (part of Kenai Fjords Park) and get very close. Also the walk out to Tonsina Point is quite scenic.

Homer was ok, but nothing to write home about.

Denali is magical. But it will be oh so buggy.

I'll have to agree with Anchorage being not that exciting. Moose's Tooth is decent. Try the halibut, caper, and red pepper pizza. Orso, the Italian restaurant right next to Glacier Brewhouse is pretty good, considering, and if you want a NICE meal, Marx Bros. Cafe is the best eats in town.

If you want something cost efficient, a trip out to the glacier is really nice. You can actually walk up on it. It's pretty cool.

I've spent a lot of time in the Alaskan wilderness in the summer. Loved it, but those mosquitoes are man eaters.

BellaDonna,
As an Anchorage resident I have a couple of suggestions for you. There are 2 excellent publications that you should read prior to planning your visit. There is an excellent magazine call the "Milepost" that will be very helpful in planning your trip to Alaska. It is available from Amazon. There is also a free visitors guide available from the Anchorage Conventions and Visitors Bureau. They have a website where you can get the visitors guide. As far as planning your trip here are some ideas;
Anchorage - It is certainly worth a couple of days. Since you are traveling with your child, I will focus on kid friendly activites.
Visit the Alaska Zoo. It is a small zoo, but has most of the Alaskan animals. You can see polar bears, seals, Brown and Black bears, Musk Oxen, Moose, etc. My kids love it.
Take a bike ride on the coastal trail. It leaves right from down town and travels along the coast up to Kincaid park. There are outfits that rent bikes and kid carriers. We love to do this with our kids on a nice day.
Restaurants in Anchorage - Mooses Tooth is the best pizza in town, bar none. They make their own microbrew beer and root beer. It is kid friendly. For a nice restaurant with a good wine list, my favorte is the Kincaid Grill. It is a bit pricey, but well worth the price, and off the beaten path. Most visitors don't make it there. Also, try the Villa Nova Restaurant. It is one of those little dives only known to the locals. It also has a great wine list and excellent food. Don't let its location in a strip mall discourage you, and the best food is the daily specials. For desert try ice cream Amelia. It is heavenly.
The Kenai Pennsula - Hire a car and drive south from Anchorage. The drive down the coast and thru the mountains is world class. Lots of great scenery, and the opportunity to stop and see Beluga whales along Turnagan Arm. Also watch for Dall Sheep on the mountains above the road. Drive down to the port city of Homer. Stay either at a B and B, or even better at the Lands End Hotel. This hotel is located at the end of a long spit of land right on the water. Every room has a view. You can watch the fishing fleet leave port in the morning and return in the evening. Sit on the balconey on a sunny day and have a nice glass of wine with a view of the mountains and ocean. It doesn't get much better than that, and my kids love to beach comb right in front of the hotel. The restaurant at Lands End is ok, but my favorite in Homer is eating at the Homestead Restaurant. An 8 mile drive out East End Road.
Rest of your Trip. Drive back up to Portage and go on the tour boat on Portage Lake. It takes you right up to the face of Portage Glacier. The trip is kid friendly, short, and the boat is big and safe. You get great photos of a glacier.
After the glacier, get on the Alaska State Ferry in either Wittier or Seward, and take it to the city of Valdez. This is a car ferry, so take the car. The ferry goes accross Prince William Sound and the scenery is awesome. Drive from Valdez to the old Ghost Town of Kennicott. There is a Lodge at Kennicott to stay in, and the old Ghost Town is very cool. Drive from Kennicot back to Anchorage, but detour up thru Denali Park to see the mountain and wildlife. I don't suggest taking the bus tour to Wonder Lake in Denali however. It is a great trip with lots of wildlife, but it takes all day. It might be a bit much for your child. After Denali, head back to Anchorage.

Now this is a great trip, it can be done fairly inexpensively, and will show you the best of Alaska. Be sure to get the travel guides, and check these things out to see if you are interested. Also, summer time is a busy time of year in Alaska, you will need reservations for accomodations and State Ferry travel. Enjoy your visit! Cheers, Greg

Thanks for all the suggestions greginalaska.

One thing I really wanted to do was to go to Katmai...to see the bears and salmon run...but I found out that there are no roads going to Katmai...so it would cost $548/person to fly into Katmai to do a day tour...no thanks on the price.

BellaDonna,
Katmai park is very large. Most visitors fly out of Anchorage to the town of King Salmon, then take a smaller plane for a flight to the visitor center. One thing you may check on is an air tour out of Homer to Katmai. It is a short flight from Homer to the eastern edge of the park. You don't actually make it to the visitor center which is a bit "touristy" anyway. The air tour companies in Homer will take you to the same park, and offer trips with a gaurentee of seeing bears. It is a short flight from the town of Homer, and might save you some money, although I am not sure what they actually charge. It might be worth looking into.
Cheers,
Greg

Greg - Thanks as well for the suggestions and reassurance - We were looking at Lands End as well as the hotel in Kennicott. Given that there's really only one road into Denali, is one day-long tour sufficient exposure to the park? I've read quite a bit about the place, and the descriptions are all spectacular, I just wonder if during the course of a 7 or 8 day itinerary if it's worth blocking multiple days in Denali when any trip (unless hiking or camping off-road) will have you travel on the same path.

Honestly, the trip to Denali is best if you take the Bus to Wonder lake. As I said in my first post, I don't recommend that bus ride if you have a young daughter with you. It would be too much. For only a 1 week trip I think that I would probably recommend that you skip Denali. It might just be too much to try to do in too short a time, especially if you have your daughter with you. Use the "Milepost" magazine and customize the trip so that it best fits the interests of you and your daughter. The things I mentioned in the first post would easily fill a week, but there may be other things of more interest to you than those I have mentioned. Remember, 20% of the land mass of the United States is in Alaska. Trying to see it all in a week would be like trying to visit Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada all in a week. It would be impossible to see it all. Pick the activities that sound best to you, and go for it.
Cheers,
Greg

Greg,

Welcome to the land of Posting.

You are our second Alaskan poster. You and kpak should get together and have an offline. Mr. and Mrs. kpak are super nice people.

Keep posting

davidn,
Thank you for the welcome. I just found this BB. I haven't seen kpak yet, thanks for the heads up, I will say hi to him when I get the chance.
Cheers,
Greg

No. AK is Alaska. Is there an "R" in Alaska? I'm not too bright.

That's not all you don't know about kpak!


SSHHHH.

That's why I thought it was so "neat" when they vacationed in Puerto Vallarta (or wherever it was down there).

Greg

Thanks for reminding me about Villa Nova. I absolutely loved the place (though a little less once they changed hands around 2002). And please tell me you've been to Marx Bros.!!! The place was so full of "OMG" moments with the food...

Hi Juggernt,
You are right, the place wasn't the same after George sold out and took his recipies with him a couple of years ago. You will be happy to find out that George is back! Evidently retirement didn't suit him, and the new owner sold the restaurant back to George. Things are just like they used to be. George has a list of "specials" every evening, and the old croud has returned. Give it a visit if you make it back to Anchorage, it is worth it.
Cheers,
Greg