Going to Alaska!

[rugnelli]

My family (wife, daughter, and I) will be heading to Alaska on July 18th. We will fly into Anchorage and drive to Kenai to fish and relax with my Father and his brothers. Possibly take their boat to Seward for fishing as well.

We will only have five to six days for this but wonder if anyone knows or has suggestions as to what there is to do/see close to Kenai while we are not fishing? I have heard that there is a glacier in walking distance of the road from Anchorage to Kenai that is worth seeing. Does anyone know if that is true and of other sites/attractions?

For me, I think everything that I see will be awesome but want the family to enjoy as much as they can.

Thank you for any/all recommendations.

rugnelli

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

There is a glacier you can see heading out of Anchorage called Portage Glacier. There is also a "wild" animal farm on the right, seems like it's called Wild Animal Conservation Center and it's near Portage Glacier but on the right side of the highway.

I like the stuff out of Seward. There is a couple of glacier trips that are quite enjoyable.
A friend had a good size boat that he takes people fishing. Bob Canopolis, has Salt Water Safaris. Tell him I said high. Seward is easily one of the most beautiful places on earth.

 

[wwb]

Exit Glacier.... it's within spitting distance of Seward. It's part of Kenai Fjords Nat'l Park.

It's about a half mile walk (level and easy) from the parking lot to a viewing point, or take the rest of the trail to the foot of the glacier.

If you can work it in, a trip to Denali is worth it... take the bus ride from the visitor center to Wonder Lake and back. On a normal day, you'll see moose, caribou, bears, Dall sheep, ptarmigan, eagles......

 

[gramps]

On the road from Anchorage to Seward you can see Mtn Goats and Dall sheep.
gramps

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I'm sure your relatives will take you to Kenai Fjords National Park. Exit glacier and Aialik Glacier. When you go to Seward check out Where they do the Mountain Marathon. Pretty cool.
Also there is Seavey's IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours. I think you will find it interesting.

Homer a couple of hours past Kenai, has some interesting things to see also, but if you only have time for one place I'd definitely pick Seward.

 

[SAJohn]

If you do get to Homer, the drive out to Land's End on Highway 1 is interesting. Homer also offers outstanding boat fishing for Halibut. We were lucky and quickly filled our limit so the crew took us sightseeing over to Halibut Cove. They also sliced, diced, flash froze, and FedEx shipped our Halibut back to our homes.

 

[K1500]

Gotta stop in for a drink at the salty dog saloon on homer spit.

 

[Robb Barnes]

Up there right now and flying back down tomorrow. If you are headed to Kenai swing by the Moose bakery for the monster donuts! We fished the Russian River while staying here in Palmer and it was true combat fishing at its best. We took the train to Denali and the 92 mile bus ride into Wonder lake then flew back out to the town. We actually saw a neat interaction between a sow with two year old cubs and a lone wolf that was actual National Geographic quality viewing. When we got to Palmer we went to the Independence Gold mine, the Matanuska glacier and the beautiful musk ox farm. Lots to see and do here.

 

[Colonialgirl]

Here's a song for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSt0NEESrUA

 

[rugnelli]

Thank You, Everyone!

rugnelli

 

[dougader]

I loved fishing in Resurrection Bay in Seward for coho. I think we all caught our limit of 6 coho and I kept a few pinks, too.

On the road to Seward we saw moose, eagles, but no bear.

Was fishing on the Russian river from a friend of a friend's dock.

The fishing there is awesome and the scenery world class.

 

[BearBio]

I tried to post these but they got dropped somehow.

A couple of tips gleaned from several fishing trips to Alaska:

Places to visit: Talkeetna, Anchorage Farmer's Market, Beluga Point (look for Dall sheep on the bluffs above the highway as well as Belugas in the Inlet), Aquarium in Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park, as well as Denali. Food: Rocky's in Kasiloff, Louie's in Kenai and a hotel/motel between Kenai & Soldotna.

Tips:
Take your clothes in ice chests.
Pack or buy inexpensive duffle bags.
Take junky fishing clothes and trash them.
Buy t-shirts, etc. at the souvenir shops.
Take your fish as carry on=cheaper than shipping. Airport has shipping tags, frozen, etc. tags in the lobby.
Taking fish as carry-on is much MUCH cheaper than shipping (Packing, freezing, shipping to Seattle would have been about $300 for 25 pounds). We brought about 100 pounds back for $150. Halibut at the airport was $35/lb shipped (last year).

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Want to watch some bears? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dV1dKtG8-c

 

[AJGUNNER]

They have a "Entertainment" type of coupon book that is sold up there locally. If you or your family can get your hands on one you can actually save a bundle. The wild animal park, Portage glacier cruise, car rental, all sorts of tourist stuff you can actually save on---worth checking into.

The "fishing hole" in Homer is a great place for some really cheap entertainment---just watching the snag fest and circus is a blast. Also check out Ship Creek near the Anchorage airport if you have some time to kill before you fly. Elbow to elbow fishing/snagging of decent sized fish and watching people slip and slide in the mud---ask your family about it and if they don't know, ask around for details.

 

[WAYNO]

I am also headed North in the very near future, but only as a camera-totin' tourist to Skagway and Juneau. In spite of my lifetime fishing and hunting, I've never been to Alaska, so this will be a whole new experience for me.

WAYNO.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Wayno you will see some beautiful sights there. If you want to fish, you should probably get a chance to go out with a guide. They have plenty of them. Good times.