Table of Contents:
Itinerary
This 7 day itinerary is full of activities to help you explore several parts of Alaska. You'll arrive in Anchorage, head to Seward of a day cruise to see a glacier and some wildlife, travel to Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour of Mt. Denali, drive through Denali National Park and see the Northern Lights in Fairbanks. Hope you are ready to "crush it"
Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage
Activity: Free day
Lodging: Anchorage
Welcome to Anchorage! Feel free to pick an Anchorage arrival time that works best for you. Once you land in Anchorage you should head to the rental car lot as that will be the best mode of transportation for this itinerary.
If you aren’t comfortable driving around Alaska, another option is to take the Alaska Railroad as all of these locations are easily accessible by train. Keep in mind the weather conditions during your trip, I wouldn’t have rented a car if there was snow on the ground.
I rented a car through Avis which is located onsite in the Anchorage Airport. The rental car pickup area is very easy to find as its a few minute walk from the gates. Please note if you have status with Avis, the location in the Anchorage Airport does not have a preferred board so you will have to go to the counter to check-in.
Since we landed late I booked a hotel close to the airport, La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Anchorage Airport. I prefer to book my hotels through Hotels.com as I like their rewards program. The drive from the airport to the hotel was less than 10 minutes. Anchorage has a number of lodging options, feel free to book a hotel that works for you.
If you are arriving during the morning or afternoon I would suggest exploring Anchorage. If you are looking to book a sightseeing tour of Anchorage I would recommend Viator as its a great website to book tours through.
Make sure you get a good night's rest, tomorrow is going to be a long day!
Day 2: Anchorage to Seward
Activity: Kenai Fjord National Park Cruise
Lodging: Seward
Day 2 revolves around the Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise. Since we were visiting in mid-September, after the peak season, the cruise options were very limited so keep that in mind as you are booking your trip. I booked our 6hr cruise through Viator but you can also book directly with the tour operator, Kenai Fjords Tours.
Assuming the cruise starts at 11:30am with a check-in at 10:30am you will need to leave your Anchorage hotel by 7:30am. Make sure you leave time to check-out of the hotel and get breakfast!
The drive from Anchorage to Seward is very straightforward, you will take AK-1 highway for 90 miles and then Hwy-9 for 40 miles. The drive should take about 2.5hrs but I would leave yourself at least 3hrs. Hwy-9 is one lane at most spots so you will want the extra time in case you get stuck behind a slow moving truck. During our trip, there was also a lot of road construction that also slowed us down.
If you are making good time there are a number of highway overlooks to stop and take pictures at. The highway overlooks are well marked, just keep an eye out for the “photo” sign. There are also several rest areas in case anyone needs a bathroom break; rest areas don’t have running water so don’t forget your hand sanitizer!
Once you arrive in Seward you can park in the tour provider’s free private lot or pay to park in a city lot. If you have some extra time there is a Safeway grocery store in town where you can pickup some coffee or snacks. You could also use any free time to check into your hotel.
The cruise check-in occurs in the Kenai Fjords Tours office. At the desk an employee will verify your booking, let you know what boat you will be on and where to wait. They will also confirm your lunch choice, if your tour includes lunch. The office has a bathroom you can use and a gift shop you can explore prior to departure.
The boat should start boarding around 10:45am with a prompt departure at 11:30am. My advice would be to get on the boat quickly and claim an inside table as they fill up fast! This will allow you to have a spot to comfortably eat lunch and warm up if its a cold day. You can easily move from the inside seating area to the outside viewing decks, so don’t worry about feeling stuck inside at a table.
On the day of our tour it was raining pretty hard so our group rotated in and out so we could stay warm and dry. Pro tip, on the lower level towards the back of the boat there is a bench on the side that is covered, you can sit there to take in the views while being protected from the rain!
Hopefully, its a beautiful sunny day and you can enjoy the 360 degree views from the outdoor seats on the top of the boat. If you have concerns with the weather forecast on the day of your cruise, call the tour provider the day before. The tour provider can check the sea report to confirm if the tour will be running or potentially canceled. They run the tours rain or shine, cancelations are only based on sea conditions.
The tour will return to the harbor around 5:30pm. After you disembark head to your hotel to get ready for dinner. We chose to stay at Harbor 360 Hotel which is conveniently located on the harbor. From Harbor 360 you can easily walk to and from a cruise tour as well as nearby restaurants.
That night we ate dinner at Ray’s Waterfront which is a nice local restaurant with great views of the harbor. Our timing was perfect as it was the last night the restaurant was open for the season so entrees were 50% off. King Crab Legs for 50% off was the best meal of the trip! Make sure you check the restaurant’s website to confirm they are definitely open.
After dinner head back to the hotel and get ready for the next adventure.
Day 3: Seward to Talkeetna
Activity: Talkeetna Grand Denali Flightseeing Tour with Glacier Landing
Lodging: Talkeetna
Day 2 was a tour by boat, Day 3 will be a tour by propeller plane! We booked our Grand Denali Flightseeing Tour with Glacier Landing through Viator. You can also book the tour directly with the tour provider, Talkeetna Air Taxi. The tour starts at 4pm so you will have plenty of time to drive from Seward to Talkeetna.
The drive from Seward to Talkeetna is ~240 miles and should take about 4.5hrs. You’ll be driving back through Anchorage and then continuing north on AK-3 through Wasilla to Talkeetna.
Check out of your hotel by 8:30am, this should put you in Anchorage around 11am. After filling up the car with gas you should find somewhere to eat lunch. Plan to be done with lunch around 1pm so you can arrive in Talkeetna around 3pm.
Once you arrive in Talkeetna, check-in for your tour at the Talkeetna Air Taxi office which is located at the Talkeetna Air Field. When you go into the office make sure you have everything you are planning to bringing on the plane with you as each person needs to be weighed! It is tight on the plane so I would suggest just a small camera bag or backpack.
Before boarding the plane, the pilot will introduce themself and go over the safety protocols. My advice would be to sit towards the front of the plane as it has a better view, the seats towards the back will have more of the wing in your view. Regardless of which seat you are in its going to be an amazing time so sit back and enjoy the flight!
Flight takes off at 4pm and returns at 6pm. After landing head to your lodging for check-in, we stayed at the Chinook Wind Cabins. For our group of 4 we got two cabins, each came with two queen beds, a kitchen and bathroom. I was initially nervous about staying in a small cabin but this place was awesome and you definitely can’t beat the price.
Now here came the surprise of our trip, our first sighting of Aurora Borealis!
I had been checking the Aurora forecast throughout the day. The forecast showed we could be on the very edge of the light show in Talkeetna so I decided to take a chance and set my alarm for 1am. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. At 1am I went out into the parking lot and got my first glimpse of the Northern Lights. While the lights weren’t as bright as what we would later see in Fairbanks, I was really excited to see them in Talkeetna. It was also a nice test run for the settings on my iPhone and camera.
Good luck going back to bed after watching Aurora Borealis dance in the sky.
Day 4: Talkeetna to Denali to Fairbanks
Activity: Denali National Park
Lodging: Fairbanks
Day 4 is your chance to visit one of the largest national parks, Denali National Park. During the peak season there are a number activities you can do within the park: camping, hiking, ATV and Jeep tours, as well as riding one of the park’s bus tours.
When we visited in mid-September the tours and shuttles had closed for the season but we were still able to explore the park on our own. The season typically closes around the 2nd full week of September and reopens in May. Make sure you check the National Park Service (NPS) website (nps.gov) to confirm what activities are available on the dates you will be visiting.
Assuming you will also be doing a self guided drive through Denali park you can take your time leaving Talkeetna. The drive from Talkeetna to Denali’s visitor center is ~150 miles and should take around 3hrs. Leave Talkeetna around 9:30am, stop for gas in Trapper Creek and plan to arrive in Denali around 12:30pm.
Make sure you check in at the visitor center and look at some of the exhibits on display before starting your drive. Don’t forget to use the restroom before venturing into the park!
When we were in Denali, it was an interesting day to be driving around as it started to snow flurry shortly after we arrived. Unfortunately this limited our visibility a bit. We drove to mile marker 25 before we turned around. Typically private vehicles can only drive to mile 15 but since it was off season we were able to drive a bit further. Please note after mile 15 the road is only gravel so its not recommended to drive your rental car on it; travel at your own risk.
There are a couple of places in the park that I would recommend stopping at. My advice would be drive in as far as you can and then make stops on the way out. The exception would be unless you see wildlife, definitely stop and observe the wildlife if its safe to do so.
As we were driving along the park road, we got to see moose walking amongst the trees. There were a bunch of cars parked when we approached the area so it was obvious that something was going on. While we didn’t get to see a lot of wildlife on our trip, I suggest you always stay alert as you never know when a bear might cross in front of you!
First stop you should make is at mile 15 to see Savage River and hike some of the Savage River Loop Trail. There is an easy to find parking lot at the beginning of the trailhead which I would recommend stopping at even to just take pictures. Next stop is at mile marker 13 to hike some of the Mountain Vista Loop. If you are going to hike I would highly recommend the Alltrails app as it's a must have for hiking!
Since it was snowing we didn’t stay in the park for too long. We left the park around 3:30pm but feel free to stay as long as you would like. Keep in mind you still have a 2.5hr drive to Fairbanks.
If you do leave around 3:30pm I recommend stopping for food at 49th State Brewing Co about 20 minutes outside the park. Make sure you check their website to confirm they are open. After a late lunch, continue your drive to Fairbanks which should take around 2hrs.
Arrive in Fairbanks around 7:30pm and check into our lodging, we stayed at the Westmark Hotel & Conference Center. If you still want dinner head out to one of the many restaurants in Fairbanks or pickup some ice cream for dessert!
Make sure you check the Aurora forecast to see if its a good night to see the Northern Lights. If the forecast looks good, plan to head out after 10pm to one of the viewing sites around Fairbanks.
Unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t cooperate with us that night but we tried to see them anyway. Around 11pm we drove from the hotel to Cleary Summit which was 30 minutes away. Cleary Summit is an easy to find parking lot off the main road, but doesn’t have any amenities like a restroom.
All the Aurora forecasts had warned us that it was a low activity night (low Kp index) with a lot of cloud coverage, not good conditions for seeing the lights. I figured we would try to see the Northern Lights anyway as the alternative was to sit in the hotel room and definitely not seeing the lights. Forecast was right though…the lights were not visible that night, it even started snowing on our drive so unfortunately we called quits and hoped the next night would have clear skies.
Day 5: Fairbanks
Activity: Aurora Viewing Adventure
Lodging: Fairbanks
Day 5 is the day I was waiting the whole trip for, its the Northern Lights viewing tour day. It had rained and snowed the last couple of nights so I was thrilled when I got a message from our tour provider that it was going to be a clear night with a great chance of seeing Aurora. Fingers crossed for a good Aurora forecast for you as well!
Now that you know you are going to have an amazing night, you should start the morning off by visiting a nearby reindeer ranch. You can book this visit directly through the tour operator, Running Reindeer Ranch. The reindeer ranch is about 20 minutes from the hotel. Leave the hotel by 9:30am and arrive at the ranch no later than 10am. This is a fun and unique experience as you get to spend an hour interacting with reindeer freely roaming their owner’s property. The ranch also offers other experiences such as walks and yoga with the reindeer.
After leaving the ranch head back to Fairbanks for a hearty brunch around 11:30am. Salty’s on 2nd is a hip restaurant in Fairbanks that I would definitely recommend for brunch or dinner.
Take your time with brunch and plan to get back to your room around 1:00pm. After quickly freshening up at the hotel, head to the neighboring town, North Pole. That’s right there is a real town called the North Pole and its super cute. You can leisurely drive through the town today and get a glimpse of their candy cane decorated light poles. Tomorrow you will be heading back to check out Santa’s House!
From the North Pole head to Chena Lake Recreation area for a hike. The drive to the Chena River Nature Lake trailhead parking lot will take about 30 minutes. The hike is a little under 3 miles and can take around an hour to complete. It’s a nice easy trail that lets you walk along the river; unfortunately we didn’t spot any wildlife while we were there.
Plan to leave Chena Lake Recreation area around 4pm and arrive back at the hotel around 4:30pm. If you would like to stay longer just plan on a later dinner. I would recommend freshening up and leaving the hotel around 5:30pm for a 6pm dinner reservation at The Pump House.
Enjoy dinner for as long as you would like just plan to be back at your hotel by 9pm for your Northern Lights Tour. You might want to consider a nap before the tour as the tour is advertised to run from 10pm to 3am. I was too excited to nap so I made sure I had my camera and tripod ready to go.
The tour guides will send you a message earlier in the day with your projected pickup time, it will likely be between 9pm and 10pm. The tour I booked was The Incredible Aurora Viewing Adventure run by Aurora in Alaska. I booked directly through their website as it was cheaper than booking through Viator. Seeing Aurora Borealis was an absolutely amazing experience that far exceeded my expectations. I hope you enjoyed the viewing just as much as I did!
The lights were so amazing that night that we packed up the tour early and got back to the hotel around 1:30pm. The group was exhausted by the time we went to bed but it was an unforgettable night.
Day 6: Drive Fairbanks to Anchorage
Activity: Commute
Lodging: Anchorage
When I originally planned this Alaska trip I had hoped to fly into Anchorage and fly out from Fairbanks so I could maximize my sightseeing time. After researching one-way car rental options, I decided it made the most financial sense to depart back through Anchorage. Pick what option works best for you and your budget, if you decide to depart from Anchorage I hope you are ready for a long drive!
Instead of driving back to Anchorage on the same highway you drove on the way to Fairbanks, depart Fairbanks and head towards the North Pole following AK-2 to AK-4. Check out of your lodging in Fairbanks by 10am and arrive at Santa Claus house at 10:30am. Santa’s house is a super cute store where you can buy souvenirs and take a picture with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Plan to spend about 30 minutes at Santa's house. Once you are done walking around, drive around the corner to fill up on gas and start your trek back to Anchorage. Total drive will be about 7.5hrs and ~400 miles.
Enjoy the scenic drive as you will get to see Denali from a different viewpoint. About two hours into the drive you can try to stop at Caster Glacier ice cave. Unfortunately it didn't work out for us as the trailhead didn't have a good place to park and the snow was soft making it hard to walk in. I would still recommend stopping there to stretch your legs, it also has a great view of the Delta River.
Drive another two hours and then stop for lunch in Glennallen which is at the intersection of AK-4 and AK-1. There’s not much of a food selection but its really your only choice in the area. The next stop is at Glacier View which is an 1hr 20mins from Glennallen. At Glacier View you can stop and take some pictures of Matanuska Glacier.
If you are feeling adventurous you can book a guided hike of Matanuska Glacier. My group was still tired from the Northern Lights tour the night before so we skipped the hike and kept on driving. I would still recommend looking into the hike as it seemed like great opportunity to hike a glacier.
If you skip the hike and keep driving you should arrive in Anchorage around 7pm!
This was definitely a long drive, if we had an extra day I would have stayed somewhere between Fairbanks and Anchorage, maybe Talkeetna again. While it sounded like a good idea to drive back a different way, the scenery wasn’t that different to make the extra time in the car worth it. If you prefer to save time I would recommend driving back down AK-3 and saving an hour or so.
Once you are checked into your Anchorage lodging, we stayed again at the La Quinta, you should head out to dinner. We ate at Simon & Seafort, food was good but it was pricey and parking was a bit messy as they don’t have onsite parking.
While I thought about trying to see Aurora in Anchorage, it was unfortunately raining that night so we got ready for our flight the next day and went to bed. If you have a clear night and the Aurora forecast is good there are plenty of spots around Anchorage you can see Aurora from.
Day 7: Depart from Anchorage
Its time to say goodbye to Alaska. Make sure you leave enough time to drop off your rental car! We checked out of the hotel around 10:45am, filled up the car with gas, dropped it off at the rental car lot and were at the airport security lines by 11:30am. Security lines were short and thankfully the TSA precheck line was open so we were sitting at our gate well before boarding.
I hope you enjoyed exploring Alaska, the last frontier, as much as I did. I know there was a lot of driving but I felt like I maximized my time there and left Alaska with a lifetime of memories.
Crushed it!
Timetable
Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage
Free day arrive at your own leisure
Day 2: Kenai Fjords Cruise
7:30am check-out of Anchorage lodging
7:30am - 10:00am drive Anchorage to Seward
10:00am arrive in Seward
10:30am check-in for cruise tour
11:30am - 5:30pm Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise (lunch included)
6:30pm dinner
Day 3: Denali Flightseeing Tour
8:30am check-out of Seward lodging
8:30am - 11:00am drive Seward to Anchorage
11:00am -1:00pm lunch
1:00pm - 3:00pm drive Anchorage to Talkeetna
3:00pm arrive in Talkeetna
3:15pm check-in for flightseeing tour
4:00pm - 6:00pm Grand Denali Flightseeing Tour With Glacier Landing
7:00pm dinner
Optional 11pm - 2am Aurora viewing
Day 4: Denali National Park
9:30am check-out of Talkeetna lodging
9:30am - 12:30pm drive Talkeetna to Denali Visitor Center
12:30pm - 3:30pm Denali National Park self guided tour
3:30pm - 4:00pm drive Denali to Healy
4:00pm - 5:30pm lunch/dinner
5:30pm - 7:30pm drive Healy to Fairbanks
Optional 11pm - 2am Aurora viewing
Day 5: Reindeer Ranch and Northern Lights Tour
9:30am - 10:00am drive Fairbanks lodging to Reindeer Ranch
10:00am - 11:00am Reindeer Ranch visit
11:00am - 11:30am drive Reindeer Ranch to Fairbanks
11:30am - 1:00pm brunch
1:30pm - 2:00pm drive Fairbanks to Chena Lake Recreation Area
2:30pm - 4:00pm hike and explore Chena Lake Recreation Area
4:00pm - 4:30pm drive Chena Lake Recreation Area to Fairbanks
6:00pm dinner
9:00pm - 10:00pm Aurora Viewing Tour pickup time
10:00pm - 3:00am Aurora Viewing Tour
Day 6: Drive Fairbanks to Anchorage
10:00am check-out of Fairbanks lodging
10:00am - 10:30am drive Fairbanks to North Pole
10:30am - 11:00am visit Santa Claus House
11:00am - 1:00pm drive North Pole to Costner Glacier Ice Cave
1:15pm - 3:15pm drive Costner Glacier Ice Cave to Glennallen
3:15pm - 3:45pm lunch
3:45pm - 5:00pm drive Glennallen to Glacier View
5:15pm - 7:15pm drive Glacier View to Anchorage
Optional 11pm - 2am Aurora viewing
Day 7: Depart Anchorage
Things to Book
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Lodging:
Day 1 lodging in Anchorage
Day 2 lodging in Seward
Day 3 lodging in Talkeetna
Day 4 & 5 lodging in Fairbanks
Day 6 lodging in Anchorage
Tours:
Reindeer Ranch Visit
Aurora Viewing Adventure Tour
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