A Wild Alaska Adventure
Alaska has always been on my "bucket list,” so I was thankful to finally have the opportunity to visit the northernmost state during the summer of 2024. Summer is the high season in Alaska, which makes sense. The days are very long, the weather is warmer, and everything is more accessible than in the winter. Plus, there is very active wildlife!
For this once-in-a-lifetime trip, our traveling party consisted of my husband and me, plus three of our adult children (for the second half), so I designed this itinerary for adults. It is an "active" trip, with lots of outdoor activities – but it could be modified to fit all members of your party.
Planning this trip was very challenging and time-consuming. Alaska's sheer size is intimidating, larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined! To narrow our options, I began by taking a bird's eye view, studying maps, reading blogs, and scouring travel books. Finally, I zeroed in on a plan of attack – we would skip Denali and focus on the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Juneau (including a sailboat excursion through the Inside Passage).
I methodically booked everything myself; this meant carefully documenting every detail in a Word document: addresses, confirmation numbers, contacts, deposits paid, amounts due, cancellation policies, etc. (Alaska.org is a wealth of information and a great starting point plus a gap-filler later in planning).
Some activities on our trip required medical flight insurance. I signed up online for a policy just before our trip. Our plan was affordable, covered the whole family, and would provide emergency flight service to the closest hospital should we require medical care in remote areas.
Packing was complicated. I spent many hours scouring the internet to create a packing list for this trip. In the summer, the weather can be highly variable in Alaska (cold and rainy or warm and dry), but we wanted to take as little as possible. Ultimately, we packed one large checked bag to hold all our heavier clothing layers, rain gear, boots, and hiking poles. Then, we packed our daily wardrobes and other necessities in carry-on bags. It helped that we stayed in rental homes with washers and dryers throughout our trip; we washed our clothes on each leg. (We find rental homes less expensive, more spacious, and more comfortable than hotels for a family traveling together).
We also purchased waterproof backpacks and brought those on the plane with our rolling carry-ons. The backpacks helped carry extras on our hikes and excursions: extra layers, rain gear (we purchased inexpensive Frog Toggs to cover our clothes in case of unexpected rain showers), bug spray, etc. You can also use a regular backpack and cover it with a rain cover. I also packed a physical map because cell service can be spotty in the wild.
My husband and I were alone for the first six days of the trip. Many people choose cruising as their preferred mode of entry to Alaska. We decided to travel by plane to Anchorage. The morning of our departure, the worldwide CrowdStrike IT outage began (CrowdStrike is a platform for scheduling flight crews and more) – so we were very thankful that our flight was not cancelled. It is always good to purchase travel insurance for trips, you never know what will happen (read to the end for a perfect example).
We landed in Anchorage on time at 9:30 PM local time and immediately took an Uber to a nearby Airbnb. There are plenty of home and condo rentals within 10-20 minutes of Anchorage airport, and staying in one is a convenient option before launching Alaskan adventures. Although it was still light outside at 10 PM in that part of the world, we were tired, so we slept well in preparation for our first full day in Alaska.
The following day, we took a quick Uber back to Ted Stevens airport and ate breakfast before boarding a short Alaska Airlines flight to Juneau, the state's capital. (Fact: You cannot drive into Juneau – the only options are ferry, boat, or air). We had reserved a lovely little apartment on Douglas Island, across the river from the city proper (the bridge was walkable). The homeowner allowed us to drop off our bags early, which we did before grabbing a quick lunch and heading out on our first adventure.
I had pre-booked a shuttle bus to Mendenhall Glacier, but we had a little time to explore the shops along the water in town between lunch and our scheduled pick-up time. Cruise ships are plentiful in summertime Alaska, which can make the small downtown feel crowded, but it was not bad during our visit. Soon, we were on a small bus headed to the glacier. The driver shared interesting facts and history along the way. Upon arrival, we had a couple of hours to explore and hike to the glacier on our own before the bus met us for the return trip.
(Sadly, just a couple of weeks after our visit, a glacier outburst occurred at the Mendenhall Glacier, resulting in significant flooding in the area.)
The following day, we embarked on the leg of our trip, which was almost TOO adventuresome for me! We would sail for 4 days/3 nights on a 46' Morgan Sloop through Stephen's Passage with boat owner/captain John. Our ultimate destination was Tracy Arm Fjord. Because I am prone to seasickness, I packed Bonine, ear plugs, ginger chews, and SeaBands (basically, anything the internet said could help motion sickness). The good news is that I never got sick. The bad news is that I often felt drowsy between jet lag, Bonine, and the relaxing motion of the boat. It was a small price to pay for feeling good, though.
We had a private cabin and bathroom (it was like camping on the water – comfortable, clean, and functional, if not luxurious). Along the way, we toured a fascinating, deserted cannery, where we docked for the first night. John prepared all our meals throughout the journey and had plenty of hot tea, coffee, and yummy snacks. We saw incredible sights as we motored down the coast, including wildlife, "bergies" (small icebergs), waterfalls, and finally, the stunning Sawyer Glacier. We watched (and listened – it is very loud!) through the eerie fog as it calved, while seals rested on floating ice chunks and swam nearby.
We spent the night at a cove near the mouth of the Tracy Arm on the way to and from the glacier, which was also good shelter from a storm that passed through. The return trip to Juneau only took part of a day. We stayed in the same rental home as the first night in Juneau, took "real showers" and laundered our clothes. The following day, we caught a short flight back to Anchorage to meet up with our three arriving kids: one from LA and two from the East Coast. We rented a car at the airport to carry us on the remainder of our journey. We also ran by the local REI store to pick up bear spray (you cannot fly with it).
After a good night's sleep at a rental home near the airport, we began our journey to the Kenai Peninsula, where we would spend the rest of our vacation. We traveled the "Seward Highway," a National Forest Scenic By-Way. Designated as an "All-American Road," it runs from Anchorage to the southernmost tip of the Kenai Peninsula. (Note that the traffic can be heavy, as it is the only road that runs the length of the peninsula. We timed our trip so that we were heading south on a Sunday, against traffic for the most part). The first leg of 40 miles along Turnagain Arm did not disappoint us.
Alaska.org helped us narrow down which places to visit along the highway. We chose the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge at Potter Marsh and the McHugh Creek Recreation Area waterfall. We also stopped for lunch at the highly recommended Girdwood Brewing. The food trucks offered a varied selection of delicious fare.
Once we arrived in the little town of Girdwood (home to a ski resort called Alyeska), we dropped our things at the next rental home and changed into hiking gear to explore and hike around Crow Creek Mine. The haunting, foggy forest surrounding the old gold mining village gave us our first taste of Alaska's peaceful forests. (As a bonus, Alaska is snake-free, so I did not have to worry about snakes on the trail!)
We took the Alyeska Resort Aerial Tramway up the foggy mountain for dinner that evening. The views were stunning (ranked as the best view of any U.S. ski resort by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine), and I would have enjoyed hiking the area at the top if we had more time. If you book dinner at the Seven Glaciers restaurant at the top, the tram ride fee is included, but I found the restaurant to be incredibly pricey for the quality of the fare.
The next day started early with a kayak tour of the remote Spencer Lake and Glacier. The Coastal Classic Alaska Railroad Train dropped us in the middle of nowhere. From there (wherever that was), we were bussed to the lake and fitted with gear. We kayaked across the lake, passing small icebergs at a safe distance before hiking toward the glacier. After enjoying hot cocoa and snacks, we kayaked back across the lake.
We caught the train again to complete the Grandview Tour – a stunning journey through the Upper Placer River Gorge Canyon, passing fields, mountains, waterfalls, and rivers. We loved the train ride; it was a relaxing way to end the day. Food and snacks were available for purchase on the train. If I had to do it again, I would skip the kayaking trip (it was cool, but we all agreed there was a lot of waiting around) and only do the Grandview train.
That night, after dinner in town, we watched one of the fabled "Bore Tides" in the Turnagain Arm, where brave surfers in wet suits tried to catch the incoming tidal wave in the frigid water. It is freaky but fascinating!
The following day, we hopped back into our rental car to make the almost two-hour journey to Seward. Along the way, we visited the Alaska Wildlife Refuge, with its fascinating array of native animals.
Upon arrival in Seward, we visited the small Alaska Aquarium before settling into our new digs at the Salted Roots Cabins. After a yummy dinner in town (google restaurants ahead of time and make reservations, as it is a busy time in Alaska!), we returned to our cabins to prepare our backpacks for the next excursion.
Our big adventure in Seward began early the following day: a six-hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise with Major Marine. Throughout the journey, we were thankful not to have any issues with seasickness, although people who did not follow directions were not as fortunate. Thankfully, the crew was well-equipped to handle any problems that arose. The crew was great, timing food, snacks, and fun perfectly throughout the day.
We saw otters, whales, porpoises, seals, puffins, and other birds. Plus, we visited an active tidewater glacier and watched it calve. We even got to taste the ice! And, of course, we took tons of photos.
Back on land, we enjoyed a birthday dinner at the fabulous, retro Flamingo Lounge in town (two of our kids celebrated birthdays during our trip). We slept well thanks to all the fresh, cold air on our sailing adventure and the delicious meal.
After another good night's sleep, we said goodbye to Seward, stopping to visit Exit Glacier on our way out of town. A short hike took us to the outwash plain of the giant glacier. It was well worth the extra time.
Our destination was Homer, the last town on the Kenai Peninsula. Homer is the Halibut fishing capital of the world and home to the famous Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile land strip full of galleries, shops, piers, bars, and beaches. Plus, the picturesque little town of Homer is the gateway to some of the best bear-viewing in Alaska. In fact, as soon as we arrived, we had to stop by the office of Alaska Bear Adventures to weigh in for our final hurrah: a flight to see bears in their natural habitat at Lake Clark National Park.
We had rented a home above town with panoramic views of the entire town and spit. We tried to go on a walk, but a moose hanging out at the entrance to our street made us think again. Moose are incredibly dangerous and unpredictable animals. About a month before our trip, a local (and experienced) wildlife photographer had been tragically killed by a moose. It is essential to be educated about how to avoid and manage wildlife encounters – bears also roam free in the wilds of Alaska. Although we always carried our bear spray, I did not want to encounter one on a trail (although we did see one on our last day).
The bear flights to Lake Clark or Katmai only go out, weather permitting. We were thankful to have a sunny, clear day for our flight. Our pilot took us over incredible scenery, including the Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet, and a volcano. As our small plane approached the tiny landing beach, we watched out the little windows as mama bears and their cubs fed on mud flats – an incredible sight! After the white-knuckle landing, we parked on the narrow beach and waded out to watch the bears from a safe distance in the water (the Adventure company provided us with waders, and our highly-trained pilot/guide kept us in a tight group. We were taught bear safety and watched a video before boarding the plane).
It was surreal to be so close to wild bears and their cubs as they dug up clams and wandered through the shallow water, sometimes looking at us curiously as they passed us at a safe distance. After watching in fascination and taking many photos, we ate lunch on the beach before an exhilarating take-off from the sand. It was time to make our way back to Homer.
We had built in one extra Homer day in case the weather delayed our bear flight. We took the opportunity to take a ferry across Kachemak Bay to Halibut Cove, where we hiked the Glacier View Trail. We had an allotted window before our ferry would meet us again, so we trekked to the glacier and rested on the rocks by the glacial lake to eat lunch and reflect on our adventures.
As we hiked to the meeting point to wait for our water taxi, we saw our first wild bear munching on some berries in the bushes. We did not stick around to take pictures. Soon, our water taxi picked us up from a remote beach, and we headed back to Homer. On the way, our captain circled Gull Island, a craggy bird rookie housing up to 20,000 birds in the summer months!
The next day, we made the 3-1/2-hour drive back to Anchorage, stopping for a tasty lunch in a small town. After returning to our Airbnb near the airport to drop off our gear, we headed downtown for dinner.
My son had an early flight to Los Angeles the following morning. The rest of us had the day free before our evening flight, so we rented bikes in Anchorage and road the beautiful Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to the airport. We watched the planes take off before heading back to town for dinner. The views from this trail are stunning, and it skirts the fall line of the 1964 earthquake.
Our trip to Alaska was a great adventure, but we were tired and ready to head home. Unfortunately, as we prepared to head to the airport, we received word that the airline canceled our flights. (See earlier note regarding travel insurance!) We scrambled to find another option (you cannot just rent a car and drive, after all!), and we managed to find four seats to Denver, where we divided and conquered. Our kids flew through Minneapolis to Richmond while my husband and I flew straight to Washington, DC, and drove the final two hours. As Richmond came into view from the interstate, we saw our kids' plane coming in to land.
Somehow, we all made it home safely – tired but thankful for the opportunity to enjoy a memorable outdoor adventure together in the wild and incredible 49th state.
If you enjoyed this essay, I invite you to subscribe to my blog. You will receive a newsletter once a month alerting you to new faith or travel content on my website and sharing encouraging resources such as good books. I look forward to connecting with you!
A special thank you to @blhfilms (Instagram) for the awesome bear photos.